QUANTITATIVE VS. QUALITATIVE
  THINKING ABOUT QUESTIONS
                         How?
          Why, What?           Does, Is, Can, Should? 
   COMPARING APPROACHES
      Quantitative            Mixed Methods                Qualitative
   Tests hypothesis that     Uses the strengths of      Responsive to 
   is constructed prior to   one method to              changes that occur 
   data collection           overcome the               during the study; 
                             weaknesses of another may shift focus 
   Can generalize            Can generate and test  Can explain how 
   findings when data are  a grounded theory            and why 
   based on random                                      phenomena occur 
   samples of a sufficient                              in the participants’ 
   size                                                 own words
   Pre-determined            Both                       Emerging methods
   methods
   Instrument-based          Both                       Open-ended 
   questions                                            questions
   COMPARING APPROACHES
    Quantitative Research                 Qualitative Research
   Statistical Analysis and             Text and image analysis, theme 
   interpretation                       and pattern interpretation
   Focuses on a relatively small        Attempts to understand the 
   number of concepts                   phenomenon in its entirety, rather 
   (concise and narrow)                 than focusing on specific 
                                        concepts (complex and broad)
   Begins with preconceived ideas       Has few preconceived ideas and 
   about how the concepts are           stresses the importance of 
   interrelated                         people’s interpretations of events 
                                        and circumstances, rather than 
                                        the researcher’s interpretation
   COMPARING APPROACHES
    Quantitative Research               Qualitative Research
   Collects information under          Does not attempt to control the 
   conditions of control               context of the research, but rather 
                                       attempts to capture that context 
                                       in its entirety
   Emphasizes objectivity in the       Assumes that subjectivity is 
   collection and analysis of          essential for the understanding of 
   information                         human experience
   Analyses numeric information        Analyses narrative information in 
   through statistical procedures      an organized but intuitive fashion
   Investigator does not participate   Involves sustained interaction 
   in the events under investigation   with the people being studied in 
   – is most likely to collect data    their own language and on their 
   from a real distance                own turf