Social Science Research
Evans, A. And S. Frank. (2004). Adolescent Depression and Externalizing Problems: Testing Two Models of Comorbidity in an Inpatient Sample. Adolescence. 39 (153) [HIDDEN] Retrieved from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_153_39/ai_n6145265/
The Scientific Method, though requires data and data analysis to be effective. In its most basic outline, quantitative data is information that can be measured by numbers or numerical values. Quantitative inquiry is a method that is used in scientific methodology to gather a logical and provable manner of collecting and analyzing data. Qualitative research uses a less numerical and more open ended approach to data -- it investigates the why and how of decision making; whereas quantitative focuses more on the what, where, and when -- which are all numerically measurable. One method is not necessarily better than the other; it is entirely dependent upon the hypothesis that is being tested. Indeed, qualitative research is often used to form the hypothesis and narrow the question prior to studying the data quantitatively. For example, a focus group might be formed with the purpose of looking at a specific behavioral pattern based on a cultural event. The group makes judgments, remarks, and gives opinion -- all which are qualitative. The researcher...
Typically, quantitative research uses larger samples that can be statistically analyzed and verified; while qualitative research uses smaller samples that may be used to generalize research (Cresswell, 2003).
Article Approach- The article differentiates between additive (quantitative) and interactive (qualitative) effects of comorbidity (the presence of one or more disorder in addition to a primary disease or disorder) when dealing with treatment options in adolescent depression. This mixed methods approach is far more appropriate for the data listed because it is formulated to focus on more than one approach to the issue of comorbidity in adolescents. The qualitative approach allowed the researchers access to decades of data from other studies; the quantitative data was germane specifically during the three-year study period. A comparison and correlation of the two, mixing the methods, advanced the reliability and robustness of the data. Saturation is a key concept in qualitative analysis. It is the point at which no further themes can be captured from data observation. Results of a study by Guest et al. revealed that saturation in a qualitative study with narrow objectives and…
