By contrast, qualitative research base its inquiry in understanding the human problem using multiple perspective, and the research is conducted in the natural setting in order to understand the phenomenon. While quantitative research uses survey, experimental and Quasi-Experiments methods to collect data, qualitative research uses the interview, case study and focus group as methods of data collection. The survey method involves using questionnaires for data collection with the intent of estimating the interest of the large population based on the smaller sample population. The qualitative research uses the phenomenological approach to understand the human experience. The goal is to immense into the phenomenon to understand the people being studied. The qualitative method also uses the case studies to explore the phenomenon being studied. The case study involves collecting detailed information of a sample program or event.
This study will use survey method as a method of collecting quantitative data. The study will also use the in-dept interview method and case study to collect qualitative data. The strategy will assist the researcher to collect data within the natural setting. Using the case study, the researcher will also collect data from real life situation. There are several be benefits this study will derive from using qualitative research approach.
Benefits of using Qualitative methods
The major benefits of using qualitative research for data collection are that a researcher will be able to collect rich data from the experience of the people being interviewed. The technique will assist in producing valid and quality research findings. Moreover, qualitative research will assist a researcher to collect data from the in-dept interview which will provide the holistic view of the phenomenon under investigation.
Despite the advantages that this study will derive from using qualitative research, there are still shortcomings with the qualitative research.
Weaknesses of Qualitative Methods
The major weakness of qualitative research is that the method is time consuming. It may take lot of days, weeks or months before a researcher secures interview appointments with interviewees.
Moreover, qualitative research is not cost effective. A researcher will need to spend lots of money on phone calls and transportation before finally secured an interview appointment with interviewees. (Bradley, and Devers 2007).
Benefits of using Quantitative methods
One of the major benefits that this study will derive from quantitative research is its cost effectiveness. A research could collect large amount data using lesser amount.
Moreover, there is high level of reliability from the data collected using quantitative method. The data collected will assist in testing the hypothesis as well as arriving at objective conclusion. Despite the benefits that this study will derive from using quantitative research, there is still weakness identified with quantitative research method.
Weakness of Quantitative Method
The quantitative research fails to provide the researcher the rich data from the natural context of the phenomena. The quantitative method is also unable to control the environment where the respondents provide the answer to the survey questions.
Based on the benefits and shortcomings identified with both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study will use the mixed methods to integrate the benefits of both research methods as well as addressing the shortcomings identified with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Mixed Methods
Mixed methods encompass the procedure of combining both qualitative and quantitative methods as method of data collection. This study will derive several benefits from using the mixed methods approach. The study will integrate both benefits of quantitative and qualitative research in the research study, which will assist in providing valid and reliable research findings. The mixed methods provide the strengths as well as offsetting the weakness identified in both quantitative and qualitative research.
Moreover, mixed methods provide the comprehensive method of studying the research problem than using either of the qualitative or quantitative research alone. Typically, the researcher will be permitted to use different tools for data collection and data analysis.
Moreover, the mixed methods will assist a researcher to answer the research questions which a researcher may not be able to answer with either qualitative or quantitative research alone. Typically, the mixed methods are practical in the sense that a researcher will be able to solve research problems and answer research questions using combination of numbers and words as well as deductive and inductive thinkings.
Despite the benefits that this study would derive from the mixed method approach, the mixed method is time consuming and the researcher will need to incur more resources with the research approach.
Sample
The researcher will distribute survey questions to approximately 500 participants to collect valid and reliable 100 survey data. The participants...
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