Qualitative and Quantitative Design Methods †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Queston: Discuss about the Qualitative and Quantitative Design Methods. Answer: Introduction: Ontology and Epistemology are intrinsic to research methodology. Ontology is the foundation of knowledge. Research paradigm is constructed by the integration of ontology and epistemology. The characteristics of research paradigm are ontology management, epistemology and methodology. The ontology of positivist knowledge is that reality is present out there, it can be understood through the external intervention by the scientist (Ritchie et al. 2013). Result is understood as the outcome of current convention. Ontology raises question about reality and what is reality. Ontology emphasizes on what is knowledge and in what ways we perceive knowledge. This enables us to understand the quintessence of knowledge. A clear understanding regarding the philosophy of knowledge will guide the researcher to engage in better research. The ontological position of the positivists is that there is a single reality that is out there and the task of the researcher is to go out there and discover the real ity. The understanding of the positivist ontological position is that there is a fixed reality. This ontology informs the researcher to deploy quantitative research methods that facilitates measurement and quantification of the reality. Another ontological position is that of the constructivists or the interpretivists. Their understanding about knowledge is that there is no single reality. There are multiple realities. Reality is contingent about the perception of different individuals based on their distinctive social location. Since reality is multiple, the approach towards understanding the reality is to explore the lived experiences of individuals, groups, communities and sects. Since experiences of different individuals cannot be quantified, measured on generalized to a larger sample population, therefore qualitative research methods comprising of qualitative interviewing, in-depth and intensive interviews, oral history and participant observation are some of the pertinent tech niques deployed for the constructivist approach of research. The ontological framework of critical social science research is that there is social construction of reality and that the construction of reality is subject to internal reflection. This ontological position influences the a critical and reflective orientation towards social issues. Therefore, Marxist method and feminist method are the key features of this kind of position. According to critical social science research, social realities are manifestation of the power structure and embedded in hierarchical relationship (Lewis 2015). The appropriate methods for this kind of approach is discourse analysis that engages in a perusal of the discourse itself and highlights the power that is manifested through discourse analysis, ethnography and action design research. Action design research is suitable for the temperament of this ontological position as it emphasizes on identifying the issues and seeking solutions management to the problem with the motive of social transformation or praxis. The term epistemology refers to the ways one can know the reality or knowledge and also explains the relationship between the knower and the phenomenon the person wants to know. It is ontology that informs the epistemological premise. Epistemology also emphasizes on the process of knowing and guides about future methods that can be adopted by the researchers. For example, the epistemological tenet of constructivism is subjective understanding of knowledge. According to this philosophy, reality needs to be interpreted with the aim of understanding the meanings imbued to the social action of individuals or groups. Theory, methodology and research design Ontology and epistemology determines guides and informs theory. Theory informs the methodological framework to be adopted for research and the methodical framework in turn gives shape to the research design. In social science research, there are three key ingredients, the first step is the construction of theory followed by the collection of data and followed by the designing of the research. The term theory connotes a testable proposition that have emerged either through the nomothetic (that is based on generalisable scientific laws) or the idiographic (that emphasizes on the subjective interpretation of reality) approach. A theory either emerges through the inductive of the deductive method. According to the deductionist approach, a researcher commences the research with a hypothesis based on the on intensive review of literature on the issue that is being studied. Then, the researcher goes into the field and deploys the survey or the questionnaire method to find the data. The aim of the researcher is to prove the hypothesis valid or invalid (Hughes and Sharrock 2016). The deductionists are inspired from the positivist foundation and tries to provide an objective account of reality. On the other hand, in the inductionist approach the researcher commences with broad research question and enters the field. During the course of the fieldwork and post the data collection, there will emerge the theory. This is also known as the grounded theory. Grounded theory makes use of qualitative research methodology. The foundation of qualitative research is that individuals experiences cannot be quantified and the researcher needs to adopt verstehen (empathetic understanding). This emphasizes that the researcher to understand the participants should put themselves in the shoes of the participant. This would facilitate in having a deeper and acuminous insight into the lifeworld of the individual. Methodology refers to the system that constitutes of a collection of methods th at are utilized by the researcher in the pursuit of their approach towards the research. It is important to understand that research is never pursued without reference to other studies. The ways and patterns in which the social scientist pursues the researcher is situated in the broader context of the paradigm (Neuman 2014). The selection of appropriate research design emerges from the epistemological position of the researcher and the ways the researcher is seeking to understand the given issue. There are two primary research designs. One is the quantitative research design and the other is the qualitative research. The specifics of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approach to research As has been discussed in the previous journals ontology informs epistemology that in turn informs the methodology and that in turn influences the methods. Qualitative research design is premised on the understanding of interpretivism or constructivism or critical social science research (Glaser and Strauss 2017). In quantitative research design, the aim of the researcher is to measure the through the use of numbers. Quantitative research design entails grasping the objective reality, therefore estimation is done quantification of data. A key advantage of quantitative research is the precision and there is no ambiguity. The data generated from the quantitative research can be generalisable to a larger sample population. Some of the common methods in quantitative research are survey and structured interview. A survey involves studying a particular phenomenon through the use of questionnaire that comprises of both open-ended nad close-ended questions. A questionnaire with too many open- ended questions would make it difficult to code and quantify. A structured interview comprises of a set of questions pre-decided by the interviewer and is not subject to change or modification during the course of the interview. Survey is helpful in examining the number of people and their relation to the particular phenomenon. However, quantitative research has limitation in terms grasping the varied experiences of individuals. In that context, qualitative research is helpful. The data generated from qualitative research is not meant to be generalisable. It uses oral history, in-depth interview, qualitative interviewing, focussed group discussion, unstructured interviews among others that are considered to be compatible for the essence of the research. In case of quantitative method probability, sampling technique is adopted whereas in case of qualitative research non-probability sampling technique is considered to be befitting. Apart from these two research methods there is someth ing called mixed methods. Mixed methods are also known as triangulation. Mixed method approach involves the deployment of both qualitative and quantitative research method (Hussein 2015). For example if a researcher is planning to conduct a study to understand the effect of ethnic violence on a community, then the methods of oral history, unstructured interview, archive analysis and survey all can be employed together to have a better understanding of the phenomenon. In case of a research that aims to understand the relationship between drug abuse and youth, the a quantitative research comprising of large scale cross-sectional research design and survey would be useful. In case a researcher is interested to understand the children of sex-workers and stigma in their life, then qualitative research methods comprising of qualitative interviewing and participant observation would be the most suitable method. Quantification would not be possible in such kind of situation as it will insen sitive and uncouth conduct a structured interview on their lives. Participant observation will enable the researcher to understand the trials and tribulations of the participants and the observation from the field will enrich the data. References Glaser, B.G. and Strauss, A.L., 2017.Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Routledge. Hughes, J.A. and Sharrock, W.W., 2016.The philosophy of social research. Routledge. Hussein, A., 2015. The use of Triangulation in Social Sciences Research: Can qualitative and quantitative methods be combined?.Journal of comparative social work,4(1). Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches.Health promotion practice,16(4), pp.473-475. Neuman, L.W., 2014.Social research methods. Pearson Education Limited. Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C.M. and Ormston, R. eds., 2013.Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage.