1. SC1002 Quantitative and qualitative methods
Rob Mears
Dec 2005

2. Strengths of quantitative methods
Generalisable
Large-scale patterns
‘Hard’ persuasive data
Has high status as ‘scientific’ data, particularly in the medical world

3. More strengths… Correlation may indicate causal relationship
Less effected by observer bias – the researcher can be far removed from the subject
Makes visible social patterns

4. And limitations…?
Superficial, inflexible, does not find the unexpected
Ignores actors meanings and minimises differences within populations

5. Appeal of Qualitative approaches
Access to marginal populations
Rich material that enables understanding of actors social world
Generates theory

6. And more reasons for doing qualitative work
Deals with development of issues over time
Maps social relationships
Challenges common-sense?

7. And limitations Too subjective Risk of ‘going native’
Cannot throw light on large scale social processes

8. Role of qualitative research
Relationship between researcher and subject
Researchers stance in relation to subject
Relationship between theory and research
Research strategy
Scope of findings
Image of social reality
Nature of data

9. Validity Accurate measurement of the concept being researched
Whether the right concept is being researched
With validity a researcher can be sure that their research measures what they say it measures
However, there may be no objective external criteria. There may be cultural differences in interpretation

10. Reliability
Others should be able to replicate and produce similar findings. So repeated efforts to measure the same thing using the same research instruments should yield the same results

11. Conclusions Is divide between different methods:
Philosophy and epistemology?
Expertise & preference of practitioners?
Status of different forms of knowledge
Expediency or practicality (cost?)
Virtues of mixed methods (triangulation)