Me 1 posts Re:Topic 6 DQ 2 When both qualitative and quantitative data is used,
ID: 354059 • Letter: M
Question
Me 1 posts
Re:Topic 6 DQ 2
When both qualitative and quantitative data is used, the effectiveness of evaluation is improved significantly as the shortcoming of one method can be neutralized by the strengths of other. So, by knowing the various ways of doing things, one can enhance his or her understanding about certain facts in a great deal. In most of the cases, both qualitative data (text or images) and quantitative data (numbers) are collected but one should take care in advance of how to combine the data.
The main objectives of combining data are as below:-
Enriching:- Different issues and information which are not obtained by quantitative data can be collected from qualitative works.
Examining: Different hypothesis can be developed with the help of qualitative data and these can be tested with the help of quantitative methods.
Explaining: The various unexpected resulted of quantitative data can be understood by qualitative data.
Triangulation (Confirming/reinforcing; Rejecting): With the help of qualitative data, different types of resulted obtained from quantitative data can be verified or rejected.
Example:- If various display types such as TV, computer, mobile phone and monitor displays are identified in a qualitative research, this information can be utilized by the researcher to construct quantitative research which can help them to estimate the impact of these variables on the preference of the users. Similarly, different trends can be created with the help of quantitative research into qualitative data-collection methods and therefore various trends can be verified.
What happens when you use both to evaluate and the two are in conflict or contradictory?
Explanation / Answer
Ideally, qualitative and quantitative research should not be used to evaluate same hypothesis. However in case they both are used, care must be taken to make sure that the methods are used simultaneously and not sequentially.
When qualitative and qualitative research show contradictory result then it can be due to following result
Identification of one or all of these problems is key. The errors need to be identified and corrected. If possible omit the cause of the errors from the research data and recalibrate the findings. In case of conflicting results, if possible, re-interviewing the respondents in two studies may help. Also you need to check to see if their understanding of the key questions were different for two studies. Also check the words of the question, and the scales that have been used.