Reference no: EM131727567

Compare and contrast the characteristics between qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. How would you apply each type of research methodology in your workplace?

Cite at least one reference using APA documentation to support your rationale.

1.The difference between qualitative and quantitative is that qualitative research is empirical research where the data are not in the form of numbers and quantitative research gathers data in numerical form which can be put into categories or measures in units of measurement (McLeod, 2017).

In other words, quantitative deals with numbers while qualitative does not. Some qualitative research characteristics are that the approach is usually inductive, the research question is developed and refined while gathering data, the path is non-linear, the main goal is to discover or capture the meaning of a social setting, the concepts and ideas are expressed in the form of theses and motifs, the data is in the form of words and images, and the data analysis often includes a narrative story with detailed descriptions of people and events in a social setting (Neuman, 2017).

Some characteristics of quantitative research are that the approach is usually deductive, the research question is developed and refined before gathering data, the path is linear, the main goal is to test a hypothesis that you started with, the concepts and ideas are expressed in the form of distinct variables, the data is in the form of numbers, and that data analysis included statistics, tables, or charts with relationships among numbers (Neuman, 2017).

Qualitative research would apply in a healthcare facility by seeing how different atmospheres such as white walls versus colorful walls and bright painting versus dull paintings have an impact on the patient's emotion while being cared by a healthcare professional. Quantitative research could be used to monitor how many times a healthcare worker washed their hands while at the facility.

2. According to an author with Key Differences, "qualitative data is the data in which the classification of objects is based on attributes and properties" versus "quantitative data [which] is the type of data which can be measured and expressed numerically" (Surbhi, 2016).

Qualitative research is exploratory, subjective, and non-statistical whereas quantitative research is on the other hand conclusive, objective, and statistical (Key Differences, 2017). Working in a health care setting such as skilled nursing facility, the research of therapists tends to be more on the quantitative side; other departments such as administration or dietary would find qualitative research more useful.

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