Module 3:
Types of Research
Overview
This module is focused on understanding the different types of research.
Why? There are two main types of research: quantitative and qualitative. They are very different! In this project, we will be using both methods, so it is important to understand the foundation.
Learning outcomes: You will be able to describe the different types of research with examples.
What we will do: We will watch four YouTube videos. We will also read an article and complete a Quizizz activity. You can reflect privately or on Slack!
Broadly, there are two types of research: quantitative and qualitative.
Watch this video about the difference between quantitative and qualitative data.
Quantitative = Numbers!!
Quantitative approaches to research emphasize the use of variables, numbers, and statistics. These projects usually involve large datasets (a collection of information on a specific subject) that attempt to look at differences across categories such as race and gender. These methods can include the use of surveys, secondary datasets (data that has already been collected), and experiments.
Qualitative = Text, images, or observations!
Qualitative approaches aim to describe social phenomena in great detail and typically, up close. Researchers here are often attempting to understand the meaning and context of some social phenomenon. These methods can include the use of in-depth interviews, focus groups, surveys with a write-in option, or observations of human behavior or places.
Many researchers use mixed methods, which can combine these methods. This is what we are doing in our CM projects!! Each method has its distinct challenges and strengths.
Quantitative allows for more participants to participate and capture larger sample sizes. This helps with making generalizable claims about the findings. Quantitative also lends more to establishing causation whereas qualitative is focused on description.
You can remember the difference by thinking of quality vs. quantity – quality (qualitative) gives you an in-depth picture of what is happening from people’s perspectives, while quantity (quantitative) gives you a big picture of the number of people impacted.
Quantitative and qualitative researchers have different views about reality and how knowledge is created.
Quantitative research tends to assume reality is objective, meaning that researchers are unbiased and create knowledge through theory testing and singular truths or realities. An underlying idea often in quantitative research is positivism, which assumes by using the scientific method and tools of research, we can objectively (without much exterior influence) understand the world (See also empiricism).
While these methods do help us understand our reality, we also know there is no one that is truly objective. We all bring our own beliefs and assumptions that influence what and how we research. Research questions and the types of projects we work on are often driven by larger social forces, our experiences, and individual preferences. That is unavoidable, but we must be upfront about these biases. As Dr. Huey Newton remarked in a speech he gave at Boston College in 1970, we need to strike a careful balance between the worlds of objectivity (not influenced by personal feelings, opinions, or experiences) and subjectivity (influenced by personal feelings, opinions, and/or experiences). In our project, we embrace our subjectivity as Credible Messengers and community experts to pose questions that we find most meaningful.
Qualitative research tends to assume reality is subjective, meaning that researchers come into research projects with their own lived experiences and knowledge that shape the process. In addition, qualitative research assumes participants have varying backgrounds and experiences that shape their own realities and responses. In other words, there are multiple realities or truths.
If this makes your brain hurt, you are not alone!!
Here is an example:
A researcher is conducting quantitative surveys to understand program participants' perceptions of the services. The researcher uses theory to guide the development of questions and has set closed-ended questions that the participants respond to. Then, the responses are combined together to summarize participants' perceptions. For example, 68% of program participants indicated the program was valuable.
On the other hand, if the researcher were conducting focus groups to understand program participants' perceptions of the services, the questions asked would be more open-ended and allow for open discussion among participants. Collectively, their responses could be summarized, but specific quotes and narratives would be highlighted with context on the lived experience of the participant.
Closed-ended question: On a scale of 1-5, indicate how valuable the program was to you.
A researcher who prefers quantitative data may be more inclined to use this close-ended question: it's something they can analyze with numbers, but gives less room for a respondent's response to be free
Open-ended question: What aspects of the program were most valuable to you?
A researcher who prefers qualitative data may be more interested in this style of open-ended question: it allows the respondent a kind of freedom to answer how they see fit
In our CM projects, we will be collecting quantitative data through Life Event Calendar Surveys with young people who received CM programming and those who did not and qualitative data through focus groups with young people who received CM programming.
We will talk about both of these methods in more detail in the next modules!
Think about how these different kinds of research can answer your own questions. We laid out the research questions from our initial plan in the previous module. What ways can you think to answer them - quantitative or qualitative data? What sorts of new questions can you add to them?
The Takeaway: Understanding research and research methods makes us better creators and consumers and of information! We can more easily spot whether information is reliable or legitimate, and what information is worth sharing. As we talked about in the previous module, when we know which tools to use for a job, we're better equipped to do the job. Knowing what research tools to use gives us the strength and wisdom to best shape our project and its outcomes.