Choosing a Research Design

Quantitative, Qualitative or Mixed

Dr. Racidon P. Bernarte

Research is a way of looking at reality…
Major Research Paradigm
• Quantitative research – research that relies primarily on
the collection of quantitative data.
• Qualitative research – research that relies on the
collection of qualitative data.
• Mixed research – research that involves the mixing of
quantitative and qualitative methods or paradigm
characteristics.
Research Design
• How are you going to conduct the
study?
• What procedures you will adopt to
obtain the answer to research
questions?
• How will you carry the tasks needed to
complete the different components of
the research process?
• What should you do and not do in the
process of undertaking the study?
Research Design
• A research design is a plan,
structure, and strategy of
investigation to obtain answers to the
research questions or problems.
• It includes an outline of what the
investigator will do from the
conceptualization and their
operational implications to the final
analysis of data.
 Purpose
Quantitative Qualitative
• To test hypothesis, look at • To understand & interpret social
cause & effect, & make interactions
predictions
 Group Studied

Quantitative Qualitative
• Larger &randomly • Smaller & not randomly
selected
 Variables

Quantitative
• Specific variables studied

Qualitative
• Study of the whole, not
variables
 Types of Data Collected

Quantitative Qualitative
• Numbers and statistics • Words, images, or object
 Form of Data Collected

Quantitative Qualitative
• Quantitative data based on precise • Qualitative data such as open-ended
measurement using structured & responses, interviews, participant
validated data-collection instrument observations, field notes, & reflections
 Type of Data Analysis

Quantitative Qualitative
• Identify statistical • Identify patterns,
relationships features, themes
 Role of researcher

Quantitative
• Researcher & their biases
are not known to
participants in the study , &
participant characteristics
are deliberately hidden from
the researcher (double blind
studies)
Qualitative
• Researcher & their biases
may be known to
participants in the study , &
participant characteristics
may be known to the
researcher
 Scientific Method

Quantitative Qualitative
• Deductive or “top-down” • Inductive or “bottom-up”
The researcher tests The research generates
hypothesis and theory new hypothesis and
with data grounded theory from
data collected during
fieldwork
 Most Common Research Objectives

Quantitative Qualitative
• Description, explanation, • Description, exploration,
and prediction and discovery
 Focus
Quantitative
• Narrow-angle lens, testing
specific hypothesis

Qualitative
• Wide-angle and “deep-
angle” lens, examining the
breadth and depth of
phenomena to learn more
about them
 Nature of Observation
Quantitative Qualitative
• Attempt to study of behavior • Study behavior in natural
under controlled conditions environments; Study the context
in which behavior occurs
 Nature Reality

Quantitative
• Objective (different
observers agree on what is
observed)
Qualitative
• Subjective, personal, and
socially constructed
 Description of Findings
Quantitative
• Numerical data
• Statistics
• Formal and scientific

Qualitative
• Narrative description
• Words, quotes
• Personal voice; literary style
 Result

Quantitative
• Generalizable findings
Qualitative
• Particular findings
• Represent of insider ( i.e.,
“emic”) viewpoint
• Present multiple perspective
 Form of Final Report

Quantitative
• Statistical report (e.g.,
with correlations,
comparisons of means,
and reporting of
statistical significance of
findings)
Qualitative
• Narrative report with
contextual description
and direct quotations
from research
participants
When to use Quanti or Quali?
Do you believe that...

• There is an objective • There are multiple,

reality that can be constructed realities
measured? that defy easy
• If so, use measurement or
Quantitative categorization?
research. • If so, use Qualitative
research?
Is your research question...

• Confirmatory or • Exploratory or
predictive in interpretive in
nature? nature?
• If so, use • If so, use Qualitative
Quantitative research.
research.
Is the available research literature...

• Relatively large? • Limited or non-

• If so, use existent?
Quantitative • If so, use
research. Qualitative
research.
Do you have skills in...

• Statistics and • Inductive reasoning,

deductive attentiveness to
reasoning, and able detail, and able to
to write in a write in a more
technical and literary, narrative
scientific style? style?
• If so, use • If so, use Qualitative
Quantitative research.
research.
 Choosing the “right” method

• Different research methods

are appropriate for
different research
questions. “No single
approach is best for all the
questions that can be asked
regarding any particular
behavioral phenomenon”.
Types of Quantitative & Qualitative Research

Quantitative Qualitative
• Experimental • Phenomenology
• Non-Experimental • Ethnography
• Survey • Case Study
• Content Analysis
• Grounded Theory
• Historical Research
Mixed Methods Research: The Balance
between Quanti and Quali
Mixed Research
• is a general type of research (it’s one of the three
paradigms) in which quantitative and qualitative
methods, techniques, or other paradigm characteristics
are mixed in one overall study

• The purpose of this form of research is that both

qualitative and quantitative research, in combination,
provide a better understanding of a research problem or
issue than either research approach alone
Types of Mixed Research
• Mixed method research – is research in which the researcher uses
the qualitative research paradigm for one phase of a research study
and the quantitative research paradigm for another phase of the
study.

• Mixed model research – is research in which the researcher mixes

both qualitative and quantitative research approaches within a
stage of the study or across two of the stages of the research
process.
Collecting both Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Quantitative data Qualitative data

• Interviews
• Instruments • Observations
• Checklists • Documents
• Records • Audio-visual
materials
Typical Situations in which Mixed Methods is Use

• To compare results from quantitative and qualitative research

• To use qualitative research to help explain quantitative findings
• To explore using qualitative research and then to generalize
findings to a large population using quantitative research
• To develop an instrument because none are available or useful
• To augment an experiment with qualitative data
 Reasons for “Mixing”
• The insufficient argument – either quantitative or qualitative may be
insufficient by itself
• Multiple angles argument – quantitative and qualitative approaches provide
different “pictures”
• The more-evidence-the-better argument – combined quantitative and
qualitative provides more evidence
• Community of practice argument – mixed methods may be the preferred
approach within a scholarly community
• Eager-to-learn argument – it is the latest methodology
• “Its intuitive” argument – it mirrors “real life”
Benefits of Mixed Methods Research

• Can triangulate or cross-examine results.

• Can corroborate previously established results.
• Can expand a set of results.
• Can discover data that may have been missed by using only
one design.
• Can identify additional research opportunities.

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How Methods Can Be Mixed

Types of mixing Comments

Two types of research question. One fitting a quantitative approach and the other
qualitative.
The manner in which the research Preplanned (quantitative) versus
questions are developed. participatory/emergent (qualitative).

Two types of sampling procedure. Probability versus purposive.

Two types of data collection procedures. Surveys (quantitative) versus focus groups
(qualitative).
Two types of data analysis. Numerical versus textual (or visual).

Two types of data analysis. Statistical versus thematic.

Two types of conclusions. Objective versus subjective interpretations.

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Mixed Methods Designs
(Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007)

• Sequential Explanatory Design

• Sequential Exploratory Design
• Sequential Transformative Design
• Concurrent Triangulation Design
• Concurrent Embedded Design
• Concurrent Transformative Design

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A. Sequential Explanatory Design

QUAN
QUAN qual
qual
Data
Data&& Data
Data&& Interpretation
Interpretation
Results
Results Following up
Results
Results

48
Sequential Explanatory Design: Characteristics

• Viewing the study as a two-phase project

• Collecting quantitative data first followed by collecting
qualitative data second
• Typically, a greater emphasis is placed on the quantitative
data in the study
• Example: You first conduct a survey and then follow up with
a few individuals who answered positively to the questions
through interviews

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Sequential Explanatory Design: When do you use it?

• When you want to explain the quantitative results in more

depth with qualitative data (e.g., statistical differences
among groups, individuals who scored at extreme levels)
• When you want to identify appropriate participants to
study in more depth qualitatively

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B. Sequential Exploratory Design

QUAL
QUAL quan
quan
Data
Data&& Data
Data&& Interpretation
Results
Results
Building to
Results
Results
Interpretation

51
Sequential Exploratory Design: Characteristics

• Viewing the study as a two-phase project

• Qualitative data collection precedes quantitative data
collection
• Typically, greater emphasis is placed on the qualitative data in
the study
• Example: You collect qualitative diary entries, analyze the
data for themes, and then develop an instrument based on
the themes to measure attitudes on a quantitative survey
administered to a large sample.

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Sequential Exploratory Design: When do you use it?

• To develop an instrument when one is not available (first

explore, then develop instrument)
• To develop a classification or typology for testing
• To identify the most important variables to study
quantitatively when these variable are not known

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C. Sequential Transformative Design

QUAL quan
Social science theory, qualitative theory, advocacy worldview

QUAN qual
Social science theory, qualitative theory, advocacy worldview

54
Sequential Transformative Design: Characteristics

• Has two distinct data collection phases

• A theoretical perspective is used to guide the study
• Purpose is to use methods that will best serve the theoretical
perspective of the researcher

55
D. Concurrent Triangulation Design

QUAN
Data and Results
+ QUAL
Data and Results
Interpretation

56
 Concurrent Triangulation Design: Characteristics

• Collecting both quantitative and qualitative data

• Collecting these data at the same time in the research procedure
• Analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data separately
• Comparing or combining the results of the quantitative and qualitative
analysis
• Example: collect survey data (quantitative) and collect individual
interviews (qualitative) and then compare the results

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Concurrent Triangulation Design: When is it used?

• When you want to combine the advantages of quantitative

(trends, large numbers, generalization) with qualitative
(detail, small numbers, in-depth)
• When you want to validate your quantitative findings with
qualitative data
• When you want to expand your quantitative findings with
some open-ended qualitative data (e.g., survey with closed-
and open-ended data)

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E. Concurrent Embedded Design

qual quan
QUAN QUAL

QUAN
QUAN
Intervention QUAN
QUAN
Pre-test
Pre-test Post-test
Post-test Interpretation
Interpretation
Data
Data&& Data
Data&&
qual
qual
Results
Results Results
Results
Process
Process

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Concurrent Embedded Design: Characteristics

• One data collection phase during which both quantitative

and qualitative data are collected (one is determined to be
the primary method).
• The primary method guides the project and the secondary
provides a supporting role in the procedures.
• The secondary method is “embedded” or “nested” within
the predominant method and addresses a different question.

60
F. Concurrent Transformative Design

QUAN + QUAL quan

Social science theory, qualitative theory, QUAL
advocacy worldview
Social science theory, qualitative theory,
advocacy worldview

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Concurrent Transformative Design: Characteristics

• Guided by a theoretical perspective.

• Concurrent collection of both quantitative and qualitative
data.
• The design may have one method embedded in the other
so that diverse participants are given a choice in the change
process of an organization.

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Additional Resources
Books:

• Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods
research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Greene, J. C. (2007). Mixed methods in social inquiry. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Mertens, D. M. (2005). Research methods in education and psychology: Integrating diversity
with quantitative and qualitative approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Plano Clark, V. L., & Creswell, J. W. (2008). The mixed methods reader. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
• Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (1998). Mixed methodology: Combining qualitative and
quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Tashakkori, A. & Teddlie, C. (Eds.) (2003). Handbook of mixed methods in social and
behavioral research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Additional Resources
Articles and Chapters:

• Caracelli, V. J., & Greene, J. C. (1993). Data analysis strategies for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational Evaluation and
Policy Analysis, 15 (2), 195-207.
• Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In: A.
Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
• Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., & Garrett, A. L. (2008). Methodological issues in conducting mixed methods research. In M.M.
Bergman (Ed.), Advances in mixed methods research. London: Sage.
• Greene, J. C., Caracelli, V. J., & Graham, W. F. (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11 (3), 255-274.
• Ivankova, N. V., Creswell, J. W., & Stick, S. (2006). Using mixed methods sequential explanatory design: From theory to practice.
Field Methods, 18(1), 3-20.
• Morgan, D. L. (2007). Paradigms lost and pragmatism regained. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1, 48-76.
• Morse, J. M. (1991). Approaches to qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation. Nursing Research, 40, 120-123.

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 SALAMAT PO!

Choosing a Research Design

Quantitative, Qualitative or Mixed

Dr. Racidon P. Bernarte

Director , Research Management Office
rpbernarte@pup.edu.ph