•  Quantitative data collection methods include various

Quantitative Research forms of surveys – online surveys, paper surveys,

and mobile and kiosk surveys, face-to-face interviews,
Qualitative Research telephone interviews, longitudinal studies, website
interceptors, online polls, and systematic
• Learning Objective observations.
 To describe and list down the similarities and Standards
differences of quantitative research and qualitative
research  Mental survey of reality
• Key Understanding Qualitative Research
 Knowing the similarities and differences of  Results from social interactions
quantitative and qualitative research is important in
determining the applicable method for a particular Quantitative Research
study.  Exists in the physical world
Qualitative Research Standards
 It is primarily exploratory research.  Cause-effect relationships
 It is used to gain an understanding of underlying Qualitative Research
reasons, opinions, and motivations.
 Explained by people’s objective desires
 It provides insights into the problem or helps to
develop ideas or hypotheses for potential Quantitative Research
quantitative research.  Revealed by automatic descriptions of circumstances
Qualitative Research or conditions

 It is also used to uncover trends in thought and Standards

opinions, and dive deeper into the problem.  Researcher’s involvement with the object/subject of
 Data collection methods vary using unstructured or the study
semi-structured techniques. Some common methods Qualitative Research
include focus groups (group discussions), individual
interviews, and participation/observations.  Subjective; sometimes personally engaged
 The sample size is typically small, and respondents Quantitative Research
are selected to fulfill a given quota.
 Objective; least involvement by the researcher
Quantitative Research
Standards
 It is used to quantify the problem by way of
 Expression of data, data analysis and findings
generating numerical data or data that can be
transformed into useable statistics. Qualitative Research
 It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors,  Verbal language (words, visuals, objects)
and other defined variables – and generalize results
from a larger sample population. Quantitative Research

 It uses measurable data to formulate facts and  Numerals, statistics

uncover patterns in research. Standards
Quantitative Research  Research plan
 Quantitative data collection methods are much more Qualitative Research
structured than Qualitative data collection methods.
 Takes place as the research proceeds gradually

1 |Practical Research 1 Handout 1.2

Quantitative Research  Impersonal, scientific or systematic
 Plans all research aspects before collecting data Standards
Standards  Sampling technique
 Behavior toward research aspects/conditions Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research  More inclined to purposive sampling or use of chosen
samples based on some criteria
 Desires to preserve the natural setting of research
features Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research  Random sampling as the most preferred
 Control or manipulation of research conditions by the • Characteristics and Kinds of Qualitative Research
researcher
• Learning Objective
Standards
 To describe the characteristics and kinds of
 Obtaining knowledge qualitative research
Qualitative Research • Key Understanding
 Multiple methods  Knowledge of the characteristics and kinds of
qualitative research is fundamental in matching a
Quantitative Research given research topic with the right research type.
 Scientific method 1. Human understanding and interpretation
Standards  Data analysis results show an individual’s mental,
 Purpose social, and spiritual understanding of the world.
Hence, through their worldviews, you come to know
Qualitative Research what kind of human being he/she is, including his/her
 Makes social intentions understandable values, beliefs, likes, and dislikes.

Quantitative Research 2. Active, powerful, and forceful

 Evaluates objectives and examines cause-effect  As you go through the research process, you find the
relationships need to amend or rephrase interview questions and
consider varied ways of getting answers, like shifting
Standards from mere speculating to traveling to places for data
gathering.
 Data-analysis technique
 You are not fixated to a certain plan. Rather, you are
Qualitative Research
inclined to discover your qualitative research design
 Thematic codal ways, competence-based as your study gradually unfolds or reveals itself in
accordance with your research objectives
Quantitative Research
3. Multiple research approaches and methods
 Mathematically based methods
 Qualitative research allows you to approach or plan
Standards your study in varied ways. You are free to combine this
 Style of expression with quantitative research and use all gathered data and
analysis techniques.
Qualitative Research
 Being a multi-method research, a qualitative study
 Personal, lacks formality applies to all research types: descriptive, exploratory,
explanatory, case study, etc.
Quantitative Research
4. Specificity to generalization
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  Specific ideas in a qualitative research are directed to
a general understanding of something.
 It follows an inductive or scientific method of
thinking, where you start thinking of particular or
specific concept that will eventually lead you to more
complex ideas such as generalizations or conclusions.
5. Contextualization
 A qualitative research involves all variables, factors,
or conditions affecting the study. Your goal here is to
understand human behavior. Thus, it is crucial for
you to examine the context or situation of an
individual’s life—the who, what, why, how, and other
circumstances—affecting his or her way of life.
6. Diversified data in real-life situations
 A qualitative researcher prefers collecting data in a
natural setting like observing people as they live and
work, analyzing photographs or videos as they
genuinely appear to people, and looking at
classrooms unchanged or adjusted to people’s
intentional observations .
7. Abounds with words and visuals
 Data gathering through interviews or library reading,
as well as the presentation of data analysis results, is
done verbally.
 In some cases, it resorts to quoting some
respondents’ answers. Likewise, presenting people’s
world views through visual presentation (i.e.,
pictures, videos, drawings, and graphs) are
significantly used in a qualitative research.
8. Internal analysis
 Here, you examine the data yielded by the internal
traits of the subject individuals (i.e., emotional,
mental, spiritual characteristics).
 You study people’s perception or views about your
topic, not the effects of their physical existence on
your study.
 In case of objects (e.g., books and artworks) that are
subjected to a qualitative research, the investigation
centers on underlying theories or principles that
govern these materials and their usefulness to
people.
1. Case Study
 Usually takes place in the field of social care, nursing,
psychology, rehabilitation centers, education, etc.
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 This involves a long-time study of a person, group,
organization, or situation. It seeks to find answers to
why such thing occurs to the subject.
 Varieties of data collection methods such as
interviews, questionnaires, observations, and
documentary analysis are used in a case study.
2. Ethnography
 Falling in the field of anthropology, ethnography is
the study of a particular cultural group to get a clear
understanding of its organizational set-up, internal
operation, and lifestyle.
 A particular group reveals the nature or
characteristics of their own culture through the world
perceptions of the cultural group’s members.
3. Phenomenology
 From the word “phenomenon,” which means
something known through sensory experience,
phenomenology refers to the study of how people
find their experiences meaningful.
 Its primary goal is to make people understand their
experiences about death of loved ones, care for
handicapped persons, friendliness of people, etc.
4. Content and Discourse Analysis
 Content analysis requires an analysis or examination
of the substance or content of the mode of
communication (letters, books, journals, photos,
video recordings, SMS, online messages, emails,
audio-visual materials, etc.) used by a person, group,
organization, or any institution in communicating.
 A study of language structures used in the medium of
communication to discover the effects of sociological,
cultural, institutional, and ideological factors on the
content makes it a discourse analysis.
5. Historical Analysis
 Central to this qualitative research method is the
examination of primary documents to make you
understand the connection of past events to the
present time.
 The results of your content analysis will help you
specify phenomenological changes in unchanged
aspects of society through the years.
6. Grounded Theory
 This theory takes place when you discover a new
theory to underlie your study at the time of data
collection and analysis.
 Through your observation on your subjects, you will
happen to find a theory that applies to your current
study.
 Interview, observation, and documentary analysis are
the data gathering techniques for this type of
qualitative research.
• Elements of a Research Project
• Learning Objective
 To identify and describe the elements of a research
project
• Key Understanding
 Knowledge of the elements of a research project is
crucial in identifying the research problem and
formulating the research questions.
 The ultimate goal of the research is not only to
propose ways of studying things, people, places, and
events, but also to discover and introduce new
practices, strategies, or techniques in solving a
problem.
 The word “problem” makes you worry and pushes
you to exert considerable effort in finding a solution
for it.
 You consider research as the remedy for getting over
any problem.
 When you decide to do research, you begin with a
problem that will lead you to a specific topic to focus
on.
 For instance, you are beset by a problem of year-by-
year flash floods in your community. This problem
drives you to think of one topic you can investigate or
focus on for the solution to your community’s flood
problem. Perhaps, you can research only one aspect
of the flood problem, like examining only the
neighborhood lifestyle in relation to floods in the
area, the need to construct anti-flood structures, or
the practicability of more footbridges in the area.
(Gray 2013)
 First, spend time getting background knowledge
about the problem that triggered off your research
topic to discover its relation to what the world,
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particularly the experts, professionals, and learned
people know about your topic.
 Also, reading for rich background ideas about the
problem is also another way to discover some
theories or principles to support your study. (Braun
2014; Woodwell 2014)
 The research problem enables you to generate a set
of research questions.
 To get a good idea of the problem, you must have a
rich background knowledge about the topic through
the RRL (Review of Related Literature), which
requires intensive reading about your topic.
 Apart from having a clearer picture of the topic, it will
also help you in adopting an appropriate research
method and have a thorough understanding of the
knowledge area of your research.
 To give your study a clear direction, you have to
break this big, general question into several smaller
or specific research questions.
 The specific questions, also called sub-problems,
identify or direct you to the exact aspect of the
problem that your study has to focus on.
 Beset by many factors, the general question or
research problem is prone to reducing itself to
several specific questions, seeking conclusive
answers to the problem.
 Research questions aim at investigating specific
aspects of the research problem.
 Though deduced from the general or mother
question, one specific question may lead to another
sub-problem or sub-question, requiring a different
data-gathering technique and directing the research
to a triangulation or mixed method approach.
 Referring to varied aspects of the general problem, a
set of research questions plays a crucial part in the
entire research work.
 Through sub-questions, you can precisely determine
the type of data and the method of collecting,
analyzing, and presenting data.
 Any method or technique of collecting, collating, and
analyzing data specified by the research design
depends greatly on the research questions.
 The correct formulation of research questions
warrants not only excellent collection, analysis, and
 presentation of data, but a credible conclusion as 7. Be guided by the acronym SMART (specific, measurable,
well. (Layder 2013) attainable, realistic, time-bound) in formulating the research
questions. Applying SMART, you must deal with exact
Research Problem: The need to have a safer, comfortable,
answers and observable things, determine the extent or limit
and healthful walk or transfer of students from place to place of the data collected, be aware of the timeframe and
in the UST campus completion period of the study, and endeavor to have your
Research Topic: The Construction of a Covered Pathway in research study arrive at a particular conclusion that is
the UST Campus indicative of what are objective, factual, or real in this world.

General Question: What kind of covered path should UST

construct in its campus?
Specific Questions:
1. What materials are needed for the construction of the
covered pathway in the UST campus?
2. What roofing material is appropriate for the covered path?
3. In what way can the covered pathway link all buildings in
the campus?
4. What is the width and height of the covered path?
5. How can the covered path realize green architecture?
1. Establish a clear relation between the research questions
and the problem or topic.
2. Base your research questions on your RRL because existing
published works help you get good background knowledge of
the research problem and help you gauge the people’s
current understanding or unfamiliarity about the topic, as
well as the extent of their knowledge and interest in it.
Convincing solutions to research problems or answers to
research questions stem from their alignment with what the
world already knows or what previous research studies have
already discovered about the research problem or topic.
3. Formulate research questions that can arouse your
curiosity and surprise you with your discoveries or findings.
This is true for research questions asked about a problem
that was never investigated upon.
4. State your research questions in such a way that they
include all dependent and independent variables referred to
by the theories, principles, or concepts underlying your
research work.
5. Let the set of research questions or sub-problems be
preceded by one question expressing the main problem of
the research.
6. Avoid asking research questions that are answerable with
“yes” or “no” and use the “how” questions only in a
quantitative research.

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