Difference between Quantitative & Qualitative Research

Highlight the difference between Quantitative and Qualitative research.
Show how th design process differs from each approach (Purpose. Design Question. Data Collection. Analysis).

Quantitiative research

• (purpose) is appropriate for research questions that requires a description of trends or an exploration of relationships between variables.
  
• Hence, the research questions are specific and narrow, and tends to seek for some measurable and observable data for the variables.
  
• To collect such data, instruments with pre-determined questions and responses are often used (e.g. Pre-post test). It is used to collect quantifiable data which are numeric and it is usually administered to a large number of participants.
• The analysis tends to consists of statistical analysis that describes the trends or compares groups differences to relate the variables. The interpretation tends to compare results with the prior prediction (i.e. hypothesis) or past research.

Qualitative research

• (purpose) is approprate when addresssing research questions that we do not know the variables and there is a need for exploration.
• the research questions are therefore general and broad, and seeks to find understand the participants' experiences.
  
• To collect data, forms with emerging questions are used, to permit the individuals to generate responses. The data collected is largely made up by text and images. This number of participants involved in small.
• The analysis tends to be text analysis, and involves developing a description or themes. The interpretation tends to consists of stating a larger meaning of the findings.

Give example of how you would use either quantitative or qualitative approach in designing a meaningful project in your area.

A purpose research: To study the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on students' communication skills in Math learning (in a 1-to-1 ICT-enabled classroom).

The intent is to find a "Cause-and-Effect" relationship between the use of Web 2.0 technologies on students' communication skills. Hence it is a quantitative research.
On the other hand, because it is carried out with an intact sample (i.e. an existing class), it is therefore a Quasi-Quantitative research.

In this research, there are 2 variables:

• Independent variable: Web 2.0 technologies
• Dependent variable: Students' communication skills in Math learning

The result question is "What is the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on students' communication skills to articulate their mathematical understanding?"

To collect the data, a pre-post test is designed and administered to both control and experimental groups, before and after the intervention. The size of each group would be between 40 to 45.

The data (i.e. results of both pre-and post-tests) would be entered into a computer system to generate statistical analysis, to find out if there exists any relationship between the variables.