When it comes to quantitative methods, the hypothesis is pretty solid. It is one that has been established, and the research is meant to quantify how true or applicable it is. It means that for one to use this method, the variables he or she is considering must be quantifiable. The methods are usually structured and aimed at getting solid and analyzable data (Salkind, 2014). Quantitative researchers will use questionnaires, structured interviews and study of primary data in order to come up with conclusions. The findings are usually in degrees or amounts. For example, a quantitative method can establish the percentage of the population suffering from split personality disorders. Qualitative research also begins with a defined objective. However, the aim is to seek motivations and underlying reasons for some phenomenon. The methods are many times unstructured as the researchers ask for opinions. The findings are presented as opinions or logical assumptions made from data collected. Each research method has its own uses and its own strengths and weaknesses. …show more content…
Researchers decide on which one to use depending on the information they need (Salkind, 2014). For example, a researcher might want to demonstrate the relationship between child abuse and split personality disorder. There already exists a basic link. However, if he or she needs to quantify it, he or she will have to use a quantitative method to do it. The researcher quantifies the respondents who have the disorder and who have also been abused. He or she then creates a control group and quantifies the cases with definite links. For a researcher seeking to find out why there are numerous cases in a certain area, the best method is qualitative. He or she can interview doctors, investigate indicators and eventually come up with a set of data that is both fact and opinion. It is from this set that one then goes ahead and makes conclusions. It is a rule that sample sizes in quantitative analysis are always larger than those in the qualitative analysis (Kumar, 2010). The reason is the necessity since both methods interrogate different aspects of any hypothesis. The sample size in a quantitative survey is large for several reasons. One is that it has to be large enough to provide quantifiable data. For example, one cannot say that women are more likely to have split personality disorder after interviewing just ten people. Additionally, sample sizes have to be larger so that they can be as representative as possible. For the qualitative analysis, the point is usually to spend more time with small groups of people. The researcher gets to have a deeper understanding of the issue and provides a more focused report. The sample still has to be representative, but