Compare and contrast differences and similarities of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method designs.

Review of learning for week 7.

The qualitative design is a research method that focuses on understanding and exploring the human experience. The research methods used in these designs include interviews, focus groups, and observations. These qualitative designs use descriptive data-analysis techniques such as thematic and content analysis to help researchers identify patterns within their data.

The quantitative designs use statistical or numerical data to answer research questions. Such studies are often based on structured questionnaires that collect survey data. Quantitative research relies heavily on descriptive statistics and inferential stats to analyze the study’s results.

In order to obtain more information on a phenomenon or topic, mixed method designs use both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Mixing methods can be used to combine or separate components at different phases of the study. Researchers may, for example, conduct qualitative interviews before conducting quantitative surveys to ensure that the results of both methods are triangulated. During the study design phase, researchers may combine qualitative and quantitative data to create a combined analysis of findings.