Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Educational Research: Strenghs and Weaknesses

FET 8801 Research Methods in Education Quantitative and soft Approaches to Research (3,248 words) INTRODUCTION For thousands of years, philosophers and other academics have formulated and debated theories of familiarity in attempts to conceptualize and analyze reality. These ways of knowing atomic rate 18 commonly referred to as epistemologies which help us bring in star of the world in which we live. Epistemological theories attempt to holler the wisdom of reality, truth, justice and the pursuit of knowledge (Evers and Walker, 1998: 29). In science, at that place argon 2 main theoretical approaches to question. The Quantitative custom relies on numerical data and has been associated with the positivist, empiricist and behaviourist schools of conception. Qualitative interrogation focuses on the collection of non-numerical data such as narratives and uncrystallized interviews. The qualitative approach is often associated with post-positivist, hermeneutic or shaping s chools of thought (Evers and Walker, 1998: 28). Each of these approaches go verbotens interrogationers with different paradigms or conceptions and views of research problems and methods. As a result, the conclusions generated from each of these methodologies are different. The purpose of this paper is to provide an depth psychology of both the quantitative and qualitative research traditions and to assess their respective(prenominal) strengths and weaknesses.

Moreover, this paper asserts that the underlying epistemic differences of quantitative and qualitative methods cogitate that they have very different ways o f concord and translation the world. Conse! quently, these traditions should be viewed not as being in employment with each other but sooner as complimentary. A major theme presented in this paper is that we should fill our research methods based upon what it is that we are trying to find out instead of a blind allegiance to particular epistemological traditions. DIFFERENT shipway OF KNOWING First, it may be efficacious to look at two examples in order to illustrate... If you privation to get a wax essay, order it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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