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The Difference Between Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research

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The difference between Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research is based on the quantitative measurements of some characteristics. It is applicable to phenomena that can be measures in terms of quantities. Early forms of research originated in the natural sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, geology etc and is concerned with investigating things that could be observed and measured. Such observations and measurements can be made objectively and repeated by other researchers.
This type of research tells us how often or how many people behave in a certain way.
Quantitative Research is a more logical and detailed approach which provides a measure of what people think from a statistical and numerical point of view.
It can gather a large amount of data that can be easily organised and manipulated into reports for analysis.

Qualitative Research on the other hand is concerned with qualitative phenomena i.e. phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. It is especially important in the behavioural sciences like psychology, sociology, anthropology etc where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour. This type of research aims at discovering the underlying motives and desires.
Qualitative research attempts to increase our understanding of why things are the way they are in our social world and why people act the way they do. Its aim is to help us understand the world in which we live and why things are the way they are.
Unlike Quantitative research which relies on numbers and data, qualitative research is more focused on how people feel, what they think and why they make certain decisions. Questions answered would include:
How opinions and attitude are s formed?
How people are affected by the events that go on around them?
Why people behave the way they do?
How and why cultures have developed the

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