The main distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research—and the type of information they gather—have now been defined. But there are also differences in the ways that each research method acquires data. The collection methods you choose will, again, depend on your study’s objectives.
Interviews and behavioral observations serve as two data collection methods for qualitative and quantitative studies. These can be used with both methods of study to varying ends.
Here are examples of how these methods can be applied in an educational setting:
Interviews
In a qualitative study, open-ended questions are posed to students with the goal of disclosing ideas and beliefs around a particular topic, such as learning a foreign language. Data may reveal that students are not getting enough classroom learning time to build their proficiency levels, or that there is a lack of support outside the classroom.
In a quantitative study, the interview poses fixed, closed-ended questions to receive numerical answers. In this case, such questions might be: How many hours a week do students receive instruction in a foreign language? Of those hours, how much time is spent listening or speaking in that language? Both qualitative and quantitative methods will result in useful findings, but the research will differ in its design and end goal.
Behavioral Observations
In this method, a qualitative study may observe students in a classroom and record their body language, facial expressions and verbal responses during a math lesson. It may also observe how these behaviors are similar or different among boys and girls.
A quantitative study will start with a set of predetermined behaviors (e.g., chewing on a pencil or twisting hair) and will record these behaviors using numerical data. For example, how many students chew on their pencils during the math lesson, or how often do girls play with their hair during the same lesson?
Other research methods for qualitative studies include case studies and focus groups, both of which gather data through observation and guided conversation. Quantitative research may also include surveys and questionnaires to explore a particular topic in greater depth or test cause-and-effect relationships.
