QUALITATIVE
APPROACH
β’ postpositivistic, naturalistic
β’ inductive
β’ holistic
β’ subjective/insider centered
β’ process oriented
β’ anthropological worldview
β’ relative lack of control
β’ goal: understand actor's view
β’ dynamic reality assumed; "slice of life"
β’ discovery oriented
QUANTITATIVE
APPROACH
β’ positivistic
β’ deducto-hypothetico verificative
β’ particularistic
β’ objective/outsider centered
β’ outcome oriented
β’ natural science worldview
β’ attempt to control variables
β’ goal: find facts & causes
β’ static reality assumed; relative constancy in life
β’ verification oriented
QUALITATIVE
APPROACH
Strengths
β’
Close association with both
participants and activities
within the settings
β’
Insiderβs view of the field
β’
Important role of suggesting
possible relationships, causes,
effects, and dynamic processes
Weaknesses
β’
Problem of validity and
reliability
β’
Much time required for data
collection, analysis, and
interpretation
β’
Reactive effects on subjects
β’
Possible bias
QUANTITATIVE
APPROACH
Strengths
β’
Precision and control
β’
Experimentation
β’
Hypotheses
Weaknesses
β’
Inability to cope with the complexity
of human beings
β’
Inability to predict multiple
responses
β’
Ignorance of human individuality
EPISTEMOLOGY
Philosophy
β’ Homocentric reality as a social construct, contextual verities
Ontology
β’ The nature of the psyche, perception, creativity, intelligence
Epistemology
β’ Self-verified evidence, grounded theory, recorded testimony
Methodology
1.
Phenomena: holistic
2.
Researcher: maintaining an
openness
3.
Perceptions: those of
participants
4.
Post hoc conclusions: avoiding
a priori assumptions
