Summary Week 4

EDU 702 – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

By Dr Teoh Sian Hoon

Summary by Norela Elias, Student ID 2009737225

Educational Management and Leadership

Qualitative Research

It is known as a method of inquiry which it can suit many other academic disciplines

in market research and also in other context. The understanding of human behaviour and why do human act in such a way is what a qualitative researcher will look into.

The qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where, when. This means that the smaller but a more focused samples are more often needed, rather than large samples.

In addition, qualitative methods can obtain information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses which is also understood as informative guesses.

Quantitative Research

In social science context, this refers to systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena together with their relationships. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical
observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships.

Quantitative research is used widely in social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, and political science. Research in mathematical sciences such as physics is also 'quantitative' by definition, though this use of the term differs in context. In the social sciences, the term relates to empirical methods, originating in both philosophical positivism and the history of statistics, which contrast qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Quantitative methods can be used to verify, which of such hypotheses are true. Quantitative research is generally made using scientific methods.