Differentiating Between Qualitative & Quantitative

Sample Answer

As a student nurse practitioner, understanding the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods is crucial for evidence-based practice and for critically appraising research that informs our clinical decisions. Both approaches provide valuable insights, but they answer different types of questions and use distinct methodologies.

Qualitative Research Methods

What it is: Qualitative research is an exploratory approach that aims to understand the "how" and "why" behind phenomena. It delves into experiences, perspectives, motivations, and meanings. It collects non-numerical data, such as interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and textual analysis. The goal is to gain deep, rich, and contextualized insights into a particular subject, often exploring complex social or human behaviors that are difficult to quantify. Qualitative research is often inductive, meaning it seeks to generate hypotheses or theories from the data.

Key characteristics:

Focus: Understanding meaning, experiences, perceptions.

Data type: Words, narratives, descriptions, observations.

Sample size: Typically small, purposeful sampling (not random).

Analysis: Thematic analysis, content analysis, grounded theory, narrative analysis – identifying patterns, themes, and categories.