Table of ContentsIntroductionComparison and Contrast: Qualitative and Quantitative ResearchConclusionResearch is a key aspect for any scientist who seeks to produce knowledge and validate it with logical and imperial validity. Often, those who undertake a research project discover that they are unaware of the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods. The difference between qualitative and quantitative research is discussed in this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionTo begin with, research can be defined as the creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and society and the use of this stock of knowledge to design new applications. Research is generally used to establish and confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new and existing problems, support theories, and develop new theories. Research can be classified in several ways, including: classification by analysis, classification by objective and finally classification. through data collection where quantitative and qualitative research falls. According to Rhodes (2014), qualitative research is an examination of variables and phenomena in a thorough and comprehensive manner. It is an approach used to understand underlying reasons, opinions and motivations. It provides insight into issues or helps develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Quantitative research, on the other hand, is oriented towards the collection of information, it focuses on the description of a phenomenon with a larger number of participants, thus offering the possibility of summarizing the characteristics of groups of relationships. An approach that quantifies the problem by generating numerical data or information that can be transformed. into usable statistics. It is used to quantify categories, attitudes, opinions, behaviors and other defined variables. Qualitative and quantitative research differ in many ways.Compare and Contrast: Qualitative and Quantitative ResearchQualitative research involves a deep and comprehensive understanding and also involves the active participation of the researcher. It focuses on and names themes in the text. He tells the story as he sees it, how the themes relate to each other, and how the speaker's characteristics explain the existence of some themes and the absence of others. The researcher describes the illness from the point of view of those who experience it. For example, in a malaria research project in Kisumu, in which qualitative research was applied, the researcher receives first-hand information from the population. It is able to account for the environment in which the subject lives, for example around the shores of the lake and how it contributes to the spread of malaria. He will conduct in-depth interviews with the aim of understanding who is most affected and how they are trying to do so. to remedy the situation. On the other hand, quantitative research tends to focus on structure, it is goal-oriented and therefore researchers must play the role of objective investigators. The quantitative researcher focuses on the numerical or statistical analysis of data. This may involve direct observation of behavior, village censuses, attribution studies and closed-ended questions in surveys with the aim of achievingthe objective. For example, in a research project on drug abuse, a researcher is able to identify behaviors that he will observe as indicators of drug use, he will count the number of young people arrested for drug trafficking and will also seek to identify drugs that are mainly consumed by young people. It is then able to quantify the data for analysis. Qualitative research studies a small amount of data to explain many cases. It examines a specific and particular set of results as the population studied is small and carefully selected, so the information from its analysis is only limited to a particular problem. A good example is in a qualitative research project on malaria, the researcher selects the target group and conducts an in-depth study on the target group over a period of time. It is able to acquire detailed information about malaria by studying the target group, which can be used to help solve the malaria problem in that region. Meanwhile, quantitative research uses an objective approach and determines a particular amount of data needed to explain only a few cases. However, the study population is large and randomly selected, meaning the results can be used in other populations of a different problem statement. A good example of this is a quantitative research project on polio, the information collected can be applied in similar areas, such as the information collected around the town of Machakos on polio vaccination of children under the age of ten has showed that very few children were vaccinated and so it might be easier to launch a polio campaign in this area with the research results. Qualitative and quantitative research differ in the methods used. Qualitative research uses the bottom-up approach also known as exploratory to formulate new hypotheses and theories, it tries to find solutions to unanalyzed problems and also to explain unknown phenomena, it uses focus groups , in-depth interviews and document reviews by type. themes. A researcher using qualitative research employs a small, targeted group of farmers with the goal of discovering why they prefer to use outdated farming methods rather than modern growing methods. Qualitative research helps understand why girls perform better on national exams each year. On the other hand, quantitative research uses the top-down approach also known as confirmation method, with the aim of testing existing hypotheses and theories, the researcher does not try to come up with new theories but rather tries to find out whether existing theories work and are valid. It uses surveys, structured interviews, observations, and examination of documents or records to collect numerical data. A good example of quantitative research methods is where companies conduct customer satisfaction surveys by soliciting feedback on the services offered, through questionnaires. Another example would be the number of girls who performed well in the previous national examination compared to the number of boys compared to previous years. When it comes to the nature of observation, qualitative and quantitative research differ. Qualitative research studies the subject's behaviors in their natural environment without interfering with their daily activities, while quantitative research studies the behavior of the target group.