Bringing the Experts to New Learners: SDRC Hosts “A Guide to Qualitative and Quantitative Research”
After a successful run with the first three presentations in its 41st anniversary webinar series, the Social Development Research Center conducted its initial online workshop on September 11 entitled “A Guide to Qualitative and Quantitative Research.” With College of Liberal Arts professors and Center fellows Dr. Antonio Contreras and Dr. Myla Arcinas as resource persons, the half-day event specifically targeted students, faculty, and social science researchers who were unfamiliar with the concept and distinctions between the two approaches to academic inquiry. Over 300 registrants attended the workshop representing more than 100 schools, institutions and agencies nationwide, indicating a clear need for capacity building in the area of remotely conducted research.
The webinar workshop began with the presentation of Dr. Contreras, former CLA Dean and current Faculty Association President, entitled “Qualitative Research: Direct Observation during Lockdown.” He immediately distinguished qualitative research from quantitative, pointing out that researchers were concerned with process rather than outcomes or products, and that they were interested in meaning, or how people make sense of their lives. Expanding on this concept, he emphasized the significance of the setting in which human behavior occurs, and that qualitative research must be conducted where all the contextual variables operate. Moreover, he asserted the importance of researchers understanding the framework in which subjects interpret their thoughts, feelings and actions, and that through field study, researchers can explore the processes and meanings of events.
Dr. Contreras classified qualitative research as based on how evidence to truth claims is established (epistemology), on research design, on data gathering methodology, and on how data is analyzed. He also introduced participants to the concept of direct observation, a data collection approach that does not require direct interaction with people, but rather seeing how they actually behave in situations and how observations of their environment can likewise provide valuable background information. Together with key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and archival research, options would be available for a researcher to select from, given the restrictions brought about by the pandemic. An additional option—the use of social media materials—was employed in the workshop conducted during this segment of the webinar.
Sharing her expertise in a complementary area of study, Dr. Arcinas—chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department—meanwhile explained to participants the importance of quantitative methods in sociological research. Describing the process of evaluating when such an approach was appropriate, she hoped to cultivate an appreciation of quantitative research methods and designs. She distinguished the type of data it generated as being numerical, collected through the application of precise measurements using structured and validated instruments, in contrast to qualitative data stemming from open-ended responses, participant observations, field notes and reflections.
In analyzing data, Dr. Arcinas presented statistical tests that could be used to explore differences between groups (e.g. one-way ANOVA) and relationships (e.g. Pearson correlation). She also presented the four types of quantitative research: descriptive, correlational, experimental, and causal-comparative or quasi-experimental. Throughout her session, she conducted pocket workshops/exercises to help participants comprehend the concepts she acquainted them with. She concluded by discussing the advantages of conducting quantitative research (e.g. replication of such studies is possible because standardized data collection protocols are used) and the disadvantages (e.g. such studies may inadequately represent complex concepts, that would be better understood through elaboration in qualitative research).
The participants’ enthusiasm to learn about research approaches was evident in the numerous queries that filled the chatbox. While not all questions were addressed during the webinar, given the time allotted for airing, the topics of interest included how to define sample size in qualitative research; what tips could be provided in making a multiple case study; the difficulty involved in shifting methods from qualitative to quantitative; how to validate qualitative data especially with data collection done primarily online; what research topics can a mixed method be applied to; does the difference between qualitative and quantitative research lie in testing the hypothesis; what quantitative methodology would be recommended considering the “new normal” but still covering all demographics; and would high school students enrolled in exclusive modular learning still be required to create actual research output given the limitations prohibiting the creation of groupings and of accessing literature.
