Theme 4: Quantitative research
I chose the article “Channeling Science Information Seekers' Attention? A Content Analysis of Top-Ranked vs. Lower-Ranked Sites in Google”. The study examines search engines to see if they are biased in the choice of information that will be displayed in the result list.
By using an automatic tool to collect the links and quantitative data facilitates the process of collecting large amounts of data. The large amounts of unbiased data will often be more accurate, which is preferred.
The limitation of this method is the control of the data that is collected. It’s hard to be certain that these themes and root words are accurate enough to represent reality, though the amount of data can often compensate for these inaccuracies.
The method could be improved by using more search queries and root words and make a more specific division of the themes. Though this would entail more data to be analyzed.
My comprehension of the thesis was that it aims to investigate the psychological, behavioral and attitudinal consequences of thirty six Caucasian peoples body transformation in an Immersive Virtual Reality.
In the experimental condition they were represented either by a casually dressed dark-skinned virtual body (Casual Dark-Skinned - CD) or by a formal suited light-skinned body (Formal Light-Skinned - FL).
Worth mentioning was the choice of VR-avatars and test participants. The avatars were both male even though the test group was a mixture of both genders. This can be an issue that will be displayed in the collected data.
The result of the study could be important basis for many applications such as learning, education, training, psychotherapy and rehabilitation when using IVR.
The benefits of quantitative methods are that the data can be quantified and transformed to statistics. It uses measurable data to create facts. The statistics can be used to discover patterns and deviations. Data can be collected with structured interviews and systematic observations in surveys.
A benefit of this method is that it can be used for generalization and the results are often relatively easy to analyze, since the aim of quantitative research methods oftenly is to develop statistical and mathematical models.
The limitations is that a quantitative research can make it difficult to understand the context of a phenomenon. And complementary data can be a struggle to find. The data must be good enough in order to explain complex issues which might be difficult with quantitative research.
Qualitative methods are preferable in situations when you want to describe specific patterns and phenomenons that are exclusive to one set of participants.
By using qualitative methods the results you receive can make way for a deeper understanding of a specific question.
The limitation would be that the data that you collect is often represented by a smaller group of participants. It is not preferable to draw generalisations from qualitative methods since it is oftenly aimed to reach more depth in the understanding of a question. Therefore it is difficult to draw statistical conclusions from qualitative methods.
Quantitative Research
Strengths
The researcher may construct a situation that eliminates the confounding influence of
many variables, allowing one to more credibly establish cause-and-effect relationships
Data collection using some quantitative methods is relatively quick (e.g., telephone
interviews)
Provides precise, quantitative, numerical data
Data analysis is relatively less time consuming (using statistical software)
The research results are relatively independent of the researcher (e.g., statistical
significance)
It may have higher credibility with many people in power (e.g., administrators, politicians,
people who fund programs)
It is useful for studying large
Weaknesses
The researcher’s theories that are used might not reflect local constituencies’
understandings
The researcher might miss out on phenomena occurring because of the focus on theory or
hypothesis testing rather than on theory or hypothesis generation (called the confirmation
bias)
Knowledge produced might be too abstract and general for direct application to specific
local situations, contexts, and individuals
Qualitative Research
Strengths
Useful for studying a limited number of cases in depth
Useful for describing complex phenomena
Can conduct cross-case comparisons and analysis
Provides understanding and description of people’s personal experiences of phenomena
Can determine how participants interpret constructs
Qualitative approaches are especially responsive to local situations, conditions, and
stakeholders’ needs
Qualitative researchers are especially responsive to changes that occur during the conduct
of a study
Determine idiographic causation
Weaknesses
It is more difficult to test hypotheses and theories with large participant pools.
It might have lower credibility with some administrators and commissioners of programs.
It generally takes more time to collect the data when compared to quantitative research.
https://www.southalabama.edu/coe/bset/johnson/oh_master/Ch14/Tab14-02.pdf
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar