Research Methods

As a researcher, which particular research methods (quantitative, qualitative, or a combination) do I tend to gravitate towards and why? Do I think it’s important to recognize the biases in the choice of the research method? Why? What could determine the use of a particular research method?

I think my biases at this point are based on my skill and comfort level with quantitative and qualitative research methods. If I was equally knowledgeable about both methods, I would of course pick the one most appropriate for my research question. At this time, I think I might only consider topics requiring a qualitative approach. I understand that qualitative studies can be complicated but I think they are generally easier to conceptualize and explain. I would have a hard time designing a quantitative study, unless it was a very straight-forward one. However, based on my previous blog post, I think it is important to not shy away from statistics and numbers, as they can often make the most persuasive and factual case when trying to provide support for a research question.

Also, I think many aspects of qualitative studies work well with social work research questions. I like that they can be exploratory and involve case studies and focus groups. I like that they can focus on specific individuals and using a detailed survey instrument with a small sample can provide rich data. According to Rubin and Babbie, qualitative studies “are more likely to tap the deeper meanings of particular human experiences and generate theoretically richer observations that are not easily reduced to numbers”.