Skip to Main Content

Nursing

This Nursing guide is designed to provide quick access to the following information pertinent to nursing students: using library resources, careers, professional organizations, APA style, textbooks, nursing theorists, conducting research & more

Quantitative Research Explained

What is Quantitative Research? 
According to Burns and Grove (2005), "Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world. This research method is used to describe variables, to examine relationships among variables, and to determine cause-and-effect interactions between variables.' (p. 23)

Burns N, Grove SK (2005) The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique, and Utilization (5th Ed.). St. Louis, Elsevier.


Quantitative Research is defined as the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. Its objective is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories, and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. At its core, quantitative research is used to identify patterns and predict behavior.  This type of research is used in business, marketing, and in social sciences such as psychology, economics, sociology, and political science.

Quantitative research is generally conducted using scientific methods, which can include:

 The generation of models, theories, and hypotheses

 The development of instruments and methods for measurement

 Experimental control and manipulation of variables

 Collection of empirical data

 Modeling and analysis of data 

Qualitative Research Explained

What is Qualitative Research?
According to Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, qualitative research is, "The method of investigation that includes patient interviews and detailed case studies.  Extensively used in the nursing profession, the method is increasingly used in the primary care setting."

Qualitative Research is the examination, analysis, and interpretation of observations for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationships, including classifications of types of phenomena and entities, in a manner that does not involve mathematical models. For example, in the social sciences, qualitative research methods are often used to gain a better understanding of such things as intentionality (from the speech response of the researcher) and meaning (why did this person/group say something and what did it mean to them?). 

This research asks broad questions and collects word data from participants. Qualitative methods produce information only on the particular cases studied, and any more general conclusions are only hypotheses. Unlike quantitative methods which are used to identify patterns and make predictions, qualitative research aims to explain behavior.

Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern it. The qualitative method investigates the why and how of behavior, not just what, where, and when. Hence, smaller but focused samples are more often needed than the large samples required by quantitative methods.

Qualitative researchers typically rely on the following methods for gathering information: Participant Observation, Non-participant Observation, Field Notes, Reflexive Journals, Structured Interviews, Semi-structured Interviews, Unstructured Interviews, and Analysis of documents and materials. 

 The Following Are Some Examples of Qualitative Approaches Used in Collecting Data: 
• Storytelling
• Classical Ethnography
• Interviews (phone or in-person)
• Focus Group discussions 

 

In a focus group, a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes experiences, etc. It is conducted in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with each other. 

Mapping out Qualitative Research

Qualitive research characteristics