Measurement in Mixed Methods Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measurement in Mixed Methods Design - Essay Example Research participants are selected randomly from a population. The researcher in this case is independent of the research problems and thus objective. Standardized research tools/instruments are used to collect data from the sample studied. Quantifiable information is gathered and subjected to statistical analysis. Usually predetermined hypotheses on the (cause-effect) relationship between research variables are tested. One of the hypotheses leads for generalizations on the larger population. The ability to reliably quantifiably measures of research variables and generalize observed patterns makes quantitative method very useful in scientific research. Also objectivity of this method implies the results found at the end of the research can be replicated regardless of whoever that conduct the same research using the same manner. The ability to generate reliable population-based data, manipulate it using statistical techniques and inferentially generalize aspects of the population makes this method suitable for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. Unfortunately, quantitative approach is weak in social sciences because it removes the subject of research from natural settings. Thus studying human behaviour out of context makes it benignly weak in social science research. Qualitative research methodologies are on the other hand value-laden and are used to design, collect, analyze and interpret data by observing what people do and say. Qualitative research methodologies are more subjective than quantitative research and uses very different methods of collecting information, mainly individual, in-depth interviews and focus groups. They are used to explain the meanings people assign to social phenomena and human behaviours. The researcher in this case is the instrument of data collection, and results may vary greatly depending upon who conducts the research. Thus, measurement is subjective. The beauty of qualitative methodology is that it generates