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What to go for? Qualitative or Quantitative?

6 years ago in Research Methodology By Rajshree Tamang

Qualitative Method Quantitative methods

Hi everyone!
I am stuck at selecting the most suitable methodology. While in my proposal I suggested using qualitative method, I am confused now at the stage of actually collecting the data. Ill give a brief on my research. I am studying about the integration of HR with technology and how it has affected the performance of private businesses. I am specifically interested in recruitment and performance evaluation strategies of HR. So, first I thought it would be best if I take interviews with the HR team of few companies and see what all strategies they use and how comfortable they are with the new technologies (if they use it). Interviews will sort of help me gain firsthand information.
Now the other concern is that quantitative method is considered to be better as it gives results on the basis of true statistics; and I believe it is less biased. I also think that there is sufficient material to develop quantitative questionnaire and simply distribute among the HR managers. The sample size could also be more in this case.
So please suggest as to which method will be the best for my study?

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By Aditi Sharma Answered 6 years ago

There is no such thing as what the best method is. Selection of a method is entirely dependent on the perception of the researcher and the existing literature supporting the decision. See what the others are doing and how productive their results are. It is entirely possible to achieve 1 objective by the means of both quantitative and qualitative methods. In this case, you must think as to which way would be easier for you as it is not only about data collection but also about data analysis. Will you be able to analyze the quantitative data in an efficient manner? If yes, then go for that!

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By Sonali Jain Answered 6 years ago

Quantitative is easier to go with as the interpretation and analysis of the data can be done efficiently by taking the help of statistical tools such as SPSS. And if you are not well versed on the software, then you can simply learn it online, using YouTube. It’s not that difficult.

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By Manpreet Jaiswal Answered 6 years ago

If you have enough time, then you can create a questionnaire and do pilot testing once. That will help you understand the effectiveness of your questionnaire and how well responses it can exude. If it’s good enough, you can go ahead with it. Interviews on the other hand can be a little difficult.

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By Madhu B Answered 6 years ago

Since there is sufficient material for questionnaire in your study, no need to go for qualitative methods. Qualitative methods are more appropriate for exploratory studies. Check whether the relationships between variables that you have taken for study are well established or not. You can incorporate few of the collected interview inputs in your questionnaire if necessary. Then conduct a pilot study, look on the reliability and confirm your questionnaire.

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