Compare and contrast differences and similarities of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method designs.

Reflection on learning week 7

Qualitative designs involve research that is focused on exploring and understanding the human experience. These research designs utilize a range of methods such as interviews, observations, and focus groups to gain insights into the lived experiences of people. Qualitative designs often employ descriptive data analysis techniques, such as content analysis and thematic analysis, which allow researchers to identify patterns in their data.

Quantitative designs are those that use numerical or statistical data to answer a research question. These types of studies often involve collecting survey data from large populations using structured questionnaires. Quantitative studies rely heavily on descriptive and inferential statistics for analyzing the results of their study.

Mixed method designs combine both qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to capture more complete information about a particular phenomenon or issue being studied. Mixed methods designs can include components from either approach separately or combined together at different stages throughout the study process. For example, researchers may conduct qualitative interviews first followed by quantitative surveys later on in order to triangulate results from both approaches. Additionally, they may also choose to analyze their findings together by combining quantitative and qualitative data sets together during the conclusion phase of their study design process.