Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Beyond the Debate

Psychology has been a highly quantitative field since its conception as a science. However, a qualitative approach to psychological research has gained increasing importance in the last decades, and an enduring debate between quantitative and qualitative approaches has arisen. The recently developed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Integrative psychological & behavioral science 2008-09, Vol.42 (3), p.266-290
Main Authors: Gelo, Omar, Braakmann, Diana, Benetka, Gerhard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology
Behavior
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Commentary
Humans
Mental Processes
Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical
Psychological Theory
Psychology
Psychology - methods
Psychology - standards
Reproducibility of Results
Research Design
Sociology
Statistics as Topic
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Summary:Psychology has been a highly quantitative field since its conception as a science. However, a qualitative approach to psychological research has gained increasing importance in the last decades, and an enduring debate between quantitative and qualitative approaches has arisen. The recently developed Mixed Methods Research (MMR) addresses this debate by aiming to integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches. This article outlines and discusses quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research approaches with specific reference to their (1) philosophical foundations (i.e. basic sets of beliefs that ground inquiry), (2) methodological assumptions (i.e. principles and formal conditions which guide scientific investigation), and (3) research methods (i.e. concrete procedures for data collection, analysis and interpretation). We conclude that MMR may reasonably overcome the limitation of purely quantitative and purely qualitative approaches at each of these levels, providing a fruitful context for a more comprehensive psychological research.
ISSN:1932-4502
1936-3567
DOI:10.1007/s12124-008-9078-3