Usually, our ‘word choice’ series focuses on terms that sound alike when spoken. Today, though, we look at the adjectives ‘qualitative’ and ‘quantitative’. These terms are pronounced differently but look similar on paper, so they still cause confusion.
It may be that the only reason people get these words mixed up is due to typos (which is why proofreading is important). Nevertheless, since these terms are vital in research, it’s equally vital to understand the difference between them.
Qualitative (Concerned with Quality)
The term ‘qualitative’ describes something as being related to the quality or qualities of something (i.e. its distinguishing characteristics or traits).
In academic writing, ‘qualitative’ therefore refers to research that focuses on understanding opinions and motivations, such as how something is subjectively experienced:
To discover how customers felt about the rebrand, we adopted a qualitative research approach.
Qualitative data collection methods, such as interviews, focus groups and observations, therefore produce non-numerical data.
Quantitative (Concerned with Quantity)
In many ways, the word ‘quantitative’ is the opposite of ‘qualitative’. This is because we use ‘quantitative’ to describe things concerned with numerical measurement and quantity.
When it comes to research, ‘quantitative’ indicates that something is studied in terms of quantities, measurements and numerical data. It’s also associated with statistical analysis, which is used to find patterns in qualitative data:
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The study required identifying trends among a large sample of participants, so quantitative methods were used.
Quantitative research methods depend heavily upon the subject matter, but can encompass everything from questionnaires to scientific instruments. The key thing is that they produce data that can be expressed numerically.
Qualitative or Quantitative?
Knowing the difference between ‘qualitative’ and ‘quantitative’ is crucial because they describe very different approaches to research.
Thus, if you’re performing an in-depth case study, you don’t want to accidentally label it as ‘quantitative research’. Likewise, it won’t look good if you declare you’re doing a ‘qualitative’ study and then focus entirely on statistical analysis.
On the other hand, using these words correctly will demonstrate a strong understanding of the methodology you’re using. Remember:
Qualitative = Focusing on meaning and non-numeric data
Quantitative = Focusing on phenomena that can be measured numerically