How to analyze qualitative and quantitative research?

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Both these research approaches are based on data. Once you have this data, however, you need to analyze it to answer your research questions. The method to do this depends on the research approach you use.

Analyzing quantitative data

To analyze quantitative data, you’ll need to use mathematical or statistical analysis. This can involve anything from calculating simple averages to applying complex and advanced methods to calculate the statistical significance of the results. No matter what analysis methods you use, it will enable you to spot trends and patterns in your data.

Considering the above, you can use tools, applications, and programming languages like R to calculate:

  • The average of a set of numbers. This could, for instance, be the case where you calculate the average scores students obtained in a test or the average time people spend on a website.
  • The frequency of a specific response. This will be the case where you, for example, use open-ended survey questions during qualitative analysis. You could then calculate the frequency of a specific response for deeper insights.
  • Any correlation between different variables. Through mathematical analysis, you can calculate whether two or more variables are directly or indirectly correlated. In turn, this could help you identify trends in the data.
  • The statistical significance of your results. By analyzing the data and calculating the statistical significance of the results, you’ll be able to see whether certain occurrences happen randomly or because of specific factors.

Analyzing qualitative data

Analyzing qualitative data is more complex than quantitative data. This is simply because it’s not based on numerical values but rather text, images, video, and the like. As such, you won’t be able to use mathematical analysis to analyze and interpret your results.

Because of this, it relies on a more interpretive analysis style and a strict analytical framework to analyze data and extract insights from it.

Some of the most common ways to analyze qualitative data include:

  • Qualitative content analysis. In a content analysis, you’ll analyze the language used in a specific piece of text. This allows you to understand the intentions of the author, who the audience is, and find patterns and correlations in how different concepts are communicated. A major benefit of this approach is that it follows a systematic and transparent process that other researchers will be able to replicate. As such, your research will produce highly reliable results. Keep in mind, however, that content analysis can be time-intensive and difficult to automate. ➡️ Learn how to do a content analysis in the guide.
  • Thematic analysis. In a thematic analysis, you’ll analyze data with a view of extracting themes, topics, and patterns in the data. Although thematic analysis can encompass a range of diverse approaches, it’s usually used to analyze a collection of texts like survey responses, focus group discussions, or transcriptions of interviews. One of the main benefits of thematic analysis is that it’s flexible in its approach. However, in some cases, thematic analysis can be highly subjective, which, in turn, impacts the reliability of the results. ➡️ Learn how to do a thematic analysis in this guide.
  • Discourse analysis. In a discourse analysis, you’ll analyze written or spoken language to understand how language is used in real-life social situations. As such, you’ll be able to determine how meaning is given to language in different contexts. This is an especially effective approach if you want to gain a deeper understanding of different social groups and how they communicate with each other. As such, it’s commonly used in humanities and social science disciplines.

Published by Henry