A 3 page research paper that discusses the ongoing debate between researches as to which research methodology is more reliable. With a particular focus on sociological research, the writer defines the differences between the two methods and then discusses the debate, especially with regard to the validity of qualitative measures. The writer argues that both methods are legitimate, reliable and should be used in sociological and other forms of research.
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gathered by researchers pertaining to sociological phenomena. However, the view that quantitative data should be considered as more reliable than qualitative data in sociological research is highly debatable, as both
forms of research have been shown to offer exemplary results. First of all, in examining this debate, it is helpful to define what is meant by these terms. Research
methodology falls into one of two broad, but philosophically opposite paradigms. Quantitative research objective, as it measures and quantifies data, seeking to establish explanatory laws that can be applied to
what is assumed to be a static reality (McKereghan and Ferch, 1998). Qualitative research is subjective and seeks to offer in-depth description of phenomena pertaining to reality, which the qualitative
perspective assumes to be dynamic and changing (McKereghan and Ferch, 1998). The essence of qualitative research is to examine human behavior in detail, as it is lived. Qualitative researchers immerse
themselves within a study situation, believing that the most effective way to understand a human behavior phenomenon is to study it in context. Qualitative researchers feel that unlike many "hard"
scientific subjects, such as physics or chemistry, human experience cannot be expressed accurately by numbers alone. This differs completely with the quantitative paradigm. In quantitative research, variables are measured;
they are classified, counted and used to construct statistical models. Many quantitative researchers generally view the qualitative research as being shaped and influenced by the biases and beliefs
of the researcher (Abusabha and Woelfel, 2003). On the other hand, many qualitative researchers reject the quantitative conceptualization of validity (Trochim, 2002). They argue that it is impossible to make
categorical statements that are divorced from our perception of reality and argue that qualitative research should use a different standard of validity than quantitative endeavors (Trochim, 2002; Johnson, 1997). The