Quantitative, qualitative, or a combination of the two can be used in both basic and applied research. The goal of quantitative research is to figure out how much of anything there is. In this scenario, a process is described or stated in terms of one or more quantities. The conclusion of this study is essentially a number or a collection of numbers.
The following are some of the characteristics of qualitative research and methods:
It is numerical, non-descriptive, applies statistics or mathematics, and uses numbers.
It is an iterative process whereby evidence is evaluated.
The results are often presented in tables and graphs.
It is conclusive.
It investigates the what, where, and when of decision making.
Statistics is the most widely used branch of mathematics in quantitative research. In addition to physical fields, it has applications in economics, social sciences, and biology. Data collection based on a theory, hypothesis, or experiment is frequently the initial step in quantitative research using statistical methods, followed by descriptive or inferential statistical approaches.
Qualitative research is concerned with quality-related qualitative phenomena.
Some of the characteristics of qualitative research/method are:
It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses words.
Its aim is to get the meaning, and feeling and describe the situation.
Qualitative data cannot be graphed.
It is exploratory.
It investigates the why and how of decision-making.
Qualitative analysis is used to detect a specific component. Physical or chemical testing can be used to accomplish this. Quantitative analysis is used to determine the exact amount of a given compound contained in a volume. Volumetric, gravimetric, and colorimetric approaches, as well as instrumental procedures, can be used to accomplish this. Quantitative research includes both experimental and simulation studies. In reality, qualitative methods can be utilized to decipher the significance of quantitatively derived numbers.