1.

QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch

MethodologicalCritique:QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
ETEC50065B
UniversityofBritishColumbia
DavidMcMullan
87369147

2QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
Part1:DescriptiveAnalysisandCritique
Thiscritiqueisacomparisonoftwostudieswhichrepresenttwoapproachesto
research,aquantitativestudy(HamreandPianta,2005)andaqualitativestudy
(Sleeter,2009).Thiscritiquewilldescribethemethodsusedineacharticle,state
whytheauthorsusedthesemethodsanddiscussifthesearethemostappropriate
methodsforthequestionsposed.Thetwoarticleswillbeexaminedthroughthe
differencesbetweenthetworesearchapproachesaccordingtoavarietyof
dimensions.Thesecondpartofthepaperwilllookattheinfluenceofthesetwo
approachesonmyownresearchinterests.
ThequantitativeexamplebyHamreandPiantaisastudydesignedtofollow
childrenidentifiedinkindergartenasbeingatriskofschoolfailureandlooking
atwhethertheirfirstgradeclassroomenvironmentmoderatedtheserisksbythe
endofthefirstgrade.Theauthorschoseacausalcomparativeresearchdesignto
examineifstronginstructionalandemotionalsupportfromteachersmediated
demographicandfunctionalrisksamongstudents.Theresearcherschosethis
methodologyastheysoughttoextendtheworkofRutterandMaughanwho
suggestedalongitudinalstudyintheformofanaturalexperimentwitha
quantifiedmeasurementofthecausalfactor.(Rutter&Maughan,2002)
ThemethodchosenbyHamreandPiantawasthebestmethodforthemasthey
wereabletodrawonalargeandvariedsamplewhichwaspartoftheNICHD
StudyofEarlyChildCare.Theresearcherswerethenabletousearandomly
sampledgroupof910childrenenteringthefirstgradefromacrosstheUnited

States.Theywereabletocreateanaturalexperimentinwhichstudentswith
varyingriskbackgroundswould
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QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
enterintofirstgradeclassroomswithdifferentamountsofsupport.Thisallowed
theresearcherstosetupcomparisongroupsbasedonclassroomsupport.
Although,theresearchersadmitthattherearelimitationstousinganexisting
datasetratherthandevelopingdataspecificallyforthestudy,ethical
considerationsinherentincausalcomparativeresearchprecludeexperimental
researchinthiscaseaspurposefullyputtingatriskstudentsinlowsupport
classroomscouldbeharmful.Thefactthattheobservationsweretakenwithout
afocusedinterventionbutratherthrougheverydayinteractionsmakesthe
studysfindingsmorenotableandthereforetheresearchersmethodsappropriate.
ThequalitativestudybySleeterusesacasestudyresearchmethodologytostudy
twoquestions.Howdoteachersthinkingdevelopinteachereducation
coursework?Andhowmightananalysisofanewteacherslearningtothink
morecomplexlyinformteachereducationpedagogy.(Sleeter,2009)Theauthor
selectedthismethodologybecausesheseesteachersandstudentsasuniqueand
complex.Shesays:Wecannotnotfullyunderstandsharedpatternswithout
seeingtheuniquenessofindividualcases.(Gay,Mills&Airasian,2012p.52)
Astheauthorisengagedinteachereducationshewantedtoexplorethe
challengesofdevelopingmorecomplexthinkinginherstudentstoinformher
ownteachingpractice.
IthinkthatSleeterselectedthebestmethodtoaddressherresearchquestions.
Casestudymethodologyiswellsuitedtostudyingprocess.Theverynatureof
herquestionsrequireakindofresearchthatcancapturethecomplexityofthe

developmentofsomeonesthinking.Thisisnotthetypeofresearchthatcanbe
easilyquantifiedbutratherrequiresanintimacythatneedstobedevelopedover
aperiodoftime.
4QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
Descriptionofresearchproblem
Theresearchprobleminthequantitativestudyispresentedasahypothesis.The
authorsjustifythestudyintermspreviousresearchandafterrecognizingthe
recommendationsofpreviousresearchers,anhypothesisoftheirexpectedresults
isthenstated.ThequalitativestudybySleeterstatesherresearchquestionsat
thebeginningofthestudyastheyrelatetoherteachereducationprogram.
SelectionandAssignmentofParticipants
Thetwostudiesdifferedintermsofthesizeofthesampleandhowtheywere
selected.Thequantitativestudydrewitsparticipantsfromalargenational
Americanstudyfromarandomlyselectedsample.InSleetersstudythe
subjectwasselectedfromstudentsinherteachereducationcourse.Thesubject
waschosenbecausemetcriteriathattheresearcherthoughtwouldundergothe
developmentshewishedtoexplore.
DataCollectionandAnalysis
Thedatacollectionandanalysisdifferedinthewayitwascollectedand
presented.IntheHamreandPiantastudydatawascollectedfromalarge
Americanstudy(NICHD),throughstandardizedassessmentsandaclassroom
ratedobservationsystem.Adetailedanalysisofthedatawasprovidedinpart

throughtablesandgraphs.Inthequalitativestudyreliedonassignmentsforthe
studentscoursework,theresearchersjournal,notesonaclassroomobservation
andaninterview.Theanalysiswaspresentedthroughadescriptionofthe
variousactivitiestheresearcherusedtopromotethedevelopmentofherstudent.
5QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
ProceduresandInstruments
Thequantitativestudyreliedonavarietyofassessmentandmeasuringtoolsto
selectthesample,assessthevariousrisksandamountofsupportinthevarious
classrooms.ThestudyalsousedANCOVAstoestablishapreconditionofthe
study.Thequalitativestudydrewmuchofitsdatafromfromclassassignments,
observationandinterviewswiththesubject.Triangulationwasusedtoensure
validity.Sleeterusedaselfdevelopedrubrictoassessthinkingcomplexity.
ReportingofLiterature
Thetwostudiesdifferentinthebreadthofliteratureusedinthestudies.The
quantitativestudyprovidedextensivereferencestopreviousresearchonthe
subjecttopositionthestudyasafurtherdevelopmentinresearch.The
qualitativestudymadesomereferencetocasestudyresearchdesignbutrelied
moreontheauthorsownwork.
ReportingofConclusions
Thequantitativestudyconcludesthatevidencesupportstheirhypothesisand
linkstheirfindingstorelatedresearch.Theyalsorecognizethelimitations
withtheirresearch.Thequalitativestudyfocusesontheimplicationfor

teachereducationandreinforcestheresearchersownpracticeinherteaching
courses.

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QuantitativeandQualitativeResearch
Part2:MethodologiesforYourFutureResearch
Thetworesearchmethodologiespresentedinthecritiqueeachofferinsights
intohowtodesignaneducationalresearchproject.Quantitativeresearch
reliesprimarilyonnumericaldata.TheHamreandPiantastudyshowedme
howmuchcaremustbetakenwhencollectingandreportingonthisdata.
Withaccesstoarichsourceofdatatheresearchershadtonarrowtheir
sampledowntoensuretheyhadallthedatatheyneededandparticipationof
thesamplegroupthroughthedurationoftheirresearch.Thequantitative
studyexamplealsodemonstratedtheimportanceofthereviewofliteratureto
situatethestudyintheforefrontofresearchinthefield.
ThequalitativestudybySleeterdemonstratedtheimportanceofcreating
opportunitiestocreaterichdatathroughtoolsthatwillyielddepthin
response.Inordertocapturethesubjectofthecasestudysdevelopmentin
thinkingaboutmulticulturalSleeterprovidedavarietyofopportunitiesto
drawoutthesubjectsthinking.
IntermsofmyownresearchinterestsasaneweducationresearcherIfelt
initiallydrawntoquantitativeresearch.ItisthetypeofresearchthatIam

morefamiliarwith.Italsohasmoreperceivedweightinmyteaching
community.Howeverthisapproachcomesfromanunderlyingbeliefthatwe
liveinastableworldthatcanbequantified.(Gayetal.,2012)AsIam
feelingaparadigmshiftawayfromthisviewIfeeldrawntowardqualitative
research.Thistypeofresearchreflectsaviewthatmeaningisfoundina
uniquecontextandperspective.(Gayetal.,2012)Qualitativeresearchwould
affordmeadeeplookintomyownparticularschoolcommunity.
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References

Hamre,B.K.,&Pianta,R.C.(2005).CanInstructionalandemotionalsupportinthefirstgrade
classroommakeadifferenceforchildrenatriskofschoolfailure?InL.R.Gay,G.E.
Mills,&P.W.Airasian,
Educationalresearch:Competenciesforanalysisand
application
(10thed.)(pp.3350).Internationalversion.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:Pearson
EducationInc.

Gay,L.R.,MillsG.E.,&AirasianP.W.(2012)
Educationalresearch.Competenciesforanalysis
andapplications.
UpperSaddleRiver.NewJersey,PearsonEducationInc.

Rutter,M.,&Maughan,B.(2002).Schooleffectivenessfindings19792002.
JournalofSchool
Psychology
,40,451475

Sleeter,C.(2009)Developingteacherepistemologicalsophisticationaboutmulticultural
curriculum:Acasestudy.InL.R.Gay,G.E.Mills,&P.W.Airasian,
Educational
research:Competenciesforanalysisandapplication
(10thed.)(pp.5159).International
version.UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:PearsonEducationInc.