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CONTRAST:
Qualitative Versus
Quantitative Research
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Naturalism/
to Theory
People being Humanism
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Positivism/
Reliability
Logical Position
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Covert
to Theory
People being
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Overt
Reliability
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Inductive
to Theory
People being
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Deductive
Reliability
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Theory
to Theory
People being Development
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Theory analysis
Reliability
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning Respondents/Participants
Involvement
to Theory Key Informants
People being
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size Respondents/Participants
Validity &
Reliability Subjects
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Research Variable
to Theory
People being
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Independent and
Reliability Dependent Variable
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Thematic
to Theory
People being Analysis
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Statistical
Reliability
Analysis
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning
Involvement Small through
to Theory
People being Saturation
investigated
Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size
Validity & Large (the
Reliability
larger, the better)
 Philosophy
Type of Data Qualitative
Reasoning Validity is assessed in terms of how well the

Involvement research tools measure the phenomena under

investigation
to Theory Reliability is reliability can be thought of as the
People being trustworthiness of the procedures and data

investigated generated

Variables
Data analysis Quantitative
Sample size Validity is the extent to which a measure
Validity & accurately represents the concept it claims to
measure
Reliability Reliability is the degree to which an instrument
measures the same way each time it is used
under the same condition with the same subjects