A 4 page research paper/essay that argues that quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are grounded in fundamentally different paradigms, which makes it impossible to combine them. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khqvq1.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
quantitative research methodology while others favor qualitative approaches. These two paradigms of research are completely opposite in their orientation, methods and worldview. Qualitative research is founded on principles of subjectivity,
which has caused some researchers to accuse this body of research as being "soft and unscientific" (Abusabha and Woelfel, 2003, p. 566). Quantitative measures rely on principles of objectivity, which
means that the researcher is detached and objective about the research topic. However, this method has been faulted for "forcing individuals and human behavior into rigid categories" (Abusabha and Woelfel,
2003, p. 566). The following examination of these two paradigms shows that these two inquiry approaches are too different to be successfully combined within the realm of mental health research.
At the core of the qualitative-quantitative debate lies the fact that these two methodologies are so completely different. 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. They argue that human experience cannot be successful described by use of numbers alone (Abusabha and Woelfel, 2003). This orientation is opposed by quantitative researchers who see research in
terms of "measurement, cause and effect and reductionism" (Abusabha and Woelfel, 2003, p. 566). In quantitative research, variables are measured; they are classified, counted and used to
construct statistical models (Neill, 2004). A famous quantitative researcher is quoted as saying that "Theres no such thing as qualitative data. Everything is either 1 or 0" (Abusabha and Woelfel,
2003, p. 566). Quantitative researchers generally view the qualitative research as being shaped and influenced by the biases and beliefs of the researcher. Quantitative studies are causal/comparative or correlational in