Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

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Assignment 1: Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

Under what conditions would an industrial/organizational (I/O) professional choose a qualitative research method over a quantitative research method when investigating a workplace problem or phenomenon? Support your position with at least two scholarly sources.

To help you organize your notes for this assignment, consider the following chart that provides an overview of differences between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies:

	Quantitative	Qualitative
Approach	Is deductive (primarily) and then inductive	Is inductive (primarily) and then deductive
Purpose	Tests theories, makes predictions, establishes facts, and tests hypotheses	Describes multiple realities, develops a deep understanding, and captures everyday life and human perspectives
Research focus	Isolates variables, uses large samples, and collects data using tests and formal instruments	Examines the full context, interacts with a limited number of participants, and collects data face-to-face from participants
Research goals	Confirms or disconfirms theory Finds central tendency, what is common Tests hypotheses Classifies participants Uses statistics Researches on participants	Examines lived experiences Is particular and idiosyncratic Transforms society Empowers participants Has a rich description Researches with and for participants
Research plan	Is developed before the study is initiated Is a structured, formal proposal	Begins with an initial idea that evolves as the researcher learns more about the participants and setting Is a flexible and tentative proposal
Data analysis	Is mainly statistical and quantitative	Is mainly interpretive and descriptive
Results presentation	Involves a formal writing style and impersonal voice	Involves a less-formal writing style and personal voice

Submission Details:

By Saturday, January 16, 2016, post your responses in a minimum of 300 words to this Discussion Area.
Through Wednesday, January 20, 2016, use the Discussion Area to respond to the submissions by your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between one or more lines of reasoning in the discussion.

All written assignments and responses should follow APA rules for attributing sources.

Your response should rely upon at least two sources from additional professional literature—articles from peer-reviewed journals and relevant textbooks. Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e., in APA style); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.