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1.1 - Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods Approaches
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Instructions - How do I use this learning unit?
Dear student,
Welcome to this learning unit of the mentoring program for empirical projects and theses.
The goal here is to support you in finding a way to learn in the best way for you . To do this, it's important that you know what the individual elements mean and how to use them.
Please read the following instructions.
General information about the learning unit
Various graphic elements are used throughout the learning unit to provide orientation . The symbols are explained below.
What do the symbols in this learning unit mean?
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I hope this learning unit helps you better understand empirical research, further develop your project idea, and enjoy learning with it.
If you have any questions about this learning unit, would like to provide feedback, or report any errors, please feel free to contact me via email at . At the end of the learning unit, you'll also find some links where you can clarify any open questions or share your opinion.
Best wishes & good luck with your work!
Your eMentorat
What do the symbols in this learning unit mean?
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Communication This icon indicates that you can find general information about the modules here.
Learning Objectives
: These fields summarize the learning objectives that describe each module. They provide an overview of what you can expect in the module.
Instructions:
These fields explain how to use interactive elements . Of course, you're free to experiment with the individual elements yourself.
Reading Material:
These boxes introduce sections where you can read texts that delve deeper into the topics of the respective modules. The brief summaries at the beginning provide a preview of what you can expect in the text.
Self-Check
Fields marked with this question mark contain tasks or questions that you can use to check your understanding while working through the learning module . They can help you structure your learning by providing feedback on the content. They are also intended to encourage you to revisit the content .
Intermediate Breaks
These boxes are intended to encourage you to take short breaks while working through the learning module. During these breaks, you can breathe and relax , or use reflection and review prompts to calmly engage with what you've learned.
Furthermore, these breaks are timed to provide a good conclusion to a single session. Therefore, if you don't want to complete the learning module in one sitting, the sections marked as "Intermediate Breaks" are a good time to stop and return to it later.
Example
These fields present you with (mostly fictitious) examples to clarify abstract content .
Practical tips
These fields are intended to give you practical tips or additional information , which is primarily based on our own experience.
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Welcome & Learning Objectives
Dear student,
The question of "qualitative" and "quantitative" is actually a philosophical question. As is the case with many philosophical questions, there is also a pragmatic approach to the discussion, i.e., pragmatists deliberately neglect most of the nuances and subtleties in order to find a solution suitable for everyday use.
This learning unit follows the pragmatic position. You will primarily learn about the basic goals of the research approaches, which methods they typically use, and how the respective methods can possibly be combined .
If you would like to delve deeper into the broader philosophical discourse on qualitative and quantitative research—and thus necessarily also into ontology (i.e., "What is reality?") and epistemology (i.e., "How can I find out something about this reality?")—I recommend further reading in each case, which can serve as a starting point for your own research.
The following general objectives are in the foreground:
To achieve this, the module attempts to achieve the following detailed objectives :
What does the "pragmatic perspective" mean for the scientific rigor of this learning unit?
This learning unit does not claim to represent the scientific discourse on methodology.
The aspects presented here merely represent one perspective .
This perspective is synthesized from the respective works cited. The synthesis is primarily based on empirical values, which can be helpful as a guide.
If you have a different perspective on the concepts presented here, I invite you to critically compare your own perspective with the perspective presented here and, if necessary, consult additional sources.
Explanatory video: Qualitative & Quantitative research approaches
"What are quantitative and qualitative research approaches?"
The following explanatory video provides a brief introduction to quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
You can use the video as a guide to help you navigate the following pages of the learning unit.
Further reading
, pp. 19-28.
by McLeod (2017). Accessed May 7, 2019.
Discussion of quantitative and qualitative methods:
Video Player
What are quantitative methods for?
This chapter deals with quantitative research. You will receive information on
Quantitative methods are used to express real-world facts in numbers . These numbers can be used to derive relationships
using statistical calculations . Whether these relationships can be interpreted as causalities depends on how much control you have over the various variables during data collection.
Quantitative study designs
Simply put, the study design in quantitative research determines how often and under what conditions you collect data.
The study design typically determines how you interpret your results —for example, whether you can infer causality or demonstrate changes over time.
Further reading
Creswell, John W; Creswell, John W. 1945-
Below you will see a brief summary of the most common study designs used in quantitative research.
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In an experiment , you specifically influence variable A and try to avoid influencing all other variables. The goal of experiments is to gain insights into causality : You assume that variable A influences a second variable (variable B), which you also measure. If variable B also changes as a result of influencing variable A, you can conclude that variable A influences variable B. Impact of feedback forms on motivation You are interested in the effect of essay feedback on students' motivation to write another essay. You give some students constructive feedback (e.g., "You can still improve on X") on an essay and others deficit-oriented feedback (e.g., "You didn't do X very well"). Then you assess the motivation of all students to write another essay. This allows you to find out whether constructive or deficit-oriented feedback influences motivation differently.
Experiment: Influencing a variable in a targeted manner
Cross-sectional studies are used to collect data once without influencing a variable. For example, it may be unethical to influence the variable (e.g., bullying) or it may not be possible to influence the variable (e.g., age).
This provides information about the current situation and allows you to analyze correlations , i.e., whether two variables tend to occur together or not.
Relationship between age and social media consumption among students
You're interested in the relationship between students' age and their social media use .
In this case, you could survey students about their age and the type and duration of their social media use.
This could help you determine whether older students tend to use social media more or less intensively than younger students.
Cross-sectional study: Capturing the current state
Longitudinal studies examine changes over time . You measure the same variable at multiple points in time.
This allows you to document the change itself or relate it to other variables .
Motivational trends of students during project work
You will investigate how students' motivation changes over the course of a project lasting several weeks .
To do this, you will measure motivation at several points in time before, during, and after the project.
From the different values, you can draw conclusions about when motivation was particularly high or particularly low.
Longitudinal study: Documenting changes over time
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Self-Check: Which study designs are suitable?
Below are some descriptions of research projects.
Please assess which study design is appropriate for each project. Keep in mind, in particular, the objectives of each study design.
You want to investigate how motivation, performance, and well-being of students in different grades are related . Your primary goal is to examine these relationships in a setting as natural as possible in order to gain insight into everyday school reality.experimentLongitudinal studyCross-sectional study
You are interested in how the presence of a trained school dog in class affects the classroom climate (e.g., working atmosphere, communication between students, etc.) . It is important to you that you can clearly attribute any differences in the classroom climate to the dog's presence.Cross-sectional studyLongitudinal studyexperiment
You want to investigate the importance of exam situations for students and assume that they are negatively correlated with students' interest . To do this, you want to examine how interest changes when an exam is approaching in high school.Cross-sectional studyLongitudinal studyexperiment
You want to investigate how satisfied teachers at a school are with a newly implemented scheduling system . The goal is to reach the entire staff , if possible, to gain insight into the general mood.Longitudinal studyCross-sectional studyexperiment
Quantitative measuring instruments
You can use various instruments to collect quantitative data .
These instruments are usually standardized (i.e., response options are often predefined or measured in standardized units). The goal of standardization is to obtain data that is comparable
from person to person, from point in time to point in time, and from research project to research project .
Further reading
Overview of various instruments:
, pp. 205-225 and pp. 272-296.
, pp. 53-108.
, pp. 53-76 and 99-108.
Special instruments:
on questionnaires.
Below is a brief list of the most common measurement instrument types used in quantitative social and educational research.
This list does not imply that these methods are used exclusively in quantitative research or that only these instruments can provide quantitative data. Each of these instruments can also provide qualitative data (with adaptation if necessary), and even more qualitative instruments (e.g., interviews) can provide quantitative data through special analyses.
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Questionnaires typically collect opinions, self-assessed behavior, and statements about one's own well-being . Quantitative research typically uses pre-defined scales on which participants can select answers, which are then assigned numerical values. Questionnaires are relatively time-efficient because they can be completed by many people simultaneously. Therefore, they are often used in surveys designed to reach as many people as possible . Attitude towards cafeteria food You want to find out how much students enjoy the cafeteria food at a school . To do this, you regularly distribute questionnaires to students after lunch, asking them how they like today's meal and cafeteria food in general.
Questionnaire: Reach many people in a short time
Tests assess characteristics such as personality traits, knowledge, or skills that participants cannot report directly or can only report unreliably.
Tests contain tasks that can only be solved correctly by people with certain skill levels, or questions that people with certain personality traits answer in a certain way.
These results usually generate a numerical score for a person that reflects the strength of the personality trait or knowledge.
Tests can be administered in a variety of formats: on paper, on a computer, as role-playing games, as practical tasks, etc.
Passive vocabulary test
You want to find out how well students' passive vocabulary
(i.e., the words they know but don't necessarily use themselves) is. To do this, you compile a list of different words, each of which is used with varying frequency.
Have the students paraphrase each word or provide a synonym.
You award one point for each correct answer to a frequently used word, two points for less frequently used words, and three points for very rarely used words.
A person's total score tells you how broad their passive vocabulary is.
Tests: Measure character and knowledge
With structured observations, you typically count or evaluate specific behaviors of people.
To do this, you define exactly what you want to observe in advance. Furthermore, you create precise rules that determine when a certain behavior is counted and—if you are evaluating—when a certain evaluation level is reached.
The idea behind these rules is to ensure the survey is as objective as possible , meaning that another person could conduct the observation and should come to the same conclusions as you.
Activity during group work
You want to study student activities during a group work session .
To do this, you document, at five-minute intervals, how many students in a group
are a) currently engaged in a conversation about the topic,
b) working on a piece of writing,
c) having a conversation unrelated to the topic,
d) otherwise engaged (e.g., using a smartphone), or
e) passive (e.g., daydreaming).
Each of these options has clearly defined rules that indicate whether the option is taking place or not.
Structured observation: Measuring concrete behavior
In some cases, biological data (e.g., blood pressure and pulse during an exam) or physical data (e.g., classroom noise in dB) are also collected using scientific measuring instruments.
Such data are often considered particularly objective, but do not always reflect the subjective experiences of the participants.
Noise in the classroom and teachers’ perception of stress
You want to find out how teachers' stress levels relate to the measured noise level in the classroom.
To do this, you measure the noise level in the classroom using your smartphone (or, better yet, a noise meter from a hardware store) and then ask the teacher about their stress levels.
Biological / physical measurement
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Self-Check: Which measuring instruments are suitable?
Below, several research projects are described .
Please evaluate which measurement instrument is appropriate for each project. Consider, in particular, what type of data is needed and which measurement instrument can provide such data.
As part of a longitudinal study on teacher health, you want to find out how teachers' physical stress levels change throughout the day. You have identified blood pressure and pulse, skin conductance, and salivary cortisol as relevant indicators of physical stress .biological / physical measurementstructured observationquestionnairetest
You have developed a lesson unit that teaches certain communication strategies in a problem-based manner —that is, it takes a real- life problem as a starting point and lets students independently generate a solution using materials. You now want to find out whether using this lesson unit can actually improve students' communication skills .questionnairebiological / physical measurementteststructured observation
You want to find out which playground activities students at different schools prefer. You assume that activities can have physical (e.g., ball games), social (e.g., entertainment), or recreational (e.g., eating) components. You want to determine how often each component occurs in each school type.testbiological / physical measurementstructured observationquestionnaire
You are interested in how teachers' perceived responsibility changes when they are confronted with poor student performance . You are particularly interested in whether teachers feel different levels of responsibility when students perform poorly due to laziness or low ability.testbiological / physical measurementquestionnairestructured observation
You want to find out to what extent students rate the career counseling services at a school as effective . You determine effectiveness by a) whether students feel taken seriously and well advised, and b) whether they, in their own opinion, have more ideas and information about career choices than before.biological / physical measurementquestionnairestructured observationtest
Quantitative evaluation methods
After collecting quantitative data, you can evaluate it using statistical methods .
The goal of these analyses is often to present large amounts of data in a comprehensible manner and answer specific questions regarding relationships, differences, or changes
. A distinction is often made between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics .
Further reading
Basic introduction to statistics (e.g., for term papers):
Hauser & Humpert (2009). Significant?: Introduction to statistical methods for teachers: Klett and Balmer. [Available in our reference collection]
More comprehensive introduction to inferential statistics (e.g., for theses):
Below you'll find a brief explanation of descriptive and inferential statistics.
This explanation should help you decide which of the two options is appropriate for your research project.
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Descriptive statistics are used to describe the collected data as accurately as possible. For example, you can summarize data using a mean and then compare this mean with a second mean. The goal of descriptive statistical analyses is usually to present the data in a way that is easy to understand , allowing the viewer to interpret it (subjectively) .
Descriptive statistics: Representing and simplifying
Inferential statistics involves using a value in your sample to infer the value in the population (i.e., the entire population of people you want to study) . Simply put, you try to determine the probability that the value you measured accurately reflects the population.
Inferential statistics: Inferencing and predicting
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Inferential statistics is considerably more complex than purely descriptive analyses and requires a solid understanding of statistical concepts.
My tip: Before you begin, critically examine whether this type of analysis makes sense for your project:
Buch
Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statisticsField, Andy 1973-; Seaman, Jai; Sage Publications2024
Rezension
Research Methods in Education. Sixth EditionCohen, Louis ; Manion, Lawrence ; Morrison, Keith ; Sada, A N ; Maldonado, ABritish journal of educational studies, 2007, Vol.55 (4), p.469-470Peer-Reviewed
Buch
Experimentelle Hypothesenprüfung in der PsychologieHussy, Walter 1946-; Jain, Anita 1962-2002
Term: Reinders et al. (2015)
Tabs
Reinders et al. (2015)
Reinders et al. (2015) provide a very detailed overview of empirical educational research, its research subjects and methods.
These two books are suitable for anyone who wants to delve deeper into educational research and is looking for an overview as a starting point for further research. They may be too comprehensive and detailed for an efficient, pragmatic introduction.
Full title 1: Reinders, H., Ditton, H., Gräsel, C., & Gniewosz, B. (2015). Empirical Educational Research: Structures and Methods: Springer-Verlag.
Full title 2: Reinders, H., Ditton, H., Gräsel, C., & Gniewosz, B. (2015). Empirical Educational Research: Subject Areas: Springer-Verlag.
Language: German.
ULB link: (Structures and Methods); (Subject Areas)
The following resources linking to that term:
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