A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Primary School Children

Qualitative study - A qualitative study of the perceptions of first year college students regarding technology and college readiness 

The example fits the qualitative study methodology since it involves the identification of student perceptions which is a concept that cannot be represented in numerical data. Quantitative study - A Quantitative Study of the Impact of Social Media Reviews on Brand Perception. The example fits the quantitative study methodology since it involves the measurement of social media reviews and these can be quantified in numerical data. Mixed methods study - A mixed methods investigation of leadership and performance in practice-based research networks. The study applies study designs that collect both qualitative and quantitative data which is equally necessary in answering the question. The quantitative methodology would be necessary for concepts that needed to be presented in numerical data for my study which qualitative methodology is also necessary for concepts that need non-numerical data. The mixed methods methodology would allow the smooth integration of both types of data in my study. Qualitative methodology further supports my intended topic as it allows for the inclusion of concepts, opinions and experiences and quantitative methodology will enable the inclusion of numerically quantifiable variables. Mixed methods will allow the inclusion of both types of variables. The benefits of using the qualitative methodology are that it creates openness for participants and allows for depth and detail in the measurement of variables. Quantitative methodology would allow for a larger sample size, objectivity and accuracy. The mixed method research is beneficial as it allows the inclusion of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. It also ensures that the experiences of participants are included alongside the numerical representation of given concepts in the study. Qualitative methodology drawbacks include in non-statistical representation of data, the reliance on participant experiences which may be difficult to verify and the difficulty in replication of data. Quantitative methodology drawbacks are the collection of a narrow set of data and the limitation of data being presented in numerical descriptions. The mixed methods methodology drawbacks are that it would require great expertise in integrating two separate research methodologies. The comparison would be somewhat challenging considering that the two methodologies are significantly different. In the examples presented above, the researchers in the qualitative study opted for this methodology as they needed to research participant perceptions which can only be presented through their opinions and experiences. The quantitative study example required this methodology as the study’s variables needed to be presented in numerical data sets to show the level to which one variable affects the other. The mixed methods study required this methodology as each variable needed to be studied either quantitively or qualitatively. The researchers viewed the benefits of their chosen methodology to outweigh its drawbacks because their choice would yield the needed result, improve their studies’ accuracy and reliability.