Quantitative Studies | Qualitative Studies | Case Studies |
Researcher identifies topic or question(s) of interest and selects participants and arranges procedures that provide answers that are accepted with predetermined degree of confidence; research questions are often stated in hypotheses that are accepted or rejected using statistical tests and anaylses. | Researcher identifies topic of question(s) of interest; collects information from a variety of sources, often as a participant observer; and accepts the analytical task as one of discovering answers that emerge from information that is available as a result of the study. | Research identifies topic or question(s) of interest, determines appropriate unit to represent it, and defines what is known based on careful analysis of multiple sources of information about the “case.”. |
Research process may vary greatly from context being investigated (e.g., survey of how principals spend their time) or appropriately reflect it (e.g., observation of how principals spend their time). | Research process is designed to reflect, as much as possible, the natural, ongoing context being investigated; in-formation is often gathered by participant observers (individuals actively engaged, immersed, or involved in the information collection setting or activity). | Research process is defined by systematic series of steps designed to provide careful analysis of the case. |
Information collection may last a few hours or a few days, but generally is of short-term duration using carefully constructed measures designed specifically to generate valid and reliable information under the conditions of the study. | Information collection may last a few months or as long as it takes for an adequate answer to emerge; the time frame for the sudy is often not defined at the time the research is undertaken. | Information collection may last a few hours, a few days, a few months, or as long as is necessary to adequately “define” the case |
Report of the outcomes of the process is generally expository, consisting of a series of statistical answers to questions under investigation. | Report of outcomes of the process is generally narrative, consisting of a series of “pages to the story” or “chapters to the book”. | Report of outcomes of the process is generally narrative in nature, consisting of a series of illustrative descriptions of key aspects of the case. |