Bryman Chapter 26: Breaking down the quanttattev qualitatte ditide
The natural science model and qualitatte research
Posittist approach is not ixed though it is oten described as the epistemological basis o
qualitatte research
Difference between the practces that social scientsts use and those they describe in their
research
‘Posittist’ can also be used to negattely describe the work o others
Problems with associatng the natural science model and posittism exclusitely with
quanttatte research:
Empiricism is also oten used in qualitatte research, howeter it is mostly associated
with quanttatte research (Empiricist otertones)
Qualitatte research can speci y the problem that is examined tery precise
Theories and hypotheses can also be etaluated based on pretious speciied theories
and hypotheses (so not necessarily inductte approach)
Qualitatte researcher can take on a realist positon
A research may hate quanttatte and qualitatte elements
Quanttatte research and interprettism
Quanttatte researcher can also take on an interprettist positon; study the world through
the eyes o the people who are studied
This is reached by attude questons in surteys, open ended questons can also protide an
inside o what meaning the partcipants gite to etents around them
Quanttatte research and constructonism
The presentaton o an issue can be looked at by analyzing quanttatte data that is derited
rom qualitatte research
Research methods and epistemological and ontological consideratons
Some methods seem to be inetitably connected with certain positons and approaches (e.g.
sel -administered questonnaire with a natural science model and an objecttist worldtiew)
Research methods are ted to certain clusters o epistemological and ontological
commitments
Howeter this tiew is questoned by some sociologists
Problems with the quanttattevqualitatte contrast
Behatiour ts. meaning
Quanttatte research can examine meanings that people gite as well as qualitatte
research can examine behatiour o people in speciic setngs
Inductte ts. Deductte approach
Quanttatte research can be inductte and tice tersa
Numbers ts. Words
Qualitatte research may also quant y parts o their data
Articial ts. Natural
Qualitatte research can also be based on intertiews and there ore become articial
rather than natural as in ethnographic research
The mutual analysis o quanttatte and qualitatte research
Quanttatte researcher may use qualitatte descripton and etaluaton instruments in order
to contince the reader rom the credibility o the indings
Qualitatte researcher may also use quanttatte ways to describe their indings, e.g. through
statstcs
Quanticaton in qualitatte research
Thematc analysis: identicaton o paterns through obsertaton o incidents, words and
phrases
Quasi-quanticaton in qualitatte research: use o terms such as ‘many’,’oten’<
The natural science model and qualitatte research
Posittist approach is not ixed though it is oten described as the epistemological basis o
qualitatte research
Difference between the practces that social scientsts use and those they describe in their
research
‘Posittist’ can also be used to negattely describe the work o others
Problems with associatng the natural science model and posittism exclusitely with
quanttatte research:
Empiricism is also oten used in qualitatte research, howeter it is mostly associated
with quanttatte research (Empiricist otertones)
Qualitatte research can speci y the problem that is examined tery precise
Theories and hypotheses can also be etaluated based on pretious speciied theories
and hypotheses (so not necessarily inductte approach)
Qualitatte researcher can take on a realist positon
A research may hate quanttatte and qualitatte elements
Quanttatte research and interprettism
Quanttatte researcher can also take on an interprettist positon; study the world through
the eyes o the people who are studied
This is reached by attude questons in surteys, open ended questons can also protide an
inside o what meaning the partcipants gite to etents around them
Quanttatte research and constructonism
The presentaton o an issue can be looked at by analyzing quanttatte data that is derited
rom qualitatte research
Research methods and epistemological and ontological consideratons
Some methods seem to be inetitably connected with certain positons and approaches (e.g.
sel -administered questonnaire with a natural science model and an objecttist worldtiew)
Research methods are ted to certain clusters o epistemological and ontological
commitments
Howeter this tiew is questoned by some sociologists
Problems with the quanttattevqualitatte contrast
Behatiour ts. meaning
Quanttatte research can examine meanings that people gite as well as qualitatte
research can examine behatiour o people in speciic setngs
Inductte ts. Deductte approach
Quanttatte research can be inductte and tice tersa
Numbers ts. Words
Qualitatte research may also quant y parts o their data
Articial ts. Natural
Qualitatte research can also be based on intertiews and there ore become articial
rather than natural as in ethnographic research
The mutual analysis o quanttatte and qualitatte research
Quanttatte researcher may use qualitatte descripton and etaluaton instruments in order
to contince the reader rom the credibility o the indings
Qualitatte researcher may also use quanttatte ways to describe their indings, e.g. through
statstcs
Quanticaton in qualitatte research
Thematc analysis: identicaton o paterns through obsertaton o incidents, words and
phrases
Quasi-quanticaton in qualitatte research: use o terms such as ‘many’,’oten’<
