Key Differences Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods in Sociology

1. What They Are:

   • Qualitative Research: This method is all about understanding people's experiences and thoughts. It often includes talking to people in-depth through interviews or discussing in groups.
   • Quantitative Research: This approach focuses on numbers. It collects data that can be measured and analyzed using statistics, like through surveys and experiments.

2. How They Collect Data:

   • Qualitative Methods: These often use open-ended interviews that last 60 to 90 minutes, where people can share their thoughts freely. Other methods include observing people in their natural settings and looking for common themes in their responses.
   • Quantitative Methods: These usually involve structured surveys or questionnaires. Many questions have set answers. For example, a survey might ask 1,000 people specific questions to gather data.

3. How They Analyze Data:

   • Qualitative Analysis: Researchers look for patterns by coding responses and finding common themes. This gives detailed insights into people's feelings and ideas.
   • Quantitative Analysis: This uses math and statistics. For example, if a result has a significance level of $p < 0.05$, it means the finding is important and not just due to chance.

4. What They Achieve:

   • Qualitative Results: This method provides a deep understanding of topics but doesn’t always apply to everyone.
   • Quantitative Results: This method gives findings that can be applied to bigger groups. It helps in finding trends and patterns in data.

In short, qualitative research dives deep into people's experiences, while quantitative research looks at the bigger picture using numbers. Both methods are important in sociology and help us learn about society in different ways.