Best Practices for Collecting Qualitative and Quantitative Data

1. Define Your Research Questions:

   • Write down exactly what you want to learn about.

2. Sampling Techniques:

   • Use random sampling for quantitative data.
   • This means picking people at random to make sure they represent the entire group.
   • A good rule is to have at least 30 people in your sample.

3. Data Collection Methods:

   • For quantitative data:
     • Use surveys that have closed-ended questions.
     • This gives you numbers to work with.
   • For qualitative data:
     • Have interviews or focus groups.
     • This helps you get deep and detailed information.

4. Data Analysis:

   • For quantitative data:
     • Use descriptive statistics like mean (average), median (middle value), and mode (most common value).
   • For qualitative data:
     • Use thematic analysis to spot key trends and patterns.

5. Validation:

   • Check your findings by using different data sources.
   • This makes your results more trustworthy.