Description and discussion on Qualitative, Quantitative and Mix Methods approaches of collecting data as applied to a research entitled “The Impact of Parents’ Food and Lifestyle Choices on the Development of Obesity among their Children”.
The essay will explore the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methodologies, focusing on “the impact of parents’ food and lifestyle choices on the development of obesity among their children’. This essay will also discuss different methods of data collection.
Quantitative Research Approach
The quantitative paradigm is based on positivism which takes scientific explanation to be nomothetic (i.e. based on universal laws.) Its main aims are to objectively measure the social world, to test hypotheses and to predict and control human behavior.
Parents’ role in the development of obesity among children has been the subject of many studies. In order to guide the said studies, the researchers created hypotheses that were tested. A hypothesis, simple defined, is a prediction of a causal correlation among multiple phenomena. It is a statement of what the researcher predicts will happen in the research. The current research aims to test the hypothesis that parents’ food and lifestyle choices have a significant impact on their children’s food and lifestyle choices that lead to obesity.
In order top investigate the correlation of parents’ food and lifestyle choices to the development of obesity among their children, a sampling method can be employed. Various research about the subject of childhood obesity have employed sampling as a method of investigation. Sampling is primarily a method in statistics wherein the researcher selects a representative of the total population of concern that yield some knowledge about the said population. When studying the impact of parents’ food and lifestyle choices on childhood obesity, it is important to classify the subjects base on their economic status and family income. This will allow the researcher to determine the role of economic status and family income in food and lifestyle choices. The social and economic status of the family is important to consider as the researcher believes that these factors affect the choices that parents make. Sampling is a simple practice that allows the researcher to yield reliable results without including the entire population the data collection.
One of the methods of quantitative data collection is the use of survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire will present useful information from the respondents regarding the topic. The survey will provide information to determine whether parents’ food and lifestyle choices can lead to poor food and lifestyle choices of their children that will eventually lead to childhood obesity. The responses of the subjects will be summarized, analyzed, and reported in order to make a general findings about the topic. To better understand the impact of parents food and lifestyle choices on the development of childhood obesity a structured survey questionnaire can be designed by the researcher.
It is important that the researcher also consider the disadvantages of using a survey questionnaire in collecting data. One disadvantage is that the respondents may misinterpret the question resulting to answers that are useless to the research. Questionnaires also oblige people to choose from limited responses that can be vague and not represent their actual response. There is also a great tendency to standardized the questions.
Questions that Quantitative Research seeks to Answer
1. Descriptive Questions – research questions that seek answers to “How much?” or “What changes over time or different situations?” type of questions. Descriptive questions can seek to identify the degree of relationship that exists between tow or more variables. The script for a descriptive relationship question would be as follows:
o What is the relationship between (variable 1) and (variable 2) for participants?
2. Predictive Questions – questions that seek to determine whether one or more variables can be used to predict some future outcome. The script for a predictie question would be as follows:
o Does (predictor variable) predict (outcome variable in setting?
3. Causal Questions – questions that compare different variations of some phenomenon to identify the cause of something. These questions often involve the manipulation of an independent variable and the comparison of the outcome of this manipulation. The script for questions would be as follows:
o Does variation (or change) in the (independent variable) produce changes (e.g. increase or decrease) in (a dependent variable)?
Qualitative Research Approach
The qualitative paradigm stems from an antipositivistic, interpretative approach, is idiographic, thus holistic in nature, and the main aim is to understand social life and the meaning that people attach to everyday life.
When investigating the occurrence of childhood obesity, it is a requisite that one explores the social, cultural, family and personal backgrounds of the subjects. One of the most popular methods of data collection in the qualitative sphere is interviewing. In the investigation of the impact of parents’ food and lifestyle choices on the development of childhood obesity the researcher intends to design a structured interview involving the parents. The aim of the interview is to ascertain the impact of parents on the development of childhood obesity. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study.
The researcher also intends to use observation as a means of data collection. It is important that the belief, actions, attitudes and behaviors of children about food, obesity, health and their food and lifestyle choices.
Questions that Qualitative Research Seek to Answer
In the qualitative research, the following are the most popular methods of collecting data:
- Interview
- Focus Groups
- Diaries or Written Accounts
- Participant Observation or Non Participant Observation
- Media Sources
The survey questionnaire that the researcher intends to employ in the investigation of the impact of the parents food and lifestyle choices on the development of obesity among their children seeks to answer to following questions:
- Descriptive/Linear Questions – Can you describe to me your food choices and your lifestyle at home?
- Narrative Questions – Can you tell me about the food that you prepare for your family and your child’s/children’s food preferences?
- Structured Questions – What do you think are the factors that lead to your child’s obesity ?
- Contrast Questions – How can you compare your child’s health with other children his/her age?
- Evaluative Questions – How do you feel about your chilld’s health?
- Systematic Questions – What do you think your child’s food choices would be if you as his or her parent have healthy food and lifestyle choices?
- Prompts and Probes – Can you tell me more about that?
Qualitative Methodology vs. Quantitative Methodology
The difference of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies according to Baum (1992) is that quantitative research attempts to reduce and measure social phenomena while qualitative research aims to understand social processes.
1. Underlying Assumptions
The goal of qualitative research is to describe and analyzed the quality or substance of the human experience in a detailed manner. Qualitative researchers believe that in order to understand human actions and behaviors, it is imperative to understand the meanings and interpretations that people give to their own actions, to the actions of others and to situations and events. Qualitative researchers see the physical aspects to the world as having independent existence.
On the other hand, quantitative research is based on the assumption that the world can be investigated using scientific method and that there is an independent reality. Quantitative research is based on the belief that measurable influences (independent variables) affect measurable outcomes (dependent variables) in a cause-effect manner.
2. Research Design
Qualitative research can be designed deductively (to test hypothesis) or inductively (to develop a hypothesis) – majority are inductive in nature. The inductive nature of qualitative research means that the design tends to change as the study is in progress in response to the changes in the circumstances and the collected data.
On the other hand, quantitative research use standardized and repeatable methodologies that represent human experience in numerical categories.
3. Research Setting
Qualitative researchers employ talk and action in the collection of data. They use data collection methods such as in-depth interviews and focus groups, observation and textual analysis. Qualitative research are often conducted in public places, homes, workplaces and schools.
In contrast, quantitative research is generally conducted in a controlled environment, such as a psychology laboratory, or using anonymous data, such as statistics collected through surveys, questionnaires, structured interviews or tests.
4. Researcher’s Role
Qualitative researchers try to gather and analyze their own data rather than working with anonymous data collected by other people. They recognize that they are an integral part of the research process.
Quantitative researchers adopt a traditional objective expert role. They attempt to remove their interpretations or prevent them from influencing the research.
Base on the above comparison, the strengths and weaknesses of both methodologies can be identified. Quantitative research is most useful in research that is objective while qualitative can be used more effectively in subjective research. The research questions that can be answered by a quantitative research typically involves number, (how many?) and strength of association. Qualitative research on the other hand, seeks to answer the What and Why questions. Literature review in the quantitative research is often done early in the study while in the qualitative research it is progressive, meaning, the literature review can be done as the research progress. The results of quantitative research are measurable while in the qualitative research the results are interpretative.
Mixed Method Research Approach
Mixed research method aims to combine the qualitative and quantitative methodologies of research. This research method will allow the researcher to achieve a deeper understanding to the impact of parents food and lifestyle choices on the development of childhood obesity. For example, the researcher can combine qualitative and quantitative methodologies such as focus groups and survey questionnaire.
1. Focus Groups – the focus groups will include parents. The focus groups will enable the researcher to learn about the topic from the perspective of the parents.
2. Questionnaire – the questionnaire will be administered to the obese children and their children measure their perspectives. Questions for the questionnaire would be developed after the qualitative data had been analyzed. A questionnaire administered to a large sample allows for generalized statements to be made about attitudes and self-reported behaviors. The use of exploratory qualitative research to develop the questionnaire will increase the validity of the questionnaire data.
One disadvantage of combining qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is the amount of time, skill, and resources needed to conduct such a research.
Conclusion
The three research methodologies discussed in this paper have their individual strengths and weaknesses. In the current research the researcher believes that Mix Methods approach is applicable. For the research study, I decided to combine the strengths of quantitative research and qualitative research. Both research methods have their own strengths and weaknesses, and I think combining both can yield more accurate and clear results. It has been asserted by Phillips (1981) that both approaches are complementary and not competitive. In order to come up with powerful research, it is important to combine both methodologies. First, one could use large-scale quantitative analysis to demonstrate the existence of a previously unsuspected phenomenon. Then, one could use small-scale qualitative analysis to investigate the detailed processes producing the phenomenon. According to Neuman (2000), combining both qualitative and quantitative styles of research can be advantageous. I agree with this belief. I believe that a powerful research can be done through the effective combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
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