What are research methods?

Research methods are the procedures researchers use to collect and analyse the information (or what they call data) they collect – and once it is collected and analysed the information is called ‘evidence’.  Some examples of methods are surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation. If a researcher uses the right method to answer a particular research question the researcher should be able to persuade others that their findings constitute sound, solid and reliable evidence (Flynn & McDermott, 2016; Walliman, 2011)

Quantitative methods

There are two main types of research methods – quantitative and qualitative.  Researchers who use quantitative methods collect data that is quantifiable and can be counted or measured. They might e.g., use a questionnaire to answer questions such as ‘how many’, ‘how often’, or to find out whether there is a cause-effect relationship between variables. They can find out information about people’s opinions e.g., if a predetermined choice of answers is given in a questionnaire then they can count the number of various responses.  According to Yilmaz (2013, p. 311) quantitative research:

“…can be defined as research that explains phenomena according to numerical data which are analyzed by means of mathematically based methods, especially statistics. From a broader perspective, it can be defined as a type of empirical research into a social phenomenon or human problem, testing a theory consisting of variables which are measured with numbers and analyzed with statistics in order to determine if the theory explains or predicts phenomena of interest”.

Qualitative methods

Researchers who use qualitative methods collect data that cannot be reduced to numbers e.g., people’s experiences, feelings, wishes, opinions and beliefs. Qualitative research focuses on qualities rather than quantities.   It is concerned with interpretation, meaning and context.  An important aim of qualitative research is to describe and understand people’s feelings, opinions and experiences by e.g., interviewing them asking open ended questions, or running a focus group which involves interviewing a group of people rather than one person.  A qualitative approach to gathering data  enables researchers to understand the world as it is experienced by the participants rather than predetermining anything (Yilmaz, 2013).

Mixed methods

These methods refers to the activity of ‘mixing’ quantitative and qualitative methods in a single research study. Mixed methods allows the researcher to gain a more complete picture rather than just using a stand-alone quantitative or qualitative approach  (Flynn & McDermott, 2016; Walliman, 2011).