Which style do you find yourself drawn to most and why?
The main difference between quantitative techniques and qualitative studies is what they produce. Quantitative studies produce numerical data or information that can be converted to charts, graphs, etc.; while, qualitative studies produce non-numerical, more descriptive data. In the methods sections of the research, this student has conducted over the past weeks; the difference aligns, as mentioned before.
For example, in that article “Give us a sign of your presence”: Paranormal investigation as a spiritual practice by Eaton (2015), the method section is written as descriptive/explanatory as Eaton (2015) describes his experience as an “active member-researcher” in a paranormal group. Prichard and Christman (2016), on the other hand, utilized various scales, graphs, tables, and tests in their study in the article: Need for cognition moderates’ paranormal beliefs and magical ideation in inconsistent handers.
In the two studies presented here, the write-ups are different concerning the participant selection section, again, by what the study technique produces. Eaton (2015) utilized participation observation, along with interviews, to answer the research question while Prichard and Christman (2016) gained participants for the study by offering course credit to students who would complete the task of the research.
As mentioned before, this student would prefer to use qualitative studies. This student is more right-brained dominant. Qualitative studies are more aligned with the type of research this student enjoys reading and studying. Numbers and data on graphs and charts are not attractive; therefore, quantitative techniques were harder to follow.