Quantitative and qualitative research methods

The aim of this course is to guide students for analyzing data using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Explaining qualitative research will enable students towards understanding interactions in a wider international or national level through employing open-ended responses, interviews, images, participant observations and reflections. Biases and special participant characteristics will be known to researchers. As regards final reports, they will include narrative reports with contextual descriptions and direct quotations from participants in the research procedure. This way, answers will be given on problems about which little prior knowledge exists. On the other hand, quantitative analysis is based on specific and well-defined research hypotheses expressed by the researchers. Its purpose is to identify concrete causes and impacts and make predictions by examining specific variables. Arithmetic data are employed and statistical analysis will take place in order to extract measurable and unbiased results. The analysis is based on deriving and comparing quantities, scales and trends. Thereby, testing of hypotheses will be conducted and comparison with previous findings will take place. Namely, apart from data collection, data analysis and report writing will follow. Moreover, students will familiarize with the highly-sophisticated quantitative meta-analysis research.