Q-sort, or Q-method, is a form of qualitative research in which researchers have participants organize prepared statements according to instructions provided by the researcher and then analyze patterns in the resulting arrangements.
Citation: Trautmann, J., Ho, G. W. K., & Gross, D. (2018). Parenting needs among mothers of young children during military deployment. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 54(4), 392-402. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12395 Shinebourne, P. (2009). Using Q method in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(1), 93-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800109
Qualitative studies involve researchers' collection of information on the participants and then categorization of those results into themes to present researchers with a better understanding of the participants' conceptions of their social worlds. Types of qualitative research include narrative analysis, focus groups, oral history, and participant observation
Citation: Maruyama, G. and Ryan, C. S. (2014) Research Methods in Social Relations. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Category: Methodology
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Quantitative studies involve the use of theory to test particular variables through a statistical approach. Researchers create hypotheses, themes, and categories to categorize participants' responses and make conclusions about the relationships between variables based on those responses.
Citation: Oliver, P. (2010). Understanding the research process. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446279373
Questionnaires are the most commonly used mode of data collection, through which researchers gather information from a sample by having participants answer a series of questions related to the researchers' topic of interest.
Citation: Maruyama, G. and Ryan, C. S. (2014) Research Methods in Social Relations. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.