METHODS OF EVALUATING EVIDENCE

 Evaluating evidence requires an in-depth study and research. The two main types of evaluating evidence are qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative evaluation is the type of research that seeks to find out how people feel about a situation. Quantitative analysis uses numerical measurements to help in predicting outcome (Benard, 2012). Both methods require participants. Raw data is essential, and it is taken in the form of survey participants. Qualitative evaluation requires people to participate, while quantitative assessment can use data from other sources. Both are used to measure the data to obtain results.

There are several differences between these two methods. Quantitative research is particularistic and uses elements like words and pictures to analyze, while qualitative research is holistic in nature and uses numerical data. Qualitative research is exploratory and follows a subjective approach, while the quantitative is conclusive and objective.  The reasoning used in qualitative is inductive, while that of quantitative is deductive. Qualitative research involves sampling a portion of the target to get a clear understanding, while quantitative analysis uses random sampling.

Quantitative research is done in a controlled environment, where one is in a position to study the interaction between the dependant and independent variables. The data collected can be analyzed and interpreted easily.it is reliable as its measures have been tested and validated. It is disadvantageous because it requires studying a large sample size. Qualitative approaches provide the researcher with a lot of data that can be analyzed in many ways; data is not limited; hence, it can challenge the researchers and also increase their knowledge in the field. It allows participants to express themselves well. It has a few drawbacks because it does not give straight answers. One’s point of view does not mean it is a fact that can be proven. A researcher’s interpretation of qualitative data is subjective.

References

Benard, R. H. (2012). Social Reserach Methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Sage.