Research Methods Explained: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Approaches

Credible and impactful studies can only be so if they are designed in the proper ways. Whether it's for a class project, a research study, a publication, or study design, selection of appropriate research methods is critical. The research methods guide the data collection and analysis from which results and conclusions are drawn. Understanding the different types of research methods can strengthen your skills and confidence to take on complex questions.

What Are Research Methods?

Research methods make up the structured approach that allow for investigating and answering questions. The methods used will determine how data is gathered, analyzed, and interpreted in support of answering the question. Research methods can be divided into three broad categories: 

1. Qualitative methods which are used to understand experiences, behaviors, or perspectives

2. Quantitative methods use measurements and numerical data to identify patterns

3. Mixed methods combine qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a more detailed investigative approach. 

To see how these methods might be applied, imagine you work in a hospital and want to explore the patients' experience during their hospital visit. How would conduct this investigation? Would you perform patient interviews to learn about their experiences in a qualitative way? Or would you survey a set number of patients with numerical satisfaction scores in a quantitative way? Is there any benefit to combining both methods in a mixed method approach to provide clearer insights?

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is often exploratory, descriptive, and does not use numerical data. Instead, it focuses on understanding a subject’s perspective and how that might explain observed phenomena. This type of research typically employs but is not limited to interviews, focus groups, observations, and case studies. 

This research approach can provide context and depth which remaining flexible and adaptable. It also is an approach that can capture complex human experiences. As there is a time investment this research approach does limit sample sizes. I also can lead to subjective interpretations and may make findings harder to generalize. 

Referring back to our patient experience example, we can use one on one interviews to learn about patient experiences. This can help uncover nuanced barriers, emotions, cultural considerations, or other aspects that number alone may not reveal. 

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is objective as it relies on numerical data such as measurements or variables. Through the application of statistics, significant patterns can be identified in the numerical data to explain phenomena. This type of research typically involves surveys, experiments, and observational studies. 

This type of research provides objective data that can be measured. As it is numerical in nature it allows for the application of statistics for better analysis and generalization. This type of approach can also support much larger subject populations or sample sizes. As it is data focused, this approach is limited and may miss context or depth. It is a less flexible approach as well and can feel impersonal. 

Referring back to our patient experience study, using quantitative methods and appropriate processes a survey distributed to 500 patients is possible. This would provide robust data that allows for trends to be identified using statistics.

Mixed Methods Research

Mixed research methods are exactly what they sound like, a mix of both qualitative and quantitative approaches applied to an investigation. By combining these two methods it can help provide a deeper understanding of a research question.

This type of research approach can help to understand more complex questions deeper by incorporating not just numerical information but by also including multiple perspectives. This does not mean this type of approach should be applied to all studies, but should be used when there is context necessary to help understand the significance of the measurements. 

Mixed methods research helps provide a balance to depth and generalization in a study. It also helps to validate findings across multiple data types. It is limited by the amount of time it takes to complete the quantitative and qualitative portions of the research. It also requires the most detailed planning and analysis to ensure results and conclusions are appropriate. This is typically the toughest type of research  for beginners. 

Using mixed research methods in our patient experience example we could survey a set population of patients to retrieve quantitative data. Based on that data, interviews can be performed to collect qualitative data to understand motivations for the responses that were received. This can provide a much richer understanding.

How to Choose the Right Method

Choosing the right research method is an important part of the investigation process. Choosing the correct method can depend on the question you are trying to answer, the resources you have available, the target subject audience, and the timeline for the study. We are sharing a general matrix to help you get started to choose your research methods

Method	Best for	Pros	Cons
Qualitative	Understanding experiences	Depth, context	Small sample, subjective
Quantitative	Measuring patterns	Objectivity, generalizability	Can miss nuance
Mixed	Complex questions	Comprehensive insights	Time-intensive, complex

We’d love to hear from you! Share your experiences with different research methods in the comments below or reach out to our team for personalized guidance.