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European Journal of Education, Vol. 48, No. 2, 2013

Comparison of Quantitative and Qualitative

Research Traditions: epistemological, theoretical,
and methodological differences
Kaya Yilmaz

Introduction
Educational researchers in every discipline need to be cognisant of alternative
research traditions to make decisions about which method to use when embarking
on a research study. There are two major approaches to research that can be used
in the study of the social and the individual world. These are quantitative and
qualitative research. Although there are books on research methods that discuss the
differences between alternative approaches, it is rare to find an article that exam-
ines the design issues at the intersection of the quantitative and qualitative divide
based on eminent research literature. The purpose of this article is to explain the
major differences between the two research paradigms by comparing them in
terms of their epistemological, theoretical, and methodological underpinnings.
Since quantitative research has well-established strategies and methods but quali-
tative research is still growing and becoming more differentiated in methodological
approaches, greater consideration will be given to the latter.

Definition of the Terms

What is quantitative research? It can be defined as research that explains phenom-
ena according to numerical data which are analysed by means of mathematically-
based methods, especially statistics. From a broader perspective, it can be defined
as a type of empirical research into a social phenomenon or human problem,
testing a theory consisting of variables which are measured with numbers and
analysed with statistics in order to determine if the theory explains or predicts
phenomena of interest (Creswell, 1994; Gay & Airasian, 2000). What is qualitative
research? Although it is deemed ‘difficult to define’ because of its multifaceted
nature underpinned by different paradigms (Hitchcock & Hughes, 1995, p. 26), a
working definition has been provided by some researchers. Strauss and Corbin
(1998) offer this definition: ‘By the term “qualitative research” we mean any type
of research that produces findings not arrived at by statistical procedures or other
means of quantification’ (pp. 10–11). But this definition is simplistic since it
focuses on procedures and techniques used to collect and analyse data, ignoring
other aspects of research design. It also tends to define the term from a quantitative
perspective rather than focus on its characteristics. Gay and Airasian (2000, p. 627)
define qualitative research as ‘the collection of extensive data on many variables
over an extended period of time, in a naturalistic setting, in order to gain insights
not possible using other types of research’. But this definition also suffers from an
identical problem, since it uses a quantitative concept to define a qualitative term
(Qualitative research is based on the epistemological assumption that social phe-
nomena are so complex and interwoven that they cannot be reduced to isolated
variables, so it is not appropriate to use the term variable when defining qualitative

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research). Hence, qualitative research needs to be comprehensively defined to do

justice to its key characteristics. Drawing on the research literature (Creswell,
2007, p. 37; Denzin & Lincoln, 1998, 2005, p. 3; Miles & Huberman, 1994,
pp. 6–7; Patton, 2002, pp. 39–41), I define it as an emergent, inductive, interpretive
and naturalistic approach to the study of people, cases, phenomena, social situa-
tions and processes in their natural settings in order to reveal in descriptive terms
the meanings that people attach to their experiences of the world.
It should be noted that qualitative research is not based on a single method-
ology and does not belong to a single discipline (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005). It
‘draws on philosophical ideas in phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, herme-
neutics and other traditions to support the attention on “quality” rather than
“quantity”.’ (Brewer, 2003, p. 239). Therefore, the term is used as ‘an overarching
category, covering a wide range of approaches and methods found within different
research disciplines’ (Snape & Spencer, 2003, p. 3). There is a wide variety of
theoretical paradigms, methodologies, research strategies and methods in qualita-
tive research traditions, ranging from descriptive study, case study, field research,
ethnography, participant observation, biographical method, life history, oral
history, narrative inquiry to phenomenological research, ethno-methodology, sym-
bolic interactionist study, grounded theory and action research.

Differences between the Two Research Paradigms

When the characteristics of quantitative or qualitative research are discussed, the
four essential elements of the research process must be addressed. They are
epistemology, theoretical perspectives, methodology, and methods (Crotty, 1998).
Denzin and Lincoln (1998) suggested that four basic issues structure the design of
a research study: (a) Which paradigm or worldview will inform the study design?
(b) Who or what will be studied? (c) Which research strategies will be used? and (d)
Which research methods or tools will be used to collect and analyse data? This
article takes into account these components when explaining the differences
between quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
Quantitative and qualitative research designs differ in terms of their epistemo-
logical, theoretical and methodological underpinnings. Quantitative research is
informed by objectivist epistemology and thus seeks to develop explanatory univer-
sal laws in social behaviours by statistically measuring what it assumes to be a static
reality. It emphasises the measurement and analysis of causal relationships between
isolated variables within a framework which is value-free, logical, reductionistic, and
deterministic, based on a priori theories. A quantitative approach endorses the view
that psychological and social phenomena have an objective reality that is independ-
ent of the subjects being studied, i.e. the knower or the researcher and the known or
subjects are viewed as relatively separate and independent. Hence, reality should be
studied objectively by the researchers who should put a distance between themselves
and what is being studied. On the other hand, qualitative research is based on a
constructivist epistemology and explores what it assumes to be a socially con-
structed dynamic reality through a framework which is value-laden, flexible, descrip-
tive, holistic, and context sensitive; i.e. an in-depth description of the phenomenon
from the perspectives of the people involved. It tries to understand how social
experience is created and given meaning. From a qualitative perspective, reality or
knowledge are socially and psychologically constructed. The qualitative paradigm
views the relationship between the knower and the known as inextricably connected.

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Therefore, the researcher is supposed to develop a close, empathic relationship with

the subjects being studied (Bergman, 2008; Bryman, 1988; Cohen, Manion &
Marrison, 2007; Creswell, 2007; Denzin & Lincoln, 1998; Gelo, Braakmann &
Benetka, 2008; Patton, 2002).The epistemological, theoretical, and methodological
differences between quantitative and qualitative research designs, together with
their underlying assumptions, purposes, approaches and the researcher’s roles are
summarised in Table I.
Quantitative methods require the researcher to use a pre-constructed stand-
ardised instrument or pre-determined response categories into which the partici-
pants’ varying perspectives and experiences are expected to fit. They generally
demand randomly selected large representative samples in order for researchers to
generalise their findings from the sample, i.e. from where the logic and power of
probability sampling derive their purpose, generalisation. The major advantage
of this method is that it allows one to measure the responses of a number of
participants to a limited set of questions, thereby facilitating comparison and
statistical aggregation of the data. The results of closed-ended questionnaires help
the researchers to identify a general pattern of participants’ reactions to a treat-
ment or programme. Quantitative methods and procedures allow the researchers
to obtain a broad and generalisable set of findings and present them succinctly and
parsimoniously. But, because they require a deductive approach and predeter-
mined sets of standardised responses based on theory, they fail to provide insight
into the participants’ individual or personal experiences. They do not let the
respondents describe their feelings, thoughts, frames of reference, and experiences
with their own words. Quantitative researchers are supposed to play a neutral role
in the research process. Hence, the meaning participants ascribe to the phenom-
enon studied is largely ignored in quantitative studies (Patton, 2002).
Unlike quantitative studies which are concerned with outcomes, generalisation,
prediction, and cause-effect relationships through deductive reasoning, qualitative
studies are concerned with process, context, interpretation, meaning or under-
standing through inductive reasoning. The aim is to describe and understand the
phenomenon studied by capturing and communicating participants’ experiences
in their own words via observation and interview. What is emphasised is the
examination of the context that influences people’s actions or interactions and the
meaning that people ascribe to their experiences. People can elucidate how they
make sense of the world around them and their experiences through interviews
with open-ended questions. That is why qualitative research requires an in-depth
study of people’s lives or the issues in their natural settings without resorting to
standardised, pre-determined categories of analysis. Open-ended responses let the
researcher understand and present the world as it is seen and experienced by the
participants without predetermining those standpoints. Direct quotations docu-
ment the participants’ depth of feelings, experiences, thoughts about what is
happening, and meaning at a personal level. Hence, qualitative findings are far
longer, more detailed and variable in content than quantitative ones. Purposeful
sampling plays a key role. Irrespective of the kind of unit of analysis, the main aim
of purposeful sampling in qualitative research is to select and study a small number
of people or unique cases whose study produces a wealth of detailed information
and an in-depth understanding of the people, programmes, cases, and situations
studied. But, this sampling procedure limits the possibility of generalising research
findings to other settings or situations, i.e. it does not provide parsimonious

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TABLE I. Comparison of Quantitative (Positivist) and Qualitative (Naturalist) Modes of Inquiry
Quantitative Mode Qualitative mode

Assumptions Assumptions
• Reality is single, tangible, and fragmentable. Social facts have an objective • Realities are multiple, constructed, and holistic. Reality is socially
reality. constructed.
• Knower and known are independent, a dualism. • Knower and known are interactive, inseparable.
• Primacy of method • Primacy of subject matter
• Variables can be identified and relationships measured • Variables are complex, interwoven, and difficult to measure.
• Inquiry is objective, value-free. • Inquiry is subjective, value-bound.
Purposes Purposes
• Generalisability (Time and context free generalisations through • Contextualisation (Only time and context bound working hypotheses
nomothetic or generalised statements) through idiographic statements)
• Prediction • Interpretation
• Causal explanations • Understanding actors’ perspectives
Approach Approach
• Begins with hypotheses and theories • Ends with hypotheses or grounded theory
• Manipulation and control • Emergence and portrayal
• Uses formal, structured instruments • Researcher as the instrument
• Experimentation and intervention • Naturalistic or nonintervention
• Deductive • Inductive
• Component analysis • Searches for patterns
• Seeks consensus, the norm • Seeks pluralism, complexity
• Reduces data to numerical indices • Makes minor use of numerical indices
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• Abstract language in write-up • Descriptive write-up

Researcher Role Researcher Role
• Detachment and impartiality • Personal involvement and partiality
• Objective portrayal • Empathic understanding
• Etic (outsider’s point of view) • Emic (insider’s point of view)

Source: Adapted from Glesne & Peshkin (1992); Lincoln & Guba (1985).
 Kaya Yilmaz 315

information about the research topic studied (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998; Patton,
2002; Wolcott, 1994).
Methods of data collection and analysis are also different in the two
approaches. Quantitative research uses questionnaires, surveys and systematic
measurements involving numbers. Quantitative researchers use mathematical
models and statistics to analyse the data and report their findings in impersonal,
third-person prose by using numbers. In contrast, qualitative research uses par-
ticipants’ observation, in-depth interviews, document analysis, and focus groups.
The data are usually in textual, sometimes graphical or pictorial form. Qualitative
researchers disseminate their findings in a first-person narrative with a combina-
tion of etic (outsider or the researcher’s) and emic (insider or the participants’)
perspectives (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998; Miles & Huberman 1994). Since qualita-
tive findings are highly context and case dependent, researchers are expected to
keep findings in context and report any personal and professional information that
may have an impact on data collection, analysis, and interpretations. Bracketing
their points of view and biases, the researchers must avoid making any judgement
about whether the situation in which they are involved and participants are
engaged is good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate. In addition, researchers
should make their orientation, predispositions, and biases explicit. Lastly, qualita-
tive research reports must provide the reader with sufficient quotations from
participants (Patton, 2002).
There are some situations or questions that qualitative research methods illus-
trate better than quantitative ones or vice versa. For instance, qualitative methods
are especially effective to study a highly individualised programme in which learn-
ers who have different abilities, needs, goals, and interests proceed at their own
pace. In this case, quantitative methods can provide parsimonious statistical data
through mean achievement scores and hours of instruction. But, in order to
understand the meaning of the programme for individual participants, their points
of view and experiences should be illustrated with their own words via such
qualitative methods and techniques as case studies and interviews which provide
the detailed, descriptive data needed to deepen our understanding of individual
variation. On the other hand, some situations require quantitative research design
to be effectively addressed. For example, quantitative methods are more helpful
when conducting research on a broader scale or studying a large number of people,
cases, and situations since they are cost-effective and statistical data can provide a
succinct and parsimonious summary of major patterns (Patton, 2002).

More Elaboration on Qualitative Research

The quantitative research paradigm has been practised for a long time, so its
defining characteristics are well known. But that is not the case for qualitative
research design. Hence, more elaboration is needed to illustrate its distinctive
features. The post-positivist, post-structural, constructionist, and critical para-
digms lay the bases for the ontological, epistemological, and methodological underpin-
nings of qualitative research design. The qualitative inquiry is identified with a
relativist ontology (the notion of multiple realities is accepted), a subjectivist
epistemology (the idea that understandings are created through interaction
between the knower and the unknown or subject), and a naturalistic (subjects are
studied in their natural settings) set of methodological procedures (Denzin &
Lincoln, 1998, p. 27). Creswell (2007) adds two more philosophical assumptions

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to qualitative research.These are axiological (the idea that no research endeavour is

value-free in that researchers brings their values to what is researched) and rhe-
torical (the language of research is subjective in the form of first person account)
assumptions (p. 17). Philosophical assumptions of qualitative research are given in
Table II.

TABLE II. Basic Set of Beliefs or Philosophical Assumptions about

Characteristics of Qualitative Research
Assumptions Questions Characteristics Implications for Practice
(Examples)

Ontological What is the Reality is subjective and Researcher uses quotes and
nature of multiple, as seen by themes in words of
reality? participants in the study participants and provides
evidence of different
perspectives
Epistemological What is the Researcher attempts to lessen Researcher collaborates,
relationship distance between himself or spends time in field with
between the herself and that being participants, and becomes
researcher researched an ‘insider’
and that
being
researched?
Axiological What is the role Researcher acknowledges that Researcher openly discusses
of values? research is value laden and values that shape the
that biases are present narrative and includes his
or her own interpretation
in conjunction with the
interpretations of
participants
Rhetorical What is the Researcher writes in a Researcher uses an engaging
language of literary, informal style using style of narrative, may use
research? the personal voice and uses first-person pronoun, and
qualitative terms and employs the language of
limited definitions qualitative research
Methodological What is the Researcher uses inductive Researcher works with
process of logic, studies the topic particulars (details) before
research? within its context, and uses generalisations, describes
an emerging design in detail the context of the
study, and continually
revises questions from
experiences in the field

Source: Adapted from Creswell (2007).

Even though the qualitative research tradition is coloured by diversity of different

and sometimes conflicting philosophical assumptions, theoretical lens, and prac-
tical considerations, the essence of its design as commonly agreed by researchers
can be summarised as follows:
• Qualitative research design assumes that knowledge is not independent of the
knower, but socially constructed and that reality is neither static nor fixed. Since
there are multiple realities that different cultural groups construct on the basis
of their world views or value systems, there are multiple interpretations or
perspectives on any event or situation. So, understanding the phenomenon

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under investigation from the perspectives of the participants involved is

essential.
• It is holistic, flexible or emergent. It looks at the larger picture or process,
searching for an understanding of the whole over time.
• It seeks answers to ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions in terms of quality rather
than quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency.
• It postulates that events, cases, processes, situations, individuals and their
behaviours are unique, context-dependent and largely non-generalisable.
Hence, what is needed is not reductionism but ‘thick description’ of purpose-
fully selected small samples or cases.
• It stipulates that people are intentional and creative in their actions, actively
construct their social world, and make meanings in and through their activities.
People interpret events, contexts and situations, and act on the basis of those
events.
• It looks at relationships within a system or culture or face-to-face interactions
among people in a given social setting. It emphasises the importance of under-
standing a given social setting rather than making predictions about that setting.
• It assumes that events, processes, situations and behaviours change over time
and are affected by context.
• It requires researchers to stay in the setting over a substantial period and urges
them to develop a model of what occurred in the social setting.
• It requires the researcher to become the research instrument. Hence, the
researcher must be able to observe behaviour and interview people face-to-
face. The researcher should establish close contact with the research partici-
pants when collecting data which need to be detailed, rich, complex, and
extensive.
• It demands time in analysis that is equal to the time in the field, calling for
ongoing analyses of the data. The bottom-up approach to data analysis with
open coding strategies should be practised to allow themes and patterns to
emerge from data.
• It involves informed consent decisions and is responsive to ethical concerns.
• It incorporates room for description of the role of the researcher as well as
description of the researcher’s own biases and ideological preference (Cohen,
Manion, & Marrison, 2007, p. 21; Creswell, 2009, pp. 175–176, 195; Denzin &
Lincoln, 1998, p. 42; Snape & Spencer, 2003, p. 5).

Issues Related to Criteria for Evaluating Research: Reliability and

Validity
Because quantitative and qualitative researchers differ in terms of their approach to
defining the concepts of reliability and validity (or determining the criteria for
evaluating the quality of a research study), the definition and meaning of these
terms for both research designs are explained in separate sections.

Reliability and Validity in Quantitative Research

Reliability means consistency or the degree to which a research instrument meas-
ures a given variable consistently every time it is used under the same condition
with the same subjects. It is important to note that reliability applies to data not to
measurement instruments. From different perspectives or approaches, researchers
can evaluate the extent to which their instruments provide reliable data. Types of

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reliability can be briefly explained as follows (Huck, 2000; Keppel, 1991;Trochim,

2005):
Test-retest reliability refers to the extent that the same test administered by the
researcher to a single group of subjects on two different occasions gives highly
positively correlated results. Two sets of scores from the same test should be
correlated for the researcher to claim they are consistent (i.e. assessment of the
stability of the instrument over time). Parallel forms reliability demonstrates
whether two forms of the same instrument administered to the same group of
people to measure the same characteristic such as intelligence give highly posi-
tively correlated results. The researcher examines whether there is a consistency
between the scores obtained for any examinee across the two settings (i.e. the
degree of equivalence across forms). Internal consistency reliability indicates
whether measuring instruments possess internal consistency or the results of the
instrument administered to a group of people on one occasion correlate very
positively. There should be consistency across the parts of a measuring instru-
ment or subsets of questions. To judge that the full instrument possesses high
internal consistency reliability, the researcher determines the extent to which
parts of a test hang together and measure the same thing. Inter-rater (Inter-
observer) reliability refers to the process whereby the researcher gathers data by
asking raters to evaluate a set of objects, pictures etc., and then quantifies the
degree of consistency among the raters. To that end, the researcher computes an
index of interrater reliability.
Validity refers to the accuracy of research data. A researcher’s data can be said
to be valid if the results of the study measurement process are accurate. That is, a
measurement instrument is valid to the degree that it measures what it is supposed
to measure. There are different types of validity. Internal validity refers to whether
there is a causal relationship between the treatment and the outcome. External
validity reflects the degree to which one can generalise research results or the
effects of the treatment beyond the present conditions of testing; that is, other
settings, programmes, persons, places, times, cases, or approaches. Construct valid-
ity refers to the degree to which conclusions can be made from the operationali-
sations of a study to the theoretical constructs on which operationalisations are
based. In other words, the treatment or the programme should reflect the construct
on which they are based. For instance, if the study examined the effects of
simulation or role playing on students’ ability to empaphise with historical agents,
the treatment (simulation) should accurately reflect the construct of simulation,
and the measured outcome (historical outcome) should reflect the construct of
historical empathy. Conclusion validity indicates whether there is a relationship
between the independent variable and the dependent variable or outcome (Huck,
2000; Keppel, 1991).

Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research

Rather than using quantitative researchers’ jargons, qualitative researchers prefer
to use their own terms to communicate what is meant by reliability, validity, and
objectivity in quantitative language. Some researchers have even argued that deter-
mining the quality of qualitative studies via quantitative concepts or measures such
as reliability and validity is not only irrelevant but also misleading (Creswell, 2009,
p. 190; Davies & Dodd, 2002, p. 280; Steinke, 2004, p. 186; Stenbacka, 2001,
p. 551). Since qualitative research is focused on meaning and interpretation in

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cases which are unique and context-bound, ‘traditional thinking about generaliz-
ability falls short . . . and reliability in the traditional sense of replicability is
pointless’ (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998, p. 51). It is believed that because ontological,
epistemological, and theoretical assumptions of qualitative research are so funda-
mentally different from those of quantitative research, it should be judged on its
own terms. Hence, it is proposed that rather than the concepts of validity and
reliability, an alternative set of criteria based on qualitative concepts need to be
used to judge the trustworthiness of a qualitative research which needs its own
criteria for evaluation (Gibbs, 2007; Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Wolcott, 1994).
The concept of validity in quantitative study corresponds to the concept of
credibility, trustworthiness, and authenticity in qualitative study which means that the
study findings are accurate or true not only from the standpoint of the researcher
but also from that of the participants and the readers of the study (Creswell &
Miller, 2000). The concept of reliability in quantitative study is comparable, but
not identical, with the concept of dependability and auditability in qualitative study,
which means that the process of the study is consistent over time and across
different researchers and different methods or projects (Gibbs, 2007; Miles &
Huberman, 1994). To judge the quality or (a) credibility and (b) dependability of
a qualitative study, the following questions compiled from various studies can be
asked (Miles & Huberman, 1994, pp. 278–279):
Credibility (instead of validity) questions:
• How context-rich and detailed are the basic descriptions?
• Does the account ‘ring true’, make sense, seem convincing or plausible, enable
a ‘vicarious presence’ for the reader?
• Is the account rendered comprehensive, respecting the configuration and tem-
poral arrangement of elements in the local context?
• Did triangulation among complementary methods and data sources generally
lead to converging conclusions? If not, is there a coherent explanation for this?
• Are the presented data linked to the categories of prior or emergent theory if
used?
• Are the findings internally coherent and concepts systematically related?
• Were guiding principles used for confirmation of propositions made explicit?
• Are areas of uncertainty identified?
• Was negative case or evidence sought for? Found? What happened then?
• Have rival explanations been actively considered? What happened to them?
• Were the conclusions considered to be accurate by the participants involved in
the study? If not, is there a coherent explanation for this?
Dependability (instead of reliability) questions:
• Are research questions clearly defined and the features of the study design
congruent with them?
• Are basic paradigms and analytic constructs clearly specified?
• Are the researcher’s role and status within the site explicitly described?
• If multiple field-researchers are involved, do they have comparable data collec-
tion protocols?
• Do multiple observers’ accounts converge, in instances, settings, or times when
they might be expected to?
• Were data connected across the full range of appropriate settings, times,
respondents suggested by the research questions?

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• Were coding checks made and did they show adequate agreements?
• Were data quality checks for bias, deceit, informant knowledgeability etc.
made?
• Do findings show meaningful parallelism across data sources (informants,
contexts, and times)?
• Were any forms of peer or colleague review employed?
Lincoln and Guba are commonly acknowledged to have made a great contribution
to the criteria debate in qualitative research by developing parallel criteria to the
concepts of validity and reliability (Spencer et al., 2003). Their alternative criteria
are constantly cited in the research literature and still considered to be the yard-
stick or the ‘gold standard’ (Spencer et al., 2003; Whittemore, Chase & Mandle,
2001).To assess the rigour of qualitative research, Lincoln and Guba (1985) resort
to the concepts of credibility, transferability, dependabilty, and confirmability to
express the quantitative concepts of internal validity, external validity (generalis-
ability), reliability, and objectivity respectively. Credibility means that the partici-
pants involved in the study find the results of the study true or credible.
Transferability is achieved if the findings of a qualitative study are transferable to
other similar settings.Thick description of the setting, context, people, actions, and
events studied is needed to ensure transferability or external validity in quantitative
terms. The study has dependability (reliability) if the process of selecting, justifying
and applying research strategies, procedures and methods is clearly explained and
its effectiveness evaluated by the researcher and confirmed by an auditor, which is
called ‘audit trail’. The study enjoys confirmability when its findings are based on
the analysis of the collected data and examined via an auditing process, i.e. the
auditor confirms that the study findings are grounded in the data and inferences
based on the data are logical and have clarity, high utility or explanatory power
(Table III).

TABLE III. Criteria for Judging the Quality of a Research Study: Quantitative
vs. Qualitative Terms
Aspect Quantitative terms Qualitative terms

Truth value Internal validity Credibility

Applicability External validity or generalizability Transferability
Consistency Reliability Dependability
Neutrality Objectivity Confirmability

Source: Adapted from Lincoln and Guba (1985).

Incorporated to these concepts by Guba and Lincoln (1989) in their discussion of

the issues related to validity and reliability are fairness (the various perspectives of
all participants should be given equal consideration), educative authenticity (the
study enables the participants to educate themselves by raising their conscious-
ness), catalytic authenticity (the study encourages activity and decision making),
and empowerment (the study promotes the participants’ ability to make choices
about their professional activity).
In short, terms such as credibility, trustworthiness, authenticity, neutrality
or confirmability, dependability, applicability or transferability and the like are
those that qualitative researchers use most in their discussion of the concepts of

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reliability and validity1. Patton (2002) argues that judging ‘quality’ constitutes the
foundation for perceptions of credibility. Issues related to quality and credibility
correspond to the audience and intended inquiry purposes. Therefore, the criteria
for judging quality and credibility depend on the philosophical underpinnings,
theoretical orientations, and purposes of a particular qualitative research. Taking
this crucial point into account, Patton (2002, pp. 542–544) suggests alternative
sets of five criteria for judging the quality or credibility of a qualitative inquiry: (1)
traditional scientific research criteria, (2) social construction and constructivist
criteria, (3) artistic and evocative criteria, (4) critical change criteria, and (5)
evaluation standards and principles (Table IV).
The credibility of a qualitative study is affected by the extent to which system-
atic data collection procedures, multiple data sources, triangulation, thick and rich
description, external reviews or member checking, external audits, and other
techniques for producing trustworthy data are used. According to Patton (2002),
three distinct but related inquiry elements determine the credibility of a qualitative
research:
(1) rigourous methods to do fieldwork that yield high-quality data that
are systematically analysed with attention to issues of credibility; (2) the
credibility of the researcher, which is dependent on training, experience,
track, record, status, representation of self; and (3) philosophical beliefs in the
value of qualitative inquiry, i.e. an appreciation of naturalistic inquiry, quali-
tative methods, inductive analysis, purposeful sampling, and holistic thinking
(pp. 552–553).
For a qualitative study to be credible and trustworthy, the data must first and
foremost be sufficiently descriptive and include a great deal of pure description of
people, activities, interactions, and settings so that the reader or reviewer can
understand what occurred and how it occurred. The basic criterion to judge the
credibility of data is the extent to which they allow the reader to enter the situation
or setting under study. In other words, rich and detailed or thick description of the
setting and participants is a must.The researcher must provide an accurate picture
of the empirical social world as it exits to those under investigation, rather than as
he or she imagines it to be. The descriptions must be factual, accurate, detailed
but without being overburdened with irrelevant information or trivia. In addition,
researchers should overtly reveal the biases they bring to the study and discuss
how their background such as gender, ethnicity, disciplinary orientation and ideo-
logical viewpoint affected the interpretation of the findings. Since the nature of
qualitative inquiry is fundamentally people-oriented, qualitative researchers must
get close enough to the people and situation being studied in order to capture
what actually takes place and what people actually say; i.e. develop an in-depth
understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. To that end, they should
spend prolonged time in the setting with the participants without dismissing the
negative or discrepant cases observed in the setting. Member checking (the partici-
pants check and evaluate the final research report to determine if its descriptions
and themes accurately reflect their viewpoints), peer debriefing (involving another
researcher in reviewing the study report to see if it fits or resonates with the
experience of both the participants and the audience rather than the researcher),
and external auditor (an independent researcher who, unlike the peer debriefer, is
not familiar with the researcher, reviews the study project to evaluate its accuracy)

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TABLE IV. Criteria for Judging the Quality and Credibility of Qualitative
Inquiry
Traditional Scientific Research Criteria
䊏 Objectivity of the inquirer [attempts to minimise bias]
䊏 Validity of the data
䊏 Systematic rigour of fieldwork procedures
䊏 Triangulation [consistency of findings across methods and data sources]
䊏 Reliability of coding and pattern analysis
䊏 Correspondence of findings to reality
䊏 Generalisability [external validity]
䊏 Strength of evidence supporting causal hypothesis
䊏 Contributions to theory
Construction and Constructivist Criteria
䊏 Subjectivity acknowledged [discusses and takes into account biases]
䊏 Trustworthiness and authenticity
䊏 Triangulation [capturing and respecting multiple perspectives]
䊏 Reflexivity and praxis
䊏 Particularity [doing justice to the integrity of unique cases]
䊏 Enhanced and deepened understanding [Verstehen]
䊏 Contributions to dialogue
Artistic and Evocative Criteria
䊏 Opens the world to us in some way
䊏 Creativity
䊏 Aesthetic quality
䊏 Interpretive vitality
䊏 Flows from self; embedded in lived experience
䊏 Stimulating
䊏 Provocative
䊏 Connects and moves the audience
䊏 Voice distinct and expressive
䊏 Feels true, authentic or real
Critical Change Criteria
䊏 Critical perspective: Increases consciousness about injustice
䊏 Identifies nature and sources of inequalities and injustice
䊏 Represents the perspective of the less powerful
䊏 Makes visible the ways in which those with more power exercise and benefit from this power
䊏 Engages those with less power respectfully and collaboratively
䊏 Builds the capacity of those involved to take action
䊏 Identifies change-making strategies
䊏 Clear historical and values context
Evaluation Standards and Principles
䊏 Utility
䊏 Feasibility
䊏 Propriety
䊏 Accuracy [balance]
䊏 Systematic inquiry
䊏 Evaluator competence
䊏 Integrity/honesty
䊏 Respect for people [fairness]
䊏 Responsibility to the general public welfare [taking into account diversity of interests and
values]

Source: Adapted from Patton (2002).

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 Kaya Yilmaz 323

should be employed as verification strategies to ensure the accuracy of the

account. Because only one research method is unlikely to adequately address the
problem of rival explanations, employing multiple data collection methods to
study the same setting, issue, or programme increases the credibility of the find-
ings by eliminating or reducing errors linked to a particular method. Thus, trian-
gulation or combination of interviewing, observation, and document analysis
contributes to a rigorous qualitative research study. Five types of triangulation
enhance verification of qualitative analysis, adding depth and breadth to under-
standing of the issue under investigation.These are methods triangulation, sources
triangulation, analyst triangulation, theory/perspective triangulation, and meth-
odological triangulation, all of which together enable the researcher to gain a
broader and deeper understanding of the research issue (Creswell, 2009; Denzin
& Lincoln, 1994; Patton, 2002).
Corbin and Strauss (2008) identify certain research situations and conditions
that affect the quality of a qualitative study. These are methodological consistency,
methodological awareness, clarity about the purpose of the study, having training
in qualitative research tradition, self-awareness about one’s biases and assump-
tions, creativity and openness to new ideas, sensitivity for the research including
the research data and the participants, and a willingness to do research for its own
sake and to work hard (pp. 302–304).

Conclusion
Educational researchers, especially graduate students, need to acquaint them-
selves with different research approaches. Quantitative and qualitative research
approaches represent the two ends of the research continuum. They differ in
terms of their epistemological assumptions, theoretical frameworks, methodo-
logical procedures and research methods. Whereas the former is based on posi-
tivism or objective epistemology, relies on quantitative measures for collecting
and analysing data, and aims to make predictions and generalisations, the latter
is based on constructivism, draws on naturalistic methods for data collection and
analysis, and aims to provide an in-depth understanding of people’s experiences
and the meanings attached to them. Having been viewed not only as competitive
but also incompatible research paradigms for some decades, they are now con-
sidered as alternative strategies for research. Both approaches have their
own strengths and weaknesses in their design and application. Which approach
should be used when planning a research depends on several factors such as
the type of questions asked, the researcher’s training or experinces, and the
audience.
Kaya Yilmaz, Marmara University, Ataturk Faculty of Education, Department of
Elementary Education, Kadikoy, Istanbul, Turkey, [email protected]

NOTE
1. However, the term validity is used by some researchers in relation to qualita-
tive research. Schwandt (1997) defines validity as the extent to which the
qualitative account accurately represents the research participants’ views of
social phenomena and is credible to them. Likewise, reliability is defined as
the extent to which the qualitative study provides an ‘understanding’ of a
situation, setting, case, programme, or event that otherwise would be confusing

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324 European Journal of Education, Part II

and enigmatic (Eisner, 1991, p. 58). Lincoln and Guba (1985) use the concept
of dependability to refer to reliability in quantitative studies (p. 300).

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