Question

Of the two, qualitative and quantitative, which would you consider to be

                 descriptive and which would be exploratory?

Answer 1

Qualitative research is considered to be exploratory in nature. It is used to gain an in- depth understanding of the research or the situation. It is used when we have to define a problem, when we don’t know what to expect and to develop an approach to the problem. Consequently it generates hypotheses for further quantitative research. It is investigating in nature. Data collection in qualitative study is collected through: in- depth interview, bulletin boards, triads, focus groups, uninterrupted observations, etc.

Quantitative research is considered to be descriptive in nature. The main purpose of quantitative data is to quantify the data. It leads to generalization of results from the sample that can be applied to the population from where it is extracted. This cannot be done in qualitative research. We can say that it is conclusive in nature because it tries to achieve a solution or answer to the problem. The data is collected through: audits, online and offline surveys, points of purchase and click stream.