By this week’s
seminar makes me have a new review of what is qualitative and what is case
study. Through the discussion I noticed that how to determine a method is
qualitative or quantitative is not depend on the numbers of participants in
that research, but decide by the type of data your collected. Qualitative
methods sometimes also need data supports for their findings in some specific
fields. For thus, you couldn’t say that a
research with a lot of data collecting is a quantitative method. As I think
a qualitative method needs more data if you want to further in-depth with your
study. The more details you want to dig, the more amount of data information
are required. A good qualitative method could not without a quantitative method
for data support.
The more thing
we discussed is the case study, what is case study and how can you determined
it is a case study in a research. A case
study could contains many research categories(quantitative, qualitative,
and others…), it aims to put forward
some new theories from new fields with the support of previously
researches, theories and findings from the results. I think the example from
llias that “a person suffering with a very
rare disease “ can express what is case study in an easier way. For example,
when the SARS just appeared, we do not have any knowing for that. The sick
person was isolated and be tested with different experiments, the researchers
observing the person’s symptoms and collecting data with different research
methods to analyze with the support with many existing theories in order to indicate
this case and find a way to cure the disease. This is a typical case study example
and determined a new field than before. Sometimes I don’t think a case study
must to point out some new theories, the most important aims is to find out new
stuffs from unknown research areas. One more point need to be attention that the bound of case study compare with
quantitative and qualitative method sometimes are fuzzy, it is easily lead
you into a wrong way to get a start. I noticed that I choose a wrong paper for
case study in pre post which is more likely a quantitative research rather than
a case study. But now after the seminar, I think I had more understanding for
that.
I think during
this week , my biggest achievement is gathering the knowledge of case study which
will play an important role for my future study. And I think make a review of
previous knowledge can always give your new feelings, I also learned more new
concepts of qualitative method than before.
The SARS epidemic is an interesting example of a case, seeing as it can serve as such in multiple ways. Of course, individual patients with individual instances of the disease can themselves be a case, but on a macro scale all of them could also be considered one - that is, the epidemic itself serving as a case for the studies into subject pandemics or crisis management. I suppose the background of the researchers or their respective fields of study can make a major difference in terms of the light shed on the case itself. Thanks for your post!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI quite like your reflection that you said "qualitative or quantitative is not depend on the numbers of participants in that research, but decide by the type of data your collected".It is true that you can take information form one participant by using either qualitative method or qualitative method.As for the case study, I think it is a guidance for us to take a research.
Thank you for your reflection