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Differences between Qualitative Designs and Quantitative Methods (Relating Them to
Women Coping with Academic Pressure)
For my research focusing on how young women cope with academic pressure, I will use qualitative
methods
...

Nature of Data:
Qualitative
In qualitative research, data is anything but
numerical, it is anything in the form of words,
descriptions as well as observations
...
This may involve their or someone
they know their experience with the challenges
of balancing family care giving responsibilities
or other emotions that foster coping
mechanisms,
...


Quantitative
In contrast, the quantitative data is measured
numerically and allows the use of statistics in
the conduct of analysis
...
It would allow me
to quantify the data that I could then use to
consider how women, for instance, prefer
exercise to social support
...


This kind of data lets me analyse feelings and
attitudes of young women to the coping
strategies they employ – this is important in
capturing the realities

Research Purpose:
Qualitative
Qualitative research is undertaken with the
intention of investigating and identifying
significance of the actions and occurrences
...
During
interviews or focus groups I always can find
several issues, like need of emotional support
or schedule organization
...


Quantitative
Quantitative research is administered to
investigators to forma conjecture/working
hypothesis and alert/research significant
fluids/variables
...
It can be useful for finding patterns
but it does not give any information on why
some strategies are effective or preferred which
is what I aim to discover in the study
...


Data Collection Approach:
qualitative
Quantitative data collection in contrast is highly
structured and rigid
...

They can state their overall experience and
coping strategies at leisure and this enriched the
insights that I gathered from them
...


quantitative
Quantitative
research
employs
fixed
questionnaire or experiments in which the
respondent can only make a selection from a
number of options
...
For
instance, if I had prevented a survey wherein
participants tick check-boxes on the coping
mechanisms most important to them, I would
not capture the practice of journaling as a coping
mechanism, although the option was not among
check-boxes offered
...
When interviewing
participants, if a participant has identified a
coping strategy that I have not predicted, such as
arts or specific cultural practice, additional
questions can be asked
...


Quantitative
In contrast, quantitative research is relatively
rigid in its design
...
Since
using the quantitative method, it would be hard
to come across new ideas or new strategies that
appear during the research, which significantly
reduces the ability to capture all the coping
methods used by youthful women
...
In my study this means
that I will be in a position to give elaborate
account on how students especially the female
sex manage the pressure that comes with
academic pursuits, as well as the emotion, social

Quantitative
Conversely, quantitative research is tended be
more scientific in its approach and generates
hypothesis results which can be tested in larger
populations
...
This gives useful information, but it

and cultural aspects that define the coping does not reveal why these choices were
mechanisms that these ladies may adopt in the meaningful or important to people, an aspect
process
...

get a clue that they are turning to their peers for
support and for other women I might get clues
such as mindfulness or time management
...


Main Stages in the Qualitative Research Process
Identifying the Research Question:
Clearly define the research question
...

Literature Review:
Conduct a literature review to explore theoretical models and prior research on academic pressure and coping strategies
for women
...

Selecting the Research Method :
Choose appropriate qualitative data collection methods, such as semi-structured interviews or focus groups, to gain indepth insights
...

Sampling and Recruitment :
Decide on a sampling method, likely purposive sampling, to obtain diverse perspectives on academic pressure among
young women
...

Data Collection :
Conduct interviews or focus groups, formulating questions that encourage participants to detail their coping strategies
...


Data Transcription :
Transcribe the recorded interviews or focus group discussions, accurately documenting participants’ responses for later
analysis
...

Interpretation of Findings:
Interpret the identified themes in relation to the research question and existing literature, enhancing understanding of
young women’s coping strategies and influencing factors
...
Highlight implications for
academic institutions and support services for young women facing academic pressure
...


3
...
This format gives the young women the opportunity of telling
personal experiences one on one
...
It also enables the elaboration of microlens through which specific experiences
can be analyzed
...

Focus Groups
Description:
Five young women from a college background talk about stress in school and how they handle it
...

Strengths:
Cohort data collection in which several participants are processed simultaneously
...

Weaknesses:
This element may cause conforming in responses; in general, powerful individuals may bring their
influence onto others, which affects information getting and distorting
...

Strengths:
records actual behaviour in context, might uncover some coping strategies which are not voiced
...


4
...
Three appropriate data-analytic techniques to employ in this study are presented
below, accompanied by their strengths and weaknesses
...
In this study, it would
deal with how young women deal with intensity of academics pressure that they go through as they
seek help, or do something for their health
...

Systematic: Supplies framework that aids in finding generalizing tendencies of coping mechanisms
...

Time-consuming: The use of manual coding is time consuming
...

Advantages:
Structured and quantifiable: In a way, the qualitative data gets translated into tangible ones with the
ability to quantify results improving comparison processes
...

Challenges:
Loss of context: Data quantification might lead to the exclusion of details in participants’ response
...

Grounded Theory
Description:
Grounded theory builds the theory from the data which provides the possibility to discover new
coping strategies of young women
...


Exploratory nature: Makes the process unbounded in a way that it does not have to conform to
previous structures
...

Risk of over-theorization: There is also the problem of complexity or irrelevance, if the data is
inadequate for the development of the theory
...
Most Appropriate Data Collection and Data Analysis Methods
Data Collection Method: Semi-Structured Interviews
Justification: Semi-structured interviews are appropriate for use in this study since they provide a
middle ground in terms of rigidity of the questions while seeking to understand how these young
women manage stress arising from their academics
...


Flexibility:
Number four and five: open-ended questions let for stronger analysis of atypical forms of coping that
might have been unclear or forgotten about otherwise, including art or faith
...


Data Analysis Method:
Thematic Analysis
Justification: Thematic analysis is most suitable for this study as it enables the investigator to locate
and understand the principal themes regarding coping strategies while retaining the possibility to
adjust the analysis to the obtained data
...

Capturing Depth and Meaning:
This approach was taken because thematic analysis is sensitive to both manifest content and latent
emotional experiences, and enhanced the interpretation of the ways in which participants coped
...

Why Other Methods Weren’t Chosen:
Focus Groups: The identity of a group may keep individuals to some extent from reacting true to
themselves relative to a sensitive issue, such as stress
...

Grounded Theory: Although helps in theory construction, it is too detailed and time-consuming for
the purpose of explaining the existing strategies, as in this research
...
Three Types of Mixed-Methods Studies
Application of Mixed-Methods Designs for Understanding How Young Women Handle
Academic Stress
Explanatory Sequential Design
Description: This design entails a gathering and analyzing of numerical data before analyzing of nonnumerical data that will support and/or elaborate the data that has been gathered and analyzed
numerically
...

Phase 2: Why these strategies are implemented is conducted through interviews or focus groups
...

It is also easy to manage since the various phases are done severally
...

How It Works:
Phase 1: Interviews determine the ways of allowing dealing with such problems (emotional support,
time management techniques, and so on)
...

Benefits:
Then goes further and supports them with quantitative data to extend the exploration of new themes
...

Crossover Design

Description: Conducts the qualitative and quantitative data collection at the same time and analyzes
results
...

Students are required to compare the results with a view of noticing if they are related or unrelated
...

Enables the use of cross-validation to supplement a conclusion or to investigate contradictions
...
Strengths and Weaknesses of Mixed Methods Research
Strengths
Comprehensive Understanding:

Explanation: This forms one remarkable methodology of embracing both the qualitative dimensions as found
in the interviews and quantitative dimensions as found in the surveys; stress coping among young women
academicians
...

Validation and Triangulation:

Explanation: Provides an opportunity to validate data collected through qualitative as well as quantitative
methodology making the study more reliable
...

Weaknesses:

Time-Consuming and Resource-Intensive:

Explanation: Time-consuming and a large number of resources are needed to perform both variations of the
shroud analysis
...

Difficulty in Integration:

Explanation: One of the main difficulties of the present research is integrating qualitative and quantitative
data into one analysis
...




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