Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Educational Research: Strenghs and Weaknesses

FET 8801
Research Methods in Education
Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Research
(3,248 words)
INTRODUCTION
For thousands of years, philosophers and other academics have formulated and debated theories of knowledge in attempts to conceptualize and analyze reality. These ways of knowing are commonly referred to as epistemologies which help us make sense of the world in which we live. Epistemological theories attempt to address the perception of reality, truth, justice and the pursuit of knowledge (Evers and Walker, 1998: 29). In science, there are two main theoretical approache…