ABSTRACT
Quantitative research results are presented as "quantities" or numbers, which are usually but not always presented through statistical analysis. Qualitative research results are presented primarily through words, most commonly by interviewing people or observing settings and analyzing the data by reviewing interview transcripts and/or field notes. Quantitative research can help to extend the generalizability of information that was discovered through exploratory research. Quantitative researchers seldom make such adjustments during the course of a research project. Instead, quantitative researchers plan their research in detail and follow the plan closely throughout the study because midstream deviations might be viewed as introducing subjectivity to the study. Quantitative researchers tend to ask more targeted questions, and they hope to be able to generalize the results from the sample to some larger population, which may not be all people but may be a defined subgroup of people—for instance, all public school teachers in a specific district.
