...weigh the relative merits and demerits of each providing interpretation of the potential applications of qualitative and quantitative research to various fields of study as per the requirements of the paper. Qualitative and Quantitative Overview Researchers have long debated the relative merits quantitative vs. qualitative research techniques have to offer field researchers. It is important that one understand the implications of each in order to weigh the relative importance and relevance of each to the field. Qualitative and quantitative methods have a long history of providing researchers with information regarding specific events, phenomena and subjects. The primary difference between the two forms of investigation is the methods each employs to uncover the ‘reality’ behind a given situation. These separate realities are explored below. Benz & Newman (1998) suggest that qualitative and quantitative research methods align in a continuum. Qualitative research derives its foundation in naturalistic philosophy, whereas quantitative research focuses on positivistic philosophy (Benz & Newman, 1998). Qualitative research is more likely to adopt an individual phenomenological perspective, whereas quantitative approaches tend to emphasize the “common reality on which people can agree” (Benz & Newman, 2). Early researchers including Douglas (1976) & Geertz (1973) assert that multiple interpretations are available regarding any given phenomena that can be valid...
Words: 1860 - Pages: 8
...Film Theory and Approaches to Criticism, or, What did that movie mean? by Christopher P. Jacobs Movies are entertainment. Movies are documents of their time and place. Movies are artistic forms of self-expression. Movies we see at theatres, on television, or home video are typically narrative films. They tell stories about characters going through experiences. But what are they really about? What is the content of a film? DIGGING DEEPER: FOUR LEVELS OF MEANING Recounting the plot of a movie, telling what happens, is the simplest way to explain it to someone else. But this is neither a film review nor a film analysis. It’s merely a synopsis that anyone else who sees or has seen the movie will likely agree with. This level of content may be called the referential content, since it refers directly to things that happen in the plot and possibly to some aspects of the story that are merely implied by the plot. In John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972), four men from the city go on a weekend canoe trip that unexpectedly becomes a life or death struggle for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer...
Words: 3055 - Pages: 13
...ECONOMICS FOR MANAGERS T3.2013 Assignment Due date: Nature: Assignment Overview: Monday, January 13, 2014. Individual assignment. This assignment is partly based on the attached article published in The Australian on April 26, 2012 entitled “Poor bear brunt of ‘nanny taxes’” by Adam Creighton and a paper written by Sam Oldfield on August 7, 2013, “Cigarette Tax Hike Defies Economic Logic.” Please read the articles carefully before attempting the questions. You will be required to demonstrate your understanding of economic concepts taught in the unit and relate them to the cases in the articles. This assignment is designed to encourage you to think about the applications of economic concepts learned in this unit to real world scenarios. Based on the attached Rubric, your assignment will be graded on your use of appropriate economic theory and concepts, clarity of exposition and overall quality of your answers. Your answers should follow “Guide to assignment writing and referencing”, available at this link: http://www.deakin.edu.au/currentstudents/assets/resources/study-support/study-skills/assignref.pdf. Answer all questions. Limit the total word count of your assignment to less than 3,000 words. Depth is encouraged over breadth: that is, it is more important that you demonstrate you understand a concept fully, rather than talk about 3 related concepts only cursorily. You are encouraged to use diagrams/examples in your answers when appropriate. 40 marks. Allocation as indicated...
Words: 3505 - Pages: 15
...a divine woman identity, and the third approach retells biblical stories that highlight the sympathy felt for abused women. Each approach connects to the other through the main idea that traditional interpretations of the Bible neglect females and therefore affects the way human beings behave towards them. Trible takes different approaches to question the longstanding belief no one speaks about: the association of Scripture with sexism and the dehumanization of women. Trible questions this belief that the traditional Bible is sexist by providing textual examples to support his arguments. For example, the first approach documents the case against women. He uses several examples from scripture to support this approach, including how a daughter is less desirable than son, how a father chooses his daughter’s husband, how daughters always had to submit to abuse, and how the Levite from Ephraim and other males betrayed, raped, murdered, and dismembered their own concubine. Trible uses powerful examples to truly portray how large the societal gap between men and women is and how traditional Scripture may seem to support this gap. He even includes citations, like when he talks about how women are defined as the property of men in Deuteronomy 5:21. Throughout all of the three approaches, Trible uses strong and somewhat heartbreaking examples to portray the plight...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...science of the mind, then shifted focus to behaviour in the 1950s, and has since swung back to the mind, but, however chequered its history may have been, it has remained predominantly shaded by the science umbrella. As Searle (1999) points out “academic psychology has placed great importance on the use of scientific approaches”, which has resulted in an emphasis on quantitative research methods, centred on collection of numerical data and statistical analysis (the empirical approach). However, since the 1960s there has been increasing criticism of such reliance on the quantitative data-collection characteristics of the scientific method, which has developed over subsequent decades into a strong shift towards more qualitative approaches. This has led to the somewhat inevitable, yet ultimately unhelpful, divide between competing methods: quantitative versus qualitative. According to Bauer, et al (2000), quantitative research deals with numbers, makes use of statistical models to explain the data and is considered ‘hard’ research, whereas qualitative research avoids numbers, involves interpretation of social realities and is considered ‘soft research. Both approaches, however, have their strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of quantitative research, as outlined by Burns (2000), includes precision and control – precision is achieved through quantitative and reliable measurement, control through sampling and design. Further, “experimentation leads to statements about causation”...
Words: 939 - Pages: 4
...essay In my opinion the word heir describes a person's or events natural successor. Therefore the term heir to the revolution would in my opinion be used to describe the next regime, which came to embody the principles and morals of the revolution. The revolution's heir must be the regime that follows on from were the revolution left France, and presides over, or creates the kind of society the revolutionaries of 1789 intended to. It is my belief that Napoleon and the Napoleonic regime did not either preside over or create this kind of society and as such Napoleon cannot be considered an heir to the French Revolution. In order for this view to be qualified the next aspect we need to look at, is the various definitions and interpretations of the French Revolution. Put simply the French Revolution was, when in 1789 the old Ancien...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...displacement. The critic analyzes the language and symbolism of a text to reverse the process of the dream work and arrive at the underlying latent thoughts. Freud wrote several important essays on literature, which he used to explore the psyche of authors and characters, to explain narrative mysteries, and to develop new concepts in psychoanalysis (for instance, Delusion and Dream in Jensen's Gradiva and his influential readings of the Oedipus myth and Shakespeare's Hamlet in The Interpretation of Dreams). His followers and later readers, such as Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan, were avid readers of literature as well, and used literary examples as illustrations of important concepts in their work (for instance, Lacan argued with Jacques Derrida over the interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Purloined Letter"). Jung and another of Freud's disciples, Karen Horney, broke with Freud, and their work, especially Jung's, led to other rich branches of psychoanalytic criticism: Horney's to feminist approaches including womb envy, and Jung's to the study of archetypes and the collective unconscious. Jung's work in particular was influential as, combined with the work of anthropologists...
Words: 520 - Pages: 3
...4/8/2014 4/8/2014 Assignment of research methodology Qualitative and quantitative Assignment of research methodology Qualitative and quantitative Research: Noun: 1. The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Verb: 1. Investigate systematically. Definitions: John .W. Best: Research is a systematic and objective analysis and recording of controlled observations that may lead to the development of generalizations, principles, theories and concepts, resulting in prediction for seeing and possibly ultimate control of events. Clifford woody: Research is a careful enquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles, a diligent investigation to ascertain something. Methodology: is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field of study, or the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with a branch of knowledge. It, typically, encompasses concepts such as paradigm, theoretical model, phases and quantitative or qualitative techniques. Research methodology: The process used to collect information and data for the purpose of making business decisions. The methodology may include publication research, interviews, surveys and other research techniques, and could include both present and historical information. THE PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: The main purpose and role of research is to help plan and...
Words: 2030 - Pages: 9
...not its heir. In my opinion the word heir describes a person's or events natural successor. Therefore the term heir to the revolution would in my opinion be used to describe the next regime, which came to embody the principles and morals of the revolution. The revolution's heir must be the regime that follows on from were the revolution left France, and presides over, or creates the kind of society the revolutionaries of 1789 intended to. It is my belief that Napoleon and the Napoleonic regime did not either preside over or create this kind of society and as such Napoleon cannot be considered an heir to the French Revolution. In order for this view to be qualified the next aspect we need to look at, is the various definitions and interpretations of the French Revolution. Put simply the French Revolution was, when in 1789 the old Ancien regime was overthrown, and France went from a monarchy-governed state to a republic. After this, France went...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...ambiguous in a manner that suit their arguments. The judges that presiding over the court cases are, thus, expected to have great discernment and an in-depth understanding of the US Constitution. This is so as to assess who, between the two lawyers, is right and, consequently, make a ruling that is as fair as possible. The Constitution of the United States of America is comprised of a set of legal decrees with different geneses. Some of the laws therein were passed by the American parliamentary body while others came to be as a result of the establishment by elected representatives in the different American states. In addition to these two sources of laws and constitutional interpretation, there are others that are also applied by judges. These include the natural law, the implications of alternate interpretations, as well as the text and structure of the American Constitution. As will be indicated in this paper, the manner by which the US Constitution is interpreted has undergone transformation over the years. This is a normal occurrence since public policies are always being altered, modified, changed or completely abandoned for fresh ones perceived to be more practical. The system, whereby the lawyers can interpret the various laws in a manner that will serve to help them win cases, has oftentimes been referred to as a ‘necessary evil.’ This paper will investigate this system with the objective of revealing the challenges and/or benefits of such a framework. It will also focus...
Words: 1473 - Pages: 6
...are a broad, multidisciplinary academic discipline to study the beliefs, and behaviors pertaining to different world religions. According to the author, unlike other major academic disciplines, the study of religion is not based on any unique methodology but is derived from several other fields of academia. This field of study is so broad that any attempt to develop a unique methodology would limit the scope of understanding and further research into the subject. Hence, religious studies derive inputs from several other fields of study and provide its scholars with a plethora of these derived methodologies. The absence of any unique methodology is dealt by incorporating several other academic fields and developing different approaches for interpretation and research. Scholars, who look at religion from the perspective of society, use one such approach. They look at both sides of the coin and study how society shapes religion and how religion has been shaped by the various societal factors. They also try to analyze the changing symbiosis of religion and society by adopting either a quantitative approach of statistical surveys or a qualitative approach. Another such methodology involves anthropological study of religion. The rituals, practices and behaviors of tribal groups provide a deep insight into the oldest form of religious habits, which have been carried for ages. This approach studies the traditions that have been carried by all these traditions from ages by both mainstream...
Words: 510 - Pages: 3
...Approaches to the Analysis of Survey Data March 2001 The University of Reading Statistical Services Centre Biometrics Advisory and Support Service to DFID © 2001 Statistical Services Centre, The University of Reading, UK Contents 1. Preparing for the Analysis 5 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Data Types 6 1.3 Data Structure 7 1.4 Stages of Analysis 9 1.5 Population Description as the Major Objective 11 1.6 Comparison as the Major Objective 12 1.7 When Weighting Matters 13 1.8 Coding 14 1.9 Ranking & Scoring 15 2. Doing the Analysis 17 2.1 Approaches 17 2.2 One-Way Tables 18 2.3 Cross-Tabulation: Two-Way & Higher-Way Tables 18 2.4 Tabulation & the Assessment of Accuracy 19 2.5 Multiple Response Data 20 2.6 Profiles 21 2.7 Looking for Respondent Groups 22 2.8 Indicators 23 2.9 Validity 25 2.10 Summary 26 2.11 Next Steps 26 © SSC 2001 – Approaches to the Analysis of Survey Data 3 4 © SSC 2001 – Approaches to the Analysis of Survey Data 1. Preparing for the Analysis 1.1 Introduction This guide is concerned with some fundamental ideas of analysis of data from surveys. The discussion is at a statistically simple level; other more sophisticated statistical approaches are outlined in our guide Modern Methods of Analysis. Our aim here is to clarify the ideas that successful...
Words: 9853 - Pages: 40
...delinquencies than males. This explanation disregards the fact that, adult females who do register in the justice system, while fewer other and less vicious than their male counterparts, generally come to be extensive users of the system. In concentrating on the devastating quantity of males in the criminal and juvenile justice organizations programs, procedures and services usually fall through to produce a mixture of options for conducting with the gender and culturally specific complications of female offenders implicated in the system. For Gottfredson and Hirschi, transgression can generally be diminished to “acts of force or fraud undertaken in pursuit of self-interest,” which is speculative of both cross-cultural and reforming authentic interpretations of crime. Besides, “similar behaviors” are enactments which though not unlawful, but they are parallel to delinquency in that they also have straight advantages and long-term repercussions. However, people with despicable identity focus on the direct advantages procured from such conducts. For example; Gottfredson and Hirschi disagree that people with low self-control (Gunnison Phd...
Words: 1729 - Pages: 7
...Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, by David Entwistle, is a comprehensive book that details the conceptual behavior influenced by the developmental processes of the physical mind and its influence on spiritual development. The basis of the book is to explore the claims and the strains, “given the historical animosity of some psychologists toward religion and some Christians toward psychology” (p.217), that arise from the intertwining of psychological and Christian theological views, in order to help us understand and appreciate humanity better than viewing from either perspective individually. “The closer one gets to considering psychotherapeutic and pastoral concerns, the greater the common ground and the greater possibility for conflict” (p. 36). The book’s focus is on integrative approaches in a well comprehended Christian worldview by which “we can evaluate our beliefs and behavior in light of the biblical message (p. 63), and “form a body of theories from which all prejudice, bias, and unjustifiable conjecture have been eliminated” (p. 199). The historical opposition and advocacy of the integration of the two views, along with the current integration research and application, is presented with the help of multiple psychological researchers. Entwistle’s view is that integration is possible if the proper cautions are taken; that “human nature can be mapped from two directions” (p. 198), if the disciplines participate in a productive interchange of...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...Version 1.0 General Certificate of Education January 2012 Sociology SCLY1 1191 Culture and Identity; Families and Households; Wealth, Poverty and Welfare Unit 1 Mark Scheme Mark schemes are prepared by the Principal Examiner and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation meeting attended by all examiners and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation meeting ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every examiner understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for the standardisation meeting each examiner analyses a number of students’ scripts: alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed at the meeting and legislated for. If, after this meeting, examiners encounter unusual answers which have not been discussed at the meeting they are required to refer these to the Principal Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. Further copies of this Mark Scheme are available to download from the...
Words: 4692 - Pages: 19
