Respond by postings in one or more of the following ways:
• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague's posting.
In a quantitative method for a research study it entails survey and experimental designs. Such as, "The outline of steps for a survey study began with a discussion about the purpose, the identification of the population and sample, the survey instruments to be used, the relationship between the variables, the research questions, specific items on the survey, and steps to be taken in the analysis and the interpretation of the data from the survey" (Creswell, 2009). "In the design of an experiment, the researcher identifies participants in the study, the variables - the treatment conditions and the outcome variables - and the instruments used for pre-tests and post-tests and the materials to be used in the treatments" (Creswell, 2009).
"Qualitative procedures demonstrate a different approach to scholarly inquiry than methods of quantitative research" (Creswell, 2009). "Qualitative inquiry employs different philosophical assumptions; strategies of inquiry; and methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation" (Creswell, 2009). "Characteristics of qualitative research, presented in no specific order of importance: natural setting, researcher as key instrument, multiple sources of data, inductive data analysis, participants' meanings, emergent design, theoretical lens, interpretive, and holistic account" (Creswell, 2009). The characteristics alone help explain a little more in detail that different philosophical assumption being put forth in the study. "Qualitative research is interpretative research, with the inquirer typically involved in a sustained and intensive experience with participants" (Creswell, 2009). This shows how it is different than how participants are involved compared to a quantitative strategy.
"Although the processes are similar, qualitative procedures rely on text and image data, have unique steps in data analysis, and draw on diverse strategies of inquiry" (Creswell, 2009). Nevertheless, both quantitative and qualitative strategies are both excellent strategies and I would use either one to develop a study.
References: Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.