1. Identify your assigned article as quantitative or qualitative and support your assertion with an analysis of three defining characteristics.
2. Describe and critique the theoretical framework using the "Use of Theory Checklist" as a guide.
3. Analyze at least one assumption in your assigned article.
The solution below is divided according to response and the comment of the reviewing OTA who went through the student's response via the aims/goals of the original problem: to identify the nature of the articles in terms of methods used in gathering data/research materials (see original problem). I hope that this solution will help you understand the differences between qualitative and quantitative research. Thank you for using Brainmass.
OTA 105878/Xenia Jones
This article represents a quantitative research study. "In the quantitative paradigm of research, in which researchers use accepted and precise meanings, a theory commonly is understood to have certain characteristics" (Creswell, 2009, p.83). These characteristics are related to a set of variables that present a systematic view through relationships that are outlined among those variable in an attempt to explain the hypothesis (Creswell, 2009).
In this article, the authors (Gagnon, Jansen, & Michael, 2008) hypothesize that independent variables (employees' tenure within an organization, knowledge of strategic goals, openness, and perceived trust in the organizational structure) have an effect on the commitment and alignment of goals in strategic planning and execution. The hypotheses are as follows:
? Hypothesis 2a: Openness to experience will be positively related to strategic commitment.
? Hypothesis 2b: Perceived organizational trust will be positively related to strategic commitment.
? Hypothesis 2c: Organizational tenure will be negatively related to strategic commitment.
? Hypothesis 3: Strategic commitment will be positively related to engagement in strategy-supportive behaviour.
- Gagnon, Jansen, & Michael, 2008
These hypotheses follow the quantitative form of theory "if......then" (as in if an employee has long company tenure, then his actions will be negatively related to strategic commitment). The theory was presented as a visual model, with the independent variable on the left, and the dependent on the right.
Methods of research undertaken included longitudinal surveys; data collected at two points in time, one year apart from three plants in one region ...
The solution is divided according to student response and the comment of the reviewing OTA who went through the student's response via the aims/goals of the original problem: to identify the nature of the articles in terms of methods used in gathering data/research materials (see original problem). Is it quantitative or qualitative in nature? This solution will help students in understanding the difference between qualitative and quantitative research even as they are manifested in articles in published materials as results of a study. A word version is attached for easy printing.