Though numerical results tend to provide some evidence and understanding
to research, analyzing another research or thought provides researchers the
opportunity to not only gain understanding, but also apply and establish
further thinking. This is also known as qualitative research: a research that
produces findings without statistical or any quantification (Hoepfl, 1997) .
Qualitative research is often found to be richer in
information compared to quantitative research. Numbers might be used as proof
or see some sort of trend, but numbers itself isn’t enough for critical
thinking. The hiring process might come across and notice this difference. Grade
point averages (GPA) are often shown in one’s resume to inform the reader that
they have prior education. People will almost always assume that ones with a high
GPA is highly intelligent. Though the number does stand out and might be desirable,
a high GPA doesn’t always mean that they are qualified for the job. Since GPA
itself does not provide enough information, we do job interviews to gather
further information. After conducting interviews, you apply your “research”. For
this case, maybe you are looking for someone who has excellent computer
programming skills. The person with the high GPA seemed like he was qualified,
but during the interview, you realize that the person did get a high GPA on a
computer programming education, but never had enough hands-on experience. You
then apply this knowledge to your preference to determine whether the
individual is or is not qualified for the position.
Personally, I believe the whole concept of qualitative
research is similar to the systems of thinking. Systems of thinking is the
concept of thinking of the main idea by breaking it down to smaller pieces (Nosich, 2012) . Just like looking
at numbers, looking at “the top of the pile” results in insufficient
information. Qualitative research is rich in details because they look at the
big picture and break it down smaller to understand and come up with other thoughts.
Businesses often come across approach. As an example, people may persuade a
business to establish a particular product because it’s a current trend. As the
owner of the business, you may assume that following trends are a good thing,
but for your business specifically, you might ask yourself, “is this trend a
good idea”? You then breakdown this idea and analyze other similar businesses
and consider other factors such as location to determine whether the idea is
good or not: another thought.
Sources
Hoepfl, M. (1997). Choosing Qualitative Research: A
Primer for Technology Education Researchers. Journal of Technology
Education, 9(1). Retrieved from
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v9n1/hoepfl.html
Nosich, G. (2012). Learning to Think Things
Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. Boston:
Pearson Education.