"It's not the numbers that answer the hypotheses, the researcher does."
Ilias Bergström, 26/9-16
Just like discussed during theme 3 (Research and Theory), the role of the researcher is central. In quantitative research, numbers mean nothing until put together and logically argumented for by researchers. By comparing severable measured variables, researchers may study the interactions between them. Quantitative research investigates notions that are numerically measurable, and the analyses brought out within it is hence based on numerical data.
In 2015, I wrote my bachelor thesis on organizational transparency, with the Swedish nutrition- and lifestyle company Oatly as a case study. Our research questions were 1) How is Oatly’s level of transparency perceived by the company’s audience? 2) Which are the key factors forming this perception?
Me and my research partner chose to conduct both qualitative and quantitative research in order to answer our posed questions. We did so in order to be able to draw general conclusions which found support in a bigger participant selection than which had been possible if only qualitative methods had been used.
Oatly describes itself as transparent, but with a number of hypotheses we wanted examine whether their audience agreed. Our study also investigated which key factors contributed to the audience’s perception of the company’s communication. We based our study, both theoretically and empirically, on a model created by Rawlins (2009). The model offered four main variables which should determine an organisation’s transparency; Participation, Substantial Information, Accountability and Secrecy.
Our empirics consisted of an internet survey with 346 respondents and 4 in-depth-interviews, all with participant matching our definition of Oatly's target group/audience. The empirics offered evidence which manifested trends among the audience. Oatly’s clear and accessible communication, trustworthiness and humor turned out to be key factors contributing to the audience perceiving Oatly as very transparent.
Would we have been able to identify these trends without the use of quantitative methods? Most probably not. Would we have been able to simple present the data for the conclusions to be drawn? No. But as the sophisticated researchers we were, we were able to logically argue for different interactions between our investigates variables.
My previous experiences from quantitative research has, as manifested in this post, been focused on the generalizability offered by quantitative research. However, during the lecture and readings of this theme, my perception has widened. I now also understand how quantitative methods can be an effective way to understand the behavior of small participant selections, too.
Thanks for sharing your previous work. I found it really interesting to read! I think it’s smart to combine qualitative and quantitative methods in a research, since you get an overview and a more detailed picture. A quantitative method is an efficient tool for identifying trends and attitudes and as you mention in your reflection, it would have been a lot harder to present the collected data if you only used the in-depth interviews as a method. By discussing your previous work, the benefits of using quantitative methods becomes very clear. Good job!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like you've got a really good understanding of this week's theme, and a lot of experience working with both qualitative and quantitative research. Thank you for sharing your previous work, sounds like you did some interesting research for your bachelors. I think combining both qualitative and quantitative research is very smart, and can result in interesting and reliable information, and this becomes very clear in your reflection!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post as that was interesting for me to know how you conducted your Bachelor's research using different methods (my thesis was based on the case study - I've analysed part of the accounting system in the specific company). As far as I understood you haven't used any special statistical analysis tests etc. what didn't prevent you from understanding the main trends - and this is the bright evidence of the key role of the researcher.
ReplyDeleteThat would be great if you added more information about the Rawling model (brief explanation or just a hyperlink). About all the rest - great job!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteInteresting bachelor's thesis!
I think you made a smart move to combine quantitative and qualitative methods. I think people in general believe that quantitative research generates more subjective results, but as you say in your post, these results won't have any meaning without applying an analysis. However, I believe it is possible to present an analysis and draw conclusions with only quantitative data. They may not necessarily show casual relationships but they can present the key features of a phenomenon. Wish you would've explained in you post why an quantitative approach wasn't enough to draw conclusions.
However, interesting posts!
Thank you for this really interesting blog post. The explanation of the research you and your research partner conducted is really interesting. The possibility that you could answer you research questions quantitative and qualitative is really valuable. Mostly the mixture of methods gives us the best understanding. On the one hand we can investigate and identify constructs and how they really look like. At the same time these findings are generalized through a survey where a lot participants are included. I think that you completely understood the value of each research method and how to combine them reasonably. All in all good reflection!
ReplyDeleteI think you have a good idea of quantative methods are and how they affect research and results. I really appreciated that you in the first post brought up the limitations of not being able to understand the statistics of a quantative study. I often find myself having issues with fully comprehending all the numbers and variables and it can sometimes affect my understanding of the paper as a whole, and as you mentioned it becomes hard for me as a reader to determine whether or not their conclusion is reasonable.
ReplyDelete