Open-ended questions can be found in both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Are there any criteria to put open-ended questions only in one of these categories?
It depends on the nature of the study and methods of data collection
It depends on how you have designed your questionnaire. If you have coded your questions using some numbers, then it is quantitative data
I agree with others that it depends on how you use the responses. For example, if you have a reasonably large amount of data from your open-ended questions, they you might well be able to use it for the kinds of meaning-oriented interpretations that go with qualitative data. Alternatively, if you plan to create variables for your survey from the open-ended responses, then you will be using it quantitatively.
The open ended questions can be analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively.
If you choose to analyse the questions through your theoretical knowledge of the topic, you shall have done a qualitative a a analysis.
If you put the questions on say a likert scale and get the answers from your respondents, your analysis will be quantitative.
Questions are neither qualitative nor quantitative. What we can call quantitative and/or qualitative are data collected through questions.
An open question could collect quantitative data (for example information about age, a behavior frequency etc.) or qualitative data (for example motivations, perceptions etc.).
No hard & fast rule of say yes/no.. depends upon your model and source of data.
Have you found what you need in these responses, or are there additional aspects that would still be useful to understand?
Open ended question are qualitative .. it is had to quantify answers obtained, you may need to categorize the answers in some sort of themes and carry out a content analysis.
Open ended questions are used when we want to get the most from the respondent. So in this case the data is almost always qualitative.
However, the more answers you get, the easier you can quantify the data by categorizing the answers into topics which then become the quantitative data.
Ali Alavi, It basically has to do with the purpose or the issue under investigation. For instance, if you are using a questionnaire (quantitative method) with some few open ended questions, usually the idea is to later categorize the responses and analyze it quantitatively. Of course, questionnaires don't allow for probes (an important feature of qualitative data collection tools). However, if the sample is large enough and the questionnaire provides enough space for respondents to give detailed accounts of the issue, you may want to analyse that qualitatively. On the other hand, open ended questions are usually used for interview guides (IDIs) and other qualitative data collection tools. The open ended questions in this regard are carefully crafted and usually contain probes to allow participants to provide detailed accounts of the issues. Bottom line??? It largely depends on the purpose/issues and the intended analysis you want to undertake.
I suggest we define first what we mean by open-ended questions.
I agree with Prince Justin Anku it all depends on the purpose or the issue under investigation. Some quantitative survey questionnaires can have open ended questions and the trained interviewers will only record shortened phrases as answers which are to be later analyzed quantitatively using codes. If you want to analyze qualitatively the answers need to be in narrative form or else the researcher himself has to be the interviewer and do the coding in the field. Probing the answers further would be possible in that circumstance. You need to select your research methodology looking at the paradigm your research is based on.
Basically open-ended questions are qualitative in nature. Researchers will receive opinions of respondents in subjective forms. So, consider it like qualitative data.
open ended questions are in and of themselves qualitative because they cannot be counted as they appear; in order to "use" them quantitatively, as some have said, they must be coded or transformed in some countable way-- that changes the questions and they are no longer just open-ended questions. in other words, using open ended questions as quantitative data requires them to be transformed and they are no longer open ended questions.
This type of question is known as an “open-ended” or “qualitative” question. It is called “open-ended” because the person responding to it is free to answer in any manner he or she chooses.
What’s the difference between quantitative research and qualitative research?
The definition of quantitative research
- Quantitative data is designed to collect cold, hard facts. Numbers. Quantitative data is structured and statistical. It provides support when you need to draw general conclusions from your research.
The definition of qualitative research
- Qualitative data collects information that seeks to describe a topic more than measure it. Think of impressions, opinions, and views. A qualitative survey is less structured: It seeks to delve deep into the topic at hand to gain information about people’s motivations, thinking, and attitudes. While this brings depth of understanding to your research questions, it also makes the results harder to analyze.
So it is the intent and context in which open ended questionnaire is used.
Preferably for Qualitative data.
Hi
those who believe that ‘what’ questions are used for the quantitative studies too,can they use introduce some sources in research methods books.
what questions are not only used for quantitative for e.g. - what do you thnk abiut....? ---- is an open ended question thus qualitative or what were you doing at the time ....? need i go on? i am curious as to what you read or heard that?
Open-ended questions are questions that allow someone to give a free-form answer. whereas, Closed-ended questions can be answered with “Yes” or “No,” or they have a limited set of possible answers. Open-ended mostly used in Qualitative research but one can use in quantitative research where he want to get rich data through different types of surveys and experimental studies.
It depends on the nature of the study and methods of data collection
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