A Tale of Two Cultures: Qualitative and Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences
Gary Goertz and James Mahoney
Abstract
Some in the social sciences argue that the same logic applies to both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This book demonstrates that these two paradigms constitute different cultures, each internally coherent yet marked by contrasting norms, practices, and toolkits. The book identifies and discusses major differences between these two traditions that touch nearly every aspect of social science research, including design, goals, causal effects and models, concepts and measurement, data analysis, and case selection. Although focused on the differences between qualitative and quantita ... More
Some in the social sciences argue that the same logic applies to both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This book demonstrates that these two paradigms constitute different cultures, each internally coherent yet marked by contrasting norms, practices, and toolkits. The book identifies and discusses major differences between these two traditions that touch nearly every aspect of social science research, including design, goals, causal effects and models, concepts and measurement, data analysis, and case selection. Although focused on the differences between qualitative and quantitative research, the book also seeks to promote toleration, exchange, and learning by enabling scholars to think beyond their own culture and see an alternative scientific worldview. The book is written in an easily accessible style and features a host of real-world examples to illustrate methodological points.
Keywords:
social science research,
logic,
quantitative research,
qualitative research,
concepts,
causal effects,
data analysis,
case selection,
social sciences
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2012 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780691149707 |
| Published to Princeton Scholarship Online: October 2017 |
DOI:10.23943/princeton/9780691149707.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Gary Goertz, author
University of Arizona
James Mahoney, author
Northwestern University
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