Describe how quantitative and qualitative research designs can be used in evaluation research. When would it be ideal to use these designs?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Evaluation research that attempts to identify the effects of a social program typically is quantitative: Did housretention improve? Did substance abuse decline? It is fair to say that when there is an interest in comparing outcomes between an experimental and a control group, or tracking change over time in a systematic manner, quantitative methods are favored. But qualitative methods can add much to quantitative evaluation research studies, including more depth, detail, nuance, and exemplary case studies (Patton, 2002). Perhaps the greatest contribution qualitative methods can make in many evaluation studies is investigating program process—finding out what is “inside the black box.” Although it is possible to track service delivery with quantitative measures like staff contact hours and frequency of referrals, finding out what is happening to clients and how clients experience the program can often best be accomplished by observing program activities and interviewing staff and clients inten
Another good reason for using qualitative methods in evaluation research is the importance of learning how different individuals react to the treatment. Qualitative methods can also help in understanding how social programs actually operate. Complex social programs have many different features, and it is not always clear whether some particular feature or a combination of features is responsible for the program’s effect—or for the absence of an effect. The more complex the social p