Choosing Your Research Approach
One of the first big decisions in a PhD is whether to use a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods approach. It shapes how you collect data, how you analyse it, and how you write your methodology chapter. In this blog, we'll look at what each approach offers, what it demands of you, and how to choose and justify the one that fits your study.
Start with Your Research Question:
- Questions such as "How many?", "How much?", "Is there a relationship between...?" or "Does X affect Y?" usually point to a quantitative approach.
- Questions such as "How?", "Why?" or "What is the experience of...?" usually point to a qualitative approach.
- If your study needs to answer both kinds of question, mixed methods may be the right fit.
- Let the question drive the method, not your comfort with a particular technique.
Quantitative Research:
- Uses numerical data from sources such as surveys, experiments or existing datasets, analysed with statistics.
- Well suited to testing hypotheses, measuring relationships and, with suitable sampling, generalising to a wider population.
- Needs an adequate sample size, reliable and valid instruments, and confidence with statistical analysis.
- Its limitation is that it can miss the context and meaning behind the numbers.
Qualitative Research:
- Uses non-numerical data such as interviews, focus groups, observations and documents, analysed through approaches such as thematic analysis.
- Well suited to exploring experiences, meanings and processes in depth, often with a smaller, purposively chosen sample.
- Transcription and coding take a lot of time, and you will need to show how you ensured the rigour and trustworthiness of your analysis.
- Its findings are not intended to be statistically generalised to a population.
Mixed Methods Research:
- Combines quantitative and qualitative data in one study to give a fuller answer than either could alone.
- Common designs include convergent (collecting both types of data in the same phase and comparing them), explanatory sequential (quantitative first, then qualitative to explain the results) and exploratory sequential (qualitative first, then quantitative, for example to develop and test a questionnaire).
- The key is integration: showing how the two strands inform each other, rather than running two separate studies side by side.
- It usually needs more time and a wider set of skills, so plan realistically.
Practical Questions to Ask Yourself:
- Can you access enough participants or data for the approach you are considering?
- Does the approach fit your timeline and funding?
- Do you have, or can you build, the skills it requires? Is training available?
- What approaches are common in your field and in the journals you hope to publish in?
- What expertise does your supervisor have, and what will your ethics committee need?
Justify Your Choice in the Methodology Chapter:
- Explain the link between your research question, your philosophical position (for example positivism, interpretivism or pragmatism) and the methods you chose.
- Show why your approach suits the question better than the alternatives.
- Acknowledge its limitations and explain how you addressed them.
There is no single best approach for a PhD, only the one that best fits your research question and circumstances. Start with the question, weigh up what each approach offers and demands, consider your practical constraints, and explain your reasoning clearly. A well-justified choice is one of the strongest foundations your thesis can have.