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Qualitative Versus Quantitative Approaches

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Synonyms

Case study; Cause and effect; Correlational; Descriptive research; Ethnography; Experimental research; Group research; Phenomenology; Pre-, during, and posttest design;Pre-post design; Pre-post-posttest design; Quasiexperimental; Single case; Single-subject design; Within-subject design

Definition

Qualitative approaches refer to research that is both descriptive and systematic. It allows the researcher to examine relationships between activities, situations, and materials (Fraenkel and Wallen 2006 in Gast 2010). It is a systematic approach to studying phenomenon within a particular context (Gast 2010). In qualitative research approaches, the researcher is a participant observer who goes from specific to more general by process of inductive analysis and does not focus on generalization of results. Qualitative methods focus on groups, in-depth interviews, and reviews; they are an inductive process used to formulate theory. Qualitative methods do not rely on statistics or...

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References and Readings

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  • http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/grizzly/432/rra2.htm

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Services for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Montgomery County Public Schools, Spring Mill Center Room 214, 11721 Kemp Mill Road, 20902, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Susan A. Mason

Authors
  1. Susan A. Mason
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Correspondence to Susan A. Mason .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Mason, S.A. (2017). Qualitative Versus Quantitative Approaches. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_167-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_167-3

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