The term
“quasitative
research”
was used
in 1999
in
HRDC -
Monitoring
Study of
the
Group
Information
Sessions.
I
published
this
term in
my
January,
2005
article
concerning
Quasitative
Approach,
Q3
Inquires,
and 3Rs
of
Research.
The
earliest
publication
I have
found
using
the term
"quasitative"
is in a
Harvard
physics
paper.
Q3
Inquiries
Q3
Inquiries
was the
result
of my
interests
stemming
from my
dissertation
study.
Through
the use
of
"triangulation
thinking"
I was
able to
conceive
this
trio of
epistemological
inquires.
"Triangulation
is a
hybrid
variation
to the
strict
dichotomy
of
quantitative
versus
qualitative
research
(Bender,
2000,
p.76)."
Q3
Inquiries
is
depicted
in Figure 1,
which
defines
some of
the means by
which
the many
possible
components
in the
Q3
Inquires
approach
may be
aligned.
This
model is
ever-evolving.
Its
application
is far
reaching
and
complex.
|
Quantitative
(N)
|
Qualitative
(n)
|
Quasitative
(Nn)
|
|
measurable
|
observable |
imaginable |
|
pre-existing phenomena (past)
|
co-existing phenomena (present) |
non-existing phenomena
(potential)
|
|
objective
|
subjective
|
collective
|
|
facts
(statistics) |
words
(objects) |
ideas
(prospects) |
|
method-oriented |
matter-oriented |
meaning-oriented |
|
variables
conclusive
|
variables
explorative |
variables
amalgamative |
|
generalized (formality) |
naturalized (complexity) |
homogenized (unity) |
|
exiting |
emerging |
evolving |
|
inquiry
at latter
phases |
inquiry at
earlier
phases |
inquiry at
all
phases |
|
piece
analysis |
pattern
analysis |
picture
analysis |
|
numerical/testable |
contextual/robust
|
consensual/controversial |
|
causal/speculative |
rational/descriptive
|
philosophical/provocative |
|
empiricism |
rationalism |
constructivism |
|
sensitive inputs |
cognitive processes |
innovative outputs |
|
analyze |
realize |
conceptualize |
|
me in seclusion
(individual) |
you in participation
(organizational) |
us in combination
(communal) |
|
microscopic
|
macroscopic
|
megascopic
|
|
substantive |
connective |
collaborative |
|
impartial |
immersed |
implicating |
|
deductive (top-down) |
inductive
(bottom-up) |
conductive
(middle-out) |
|
regular and predictable |
not predictable |
somewhat predictable |
|
narrow focus |
broad focus |
multi-lens focus |
|
controlled environment |
natural environment |
mixed environments |
|
close-ended |
open-ended |
blended |
|
what/where/when |
why/how/who |
what/where/when/why/how/who |
Figure
1. Q3
Inquiries
Model
The Q3
Inquiries
model
permits
us to
investigate
any
problem
or issue
via a
host of
perspectives.
For
instance,
we might
seek to
measure
strengths,
observe
opportunities,
and
imagine
roadblocks
using my
SOR
Analysis
approach,
a hybrid
of SWOT
analysis
connoting
strengths,
opportunities,
and
roadblocks. We can
use my
ARC
Analysis
approach
and
analyze
quantitative
methods,
realize
qualitative
matters,
and
conceptualize
quasitative
meaning. The
possibilities
are
virtually
endless
when
using
tenets
of the
Q3
Inquiries
model
that
organizes
method,
matter,
and
meaning.
It is
the
heart,
mind,
and soul
of our
decision
making,
which
involves
solving
problems
such as
the
conflicts
and
ethical
dilemmas
in our
lives.
Research
Paradigms
Quantitative,
Qualitative,
and
Quasitative
are
research
paradigms
that
each
comprises
and
employs
a unique
set of
cultures
of
inquiry
or
research
design.
|
Quantitative
inquiry/research/approach
in the
Q3
Inquiries
model is
a
substantive/objective
element
that
provides
the
facts of
the past
that
identify
how long
an issue
has been
in
existence,
providing
one
piece to
the big
picture.
Aside
from
measuring
the
past,
the
quantitative
realm
enables
us to
understand
the
individual,
organizational,
or
social
purpose
in
mathematical
terms.
We can
examine
by what
method
we have
been
performing.
If it
has not
been
effective,
it is
time in
the
present
to
modify
what was
done in
the past
so that
the
potential
may be
realized.
Cultures
of
Inquiry
(Research
Designs):
Experimental
and
Non-Experimental
research
approaches.
Qualitative
inquiry/research/approach
in the
Q3
Inquiries
model is
a connective/subjective
element
in its
location
between
the past
and the
potential.
We can
examine
the past
and the
potential,
but we
cannot
exist in
those
realms.
It is
our
present
concerns
that
dictates
our
interest
in the
past and
the
potential.
Likewise
our
potential
is
affected
by our
present.
Everything
in life
revolves
around
and
centers
on our
present
state of
being. A
piece
from the
past can
formulate
a
pattern
in the
present,
which
can
ultimately
affect
the
potential
picture.
The Q3
Inquiries
model
enables
all of
these
possibilities.
It is
the
"foundation"
upon
which
constructive
matter
is based
and it
is the
"umbrella"
under
which
all
matters
are
covered.
Matter
is a
qualitative
condition.
Cultures
of
Inquiry
(Research
Designs):
Phenomenology,
Ethnography,
Case
Study,
Grounded
Theory,
Hermeneutic,
and
Historical
research
approaches.
Quasitative
inquiry/research/approach
in the
Q3
Inquiries
model is
a
collaborative/collective
element
that
merges
method
and
matter
to
derive
meaning.
The
result
is a
vision
that can
be
imagined
and for
which
steps in
the
present
can be
taken to
effectuate
the
desired
outcome.
Measurable
and
observable
data can
be
examined
and
recycled
many
times in
the
quasitative
realm in
order to
visualize
a
potential
meaning
of the
data.
The
quasitative
realm
enables
us to
see the
big
picture.
Click
Here
to learn
more
about
quasitative
inquiry/research/approach.
Cultures
of
Inquiry
(Research
Designs):
Triangulation,
Embedded,
Explanatory,
Exploratory
research,
and
mixed
design
approaches.
|
|
In the
Q3
Inquiries
model
the
position
is to
utilize
quantitative,
qualitative,
and
quasitative
elements
in all
aspects
of our
lives
for
which
the
model
represented
here is
one
arrangement.
This
model is
designed
to work
effectively
in fully
understanding
our
private,
professional,
and
public
worlds,
our
human
realms.
Change is the law of
life, and those who look only to the past or the present
are certain to miss the future.
—
John F. Kennedy
Integration
Integration
of
quantitative
and
qualitative
approaches
to
accomplish
quasitative
outcomes
can
occur as
sequential,
iterative,
and in
parallel.
In
parallel
(quasitative)
approaches,
the
quantitative
and
qualitative
investigators
work
separately
but
compare
and
combine
findings
during
the
analysis
phase. A
mix of
quantitative
and
qualitative
data is
typically
used to
create
an
understanding
of both
measured
impact
and
interpretive
process.
In
sequential
and
iterative
approaches
we can
seek
varying
degrees
of
dialogue
between
the
quantitative
and
qualitative
traditions
at all
phases
of the
research
cycle.
Steps in
the
cycle
include:
Step 1:
Question
(formulate
hypotheses
and
questions)
Step 2:
Collection
(collect
and
analyze
the
data)
Step 3:
Conclusion
(produce
the
findings
and
conclusions)
Merging
quantitative
and
qualitative
approaches
to
accomplish
quasitative
outcomes
can lead
to three
results.
Findings
may
converge
(lead to
same
conclusions),
merge
(lead to
complimentary
conclusions),
or
diverge
(lead to
contradictory
conclusions).
According
to Rao
and
Woolcock
(2003),
the ten
principles
of
conducting
good
mixed-methods
evaluations
are:
|
Ten
Principles
of
Conducting
Good
Mixed-Methods
(Quasitative)
Evaluations
-
Use
“participatory
econometrics,”
an
iterative
approach
where
qualitative
work
informs
the
construction
of a
quantitative
questionnaire.
Allow
for
findings
from
the
field
to
broaden
your
set
of
outcome
or
explanatory
variables.
This
broadening
will
improve
the
analysis
of
possible
externalities
to
the
intervention
as
well
as
reduce
the
number
of
unobservables.
-
Unlike
quantitative
questionnaires,
qualitative
questions
should
be
open-ended
to
allow
respondents
to
give
relatively
unconstrained
responses.
The
question
should
be
an
opportunity
to
have
an
extended
discussion.
-
The
data
analyst
should
be
closely
tied
to
the
data
collection
process.
-
Qualitative
work
should
follow
principles
of
evaluation
design
similar
to
those
for
quantitative
work;
even
when
exclusively
qualitative
methods
are
used,
the
evaluator
should
“think
quantitatively,
but
act
qualitatively.”
-
The
qualitative
sample
should
be
large
enough
to
reflect
the
major
elements
of
heterogeneity
in
the
population.
-
Spend
enough
time
in
the
community
to
allow
an
in-depth
examination.
This
may
sometimes
mean
anything
from
a
week
to
several
weeks
depending
upon
the
size
and
heterogeneity
of
the
community.
-
Hypotheses
derived
from
the
qualitative
work
should
be
tested
for
their
generalizability
with
the
more
representative
quantitative
data.
-
Use
the
qualitative
information
to
interpret
and
contextualize
quantitative
findings.
-
A
poor
and
inexperienced
researcher
can
have
a
much
larger
adverse
impact
on
the
collection
of
good
quality
qualitative
information
than
on
quantitative
data.
-
Qualitative
methods
should
be
thought
of
not
as
an
inexpensive
alternative
to
large
surveys,
but
as
tools
to
collect
information
that
is
difficult
to
gather
and
analyze
quantitatively.
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|
SCaT (square,
circle, and triangle) may be used as a symbolic
representation of Q3 Inquiries in the following
manner:
Circle (data recycling) – quantitative (objective,
measurable, individual/private realm)
- Data recycling is the data processing or reuse of
raw data, a quantitative application.
Square (thematic grid) – qualitative (subjective,
observable, organizational/professional realm)
- Thematic analysis is a qualitative approach in
research, a qualitative application.
Triangle (triangulation thinking) – quasitative
(collective, imaginable, communal/public realm)
- Triangulation is the convergence of several
designs, a quasitative application.
Note: Data recycling represented by the circle may
also be considered a qualitative approach as used in
the hermeneutic cycle approach, a qualitative
methodology. The circle is a universal component in
the Q3 Inquiries model depending upon the
circumstances for its use in a research endeavor.
Sources
Bender,
S. L.
(2000).
Seven
Characteristics
of the
American
Woman
Entrepreneur:
A
Hermeneutic
Approach
to
Developing
a
Universal
Characteristics
Model. [UMI
AAT998805]
Rao, V.,
&
Woolcock,
M.
(2003).
Integrating
qualitative
and
quantative
appraoches
in
progran
evaluation.
Culture
and
Publication.
Visit
the
Q3
Inquiries
Library.
