Research… Lets Talk About It. Which way is better?
Qualitative and quantitative research have been used to gain insights on many subjects including mass communication. Qualitative research can be defined as research that collects and works with non-numerical data, and that seeks to interpret meaning from this data that helps to understand social life through the study of targeted populations or places. The methods used might include interviews, focus groups, case studies, content analysis, and more.
The article, Whose is the voice of the American public? Latinx speech and the standard language ideology of public radio, from the journal Communication& Critical/Cultural Studies, uses a qualitative research approach to find insights. This study used personal interviews to collect data, they interviewed station managers, program directors, NPR ombudspersons, broadcast producers, voice-coaches, hosts, and on-air correspondent, some participants were Latinx, and others were non-Latinx. This article produced valid contributions to the mass communication field by examining the language, ideology, and practices in radio. The research shows the racial and social inequalities in public radio. By using qualitative research, they were able to use interviews to see how Latinx and non-Latinx people connected with NPR. Through this type of research, they were able to get a better understanding of how minority groups can be the subject of news coverage, while not being the intended audience.
Some studies choose to use quantitative research. This can be defined as process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations. The methods used include surveys, experiments, and observations.
The article, In-depth study of Netflix’s original content of fictional series. Forms, styles, and trends in the new streaming scene, from the journal, Communication & Society; Pamplona, uses quantitative research in gain insights into this subject. Using this research method helped create contributions to the mass communication field by using data collection, testing, and formulas to analysis Netflix’s original fictional content. By using this type of numerical research, they were able to conclude that the in-house content has been a success and this commitment has led to their growth. This is a great contribution to the mass communication field because these days streaming has become such a big part of this field, so learning how to succeed is extremely important.
When looking at these two articles, I did not find one method clearer than the other, but I can see how in some articles one might be easier to understand. In some of the other articles I have looked over, qualitative research has been a little clearer to me. Understanding interviews and focus groups can sometimes be a little bit clearer to me than understanding the analysis of data or experiments. Overall, I think it really depends on the what the study is aiming to achieve because collecting the right type of data is crucial to having a clear conclusion and thus contributing to the mass communication field, or whichever field the study pertains to.
