AN ANALYSIS OF THE STRENGTHS AND LIMITATION OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH PARADIGMS

Although some social science researchers (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Schwandt, 1989) perceive qualitative and quantitative approaches as incompatible, others (Patton, 1990; Reichardt & Cook, 1979) believe that the skilled researcher can successfully combine approaches. The argument usually becomes muddled because one party argues from the underlying philosophical nature of each paradigm, and the other focuses on the apparent compatibility of the research methods, enjoying the rewards of both numbers and words. Because the positivist and the interpretive paradigms rest on different assumptions about the nature of the world, they require different instruments and procedures to find the type of data desired.. Nonetheless, people tend to adhere to the methodology that is most consonant with their socialized worldview. This paper is set to analyze the strengths and limitations of Qualitative research focusing on its shortcomings and how Quantitative research can overcome these shortcomings. The paper concludes that an eclectic approach to educational research can not an option.