Qualitative of Quantiative

Nairi Kazazian

HPM 400

What is the best type of data to use when doing research in your field of study: qualitative or quantitative?

In the field of social science what is the best research approach? This has been the topic of debate among scholars for some time now. Can quantitative research take presidency over qualitative, or vice versa? The understanding of why genocides occur is best studied through a qualitative approach. Through participant observation, researchers can witness first hand the atrocities of genocide, and be able to see through the eyes of the people who are living through the saga. Conducting interviews is another method of practicing qualitative research; this gives the interviewer the advantage of being in the presence of genocide survivors. Finally, it is paramount to use documents as data in the investigation of past genocide to help us better understand and possibly prevent future genocides.

Seeing through the eyes of the people, who are living through this time period, is possibly the most involved way of studying a specific case (Bryman, 2008, p.385). Understanding the perspective of the victims is essential for the researcher. It is important to be able to intercept the mind of the other human being to really have a sense of what they are going through (Bryman, 2008, p.385). In Samantha

K1122465

Power’s book “A Problem From Hell:" America and the Age of Genocide her preface focuses on her first-hand experience in Bosnia. As a reporter Power witnessed a young Sarajevo girl getting killed by Serb nationalists. Deeply affected by what she had witnessed, she began to research genocides that had taken place in the twentieth century and highlights how America is often to late to recognize genocide as it occurs. The findings acquired though participant observation can only be done though a qualitative point of view, as it is impossible in reality to replicate the experiences made from being present in that setting. The...