Social Aspects of Fashion
LIbrary Guide for FSH 204: Examining clothing and fashion within various cultural contexts, focusing on how images and representations of clothing influence meaning and perception.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
| Qualitative | Quantitative |
|---|---|
| cannot be counted numerically | can be counted numerically |
| focuses on description of qualities over measurement | focuses on measurement over description |
| often takes place in a naturalistic environment | often takes place in a controlled environment |
| does not employ statistical analysis | employs statistical analysis |
| Examples: focus groups, interviews, open-ended surveys (unstructured responses) | Examples: close-ended surveys, data analysis |
Databases with Qualitative/Quantitative Limiters
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APA PsycNETClick Advanced under the search box to go into Advanced search; then under Filters, select Methodology to open options including Qualitative/Quantitative Study.
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CINAHL UltimateSearches can be limited to qualitative studies by selecting one of the "Qualitative" options under the Clinical Queries dropdown menu.
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ICPSR: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social ResearchSearch for keywords and, in search results, under Data Type, select either qualitative or quantitative.
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MEDLINE (ProQuest)Advanced search includes an option to limit searches to Clinical queries including Qualitative.
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PsycINFOCan narrow searches to Quantitative/Qualitative Studies in the Methodology section.
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SAGE Research MethodsClick on Advanced Search (to the right of search box), then under Datasets, select either All Quantitative or All Qualitative.
Mixed Methods
Research does not have to be entirely qualitative or quantitative. Studies that employ both methods are referred to as mixed methods.