{"id":12945,"date":"2017-11-09T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T13:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/?p=12945"},"modified":"2025-04-25T14:57:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T12:57:29","slug":"types-of-qualitative-and-quantitative-research-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/types-of-qualitative-and-quantitative-research-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of qualitative and quantitative research questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The research process entails many different steps from selecting a methodology to reporting. An often overlooked area of the research process is the development of research questions. However, we take this part of the process very seriously and incorporate a variety of techniques and best practices in our question development\u2014 because if you don\u2019t ask the right questions, you won\u2019t get the right answers. Depending on whether the objective is qualitative or quantitative in nature determines which type or types of research questions should be utilized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quantitative question types<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we know, quantitative research is typically used to determine how, what, when, and where. Questionnaires for quant research are in many ways easier to develop than qual, as once you determine what you need to learn, incorporating those questions into multiple choice, single-select, grid questions, and so on, is more intuitive. Because it\u2019s gathering larger data sets of answers, quantitative methodologies include research questions that are typically more specific:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Descriptive Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0Seek to describe the concept or topic in question. An example of this type would be understanding the usage of a product like the frequency, time of day, the purpose of use, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Comparative Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0Used to analyze the difference between two groups, concepts, or other variables. Examples of these types of questions include comparing the frequency of use between two products, men versus women\u2019s preference for brands, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Relationship-Based Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0Or in some cases causal-based\u2014 these questions work to understand how one variable influences another, like how color influences the desire to purchase a particular product.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Qualitative question types<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As we know, qualitative research is less quantifiable in nature and focuses more on discovering, understanding, and exploring meaning when it comes to an objective. Qual research questions are less direct and far more vague in nature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Exploratory Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0Similar to descriptive questions in quant research, this form of question looks to understand something\u2014 without influencing the results with preconceived notions. For example, asking how a product is used or perceptions around a certain topic are two types of exploratory questions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Predictive Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0As the name entails, these questions seek to understand the intent or future outcome surrounding a topic or action. An example of this type of question would include asking why a consumer behaves in a certain why or how they\u2019d feel if a certain situation were to take place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Interpretive Questions:<\/strong>\u00a0Look to gather feedback on a certain topic or concept without influencing the outcome. For example, testing new product concepts and understanding how messaging claims are interpreted would fall under this type.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Well written questions, regardless of the methodology, provide an easy to understand outlet for respondents to provide their answers. They should not only answer objectives but also identify problems and opportunities. The types of questions above can be used to guide the objectives and the key question of the research or be implemented throughout a questionnaire in order to provide the most relevant insights. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The research process entails many different steps from selecting a methodology to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_toluna_hide_sidebar":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolunacorporate.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}