Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Better Together

On July 18, 2021October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CommunicationsLeave a comment

Multiethnic students around a table in a library, getting advice from their professor on a project — Multiethnic students doing research together in library by Kampus Production from Pexels

As a current graduate student, I’ve been conducting research projects for the past two decades of my life. I’m sure any other academic in their 20s can relate; we’ve practically been raised to run science experiments, think critically, and ask “why” since kindergarten. Research is all we’ve ever known.

Yet, not all research projects are created equal. There is a significant difference between quantitative, numerical research processes and qualitative, narrative-based ones. A statistical analysis will yield widely different results than a one-on-one interview. And it takes careful thought and consideration to determine the best method to use to answer a research question.

An ongoing debate exists between mass communications researchers about which approach is better. On one side of the argument are the positivists, who say that logic, objectivity, and empirical inquiry should serve as the basis of all research if it is to generate valid scientific knowledge. Alternatively, interpretivists maintain that an in-depth understanding of the meaning behind communication is the most valuable outcome of research, regardless of whether causality can be proven.

Below is a short video from Dr. Daniel Davis that examines the differences between the positivist and interpretive paradigms in the context of sociology.

Social Knowledge: Interpretivism vs Positivism – Daniel Davis [YouTube]

Both quantitative and qualitative research are valid approaches in the right context. Actually, in many instances, they have proven to be stronger when they work together.

To back up this point, let’s examine two different mass communications studies conducted in the past decade that investigated gender roles in the context of television advertising.

The first study, presented in a 2011 article in the International Journal of Advertising, measured gender stereotyping on public and private TV channels in Germany using quantitative content analysis. Five variables were chosen and coded to represent the concept of stereotyping in the ads analyzed: the main character’s age, credibility, location, product type, and role. Categories within each variable were assigned numerical values, and statistical tests were applied to prove that gender stereotyping still exists across many facets of television advertising (Knoll, Eisend, & Steinhagen, 2011).

The findings of the German study were conclusive and contributed significant knowledge to the field of communications. Through a quantitative method, evidence was provided that females in TV ads were portrayed more often as younger characters, product users, and in dependent or domestic settings. The study also uncovered a new part of the issue by highlighting differences between ads on private and public channels.

Despite the study’s strengths, it lacked a certain human element. Although it furthered our understanding of gender stereotypes in advertising, it failed to show why the research mattered and impacted real people. This is where qualitative methods come in.

The second study, taken from a 2020 issue of the Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, also used quantitative content analysis to investigate gender roles in TV advertisements (this time in Nigeria rather than Germany). However, this study’s quantitative research was supplemented by qualitative focus group data. Personal stories and opinions were gathered from a discussion with Nigerian schoolgirls about the advertisements, gender roles, and their personal values. In my opinion, the inclusion of the focus group data made all the difference in strengthening the study results.

Not only was the Nigerian study able to numerically show that gender stereotypes are present in advertising, it was able to place a face on the issue and show the real impact of such advertisements on young, female viewers. As the author notes, “data shows that advertisements portray women in the home as homemakers and people who do the shopping…” and “men as the gender that represents workplace, outdoor and leisure environments” (Anweh, 2020, p. 58). The reactions of the children who participated in the focus group confirmed that strong cultural value is placed on the female role as a caregiver in Nigeria.

Quantitative and qualitative methods are always better together. Numbers alone fail to represent the human impact of an issue under study. On the flip side, thoughts and opinions alone don’t always provide scientific credibility. But combine the two, and you’ll have a research project that’s robust, credible, and driven by deep human insight.

References:

Anweh, G. I. (2020). Gender roles representation in television advertisements: Implications for the Nigerian girl-child and role modeling. Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, 6(1), 43-64. https://doi.org/10.30958/ajmmc.6-1-3

Knoll, S., Eisend, M., & Steinhagen, J. (2011). Gender roles in advertising: Measuring and comparing gender stereotyping on public and private TV channels in Germany. International Journal of Advertising, 30(5), 867-888. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-30-5-867-888

What is Public Relations? Revisited

On December 7, 2019January 29, 2020 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 220, PR TrendsLeave a comment

It’s hard to know exactly what a career entails with no direct experience in the field. And walking into the third advertising & public relations class I’d ever taken four months ago, I had little clue what I was getting myself into.

In my first post on this blog, I mentioned that PR is a dynamic and creative profession that requires a commitment to relationship-building. While I still stand by these points, I think that I failed to attest to the tedious process of research and evaluation that goes hand in hand with any PR activity.

After completing a full campaign planbook of my own in CAP 220 across the past semester, I have come to more fully appreciate the amount of meticulous research and planning that goes into every PR campaign. You could have the most creative idea in the world, or be the best communicator around. However, for a campaign to be truly successful, it must be backed up by research that proves the logic of the idea. Even though it takes a lot of time and concentration to comb through secondary sources, conduct surveys, and hold focus groups, the data that these methods reveal make writing actual tactics that much easier. When there is an issue to be addressed, good research can almost solve the problem for you by showing you exactly what your target population wants and needs.

In my own research for the campaign plan I prepared for the Grand Valley State University Division of Inclusion and Equity, I had no idea how long it would take me to synthesize the materials I found. Finding the research was one thing, and extracting meaning from it was quite another. I also learned that it was extremely important (and harder than I expected) not to let preconceived notions or biases creep into my research report. Many times throughout the process, I found myself wanting to prescribe action based on a simple feeling I had about the atmosphere on GVSU’s campus, or on a complaint I had heard from one or two friends. But I now know that a key part of the PR planning process is thorough, well-developed research. And it takes time to do that well.

Evaluation too is a step that I discounted in my initial overview of public relations back in August. It can be really hard to evaluate the outcomes of some public relations campaigns, because there just isn’t a standard measurement system put in place for brand awareness or public attitudes (and truly how can there be?). When something is difficult to calculate or gauge, it’s easy to cast it aside as unimportant. And sadly, many business leaders fail to recognize the value of quality evaluation in public relations just as I did.

While working on my campaign, I came to understand exactly how crucial quality evaluation is when I went to recommend steps for how to evaluate the objectives, strategies, and tactics I suggested for my client to carry out. I needed a clearly defined starting place if my client was to assess how well my proposed ideas helped meet the overall goals and objectives. The only problem? There was no data for me to start with! Because the Division of Inclusion and Equity had failed to keep good records about student awareness of their services, it made it much more difficult to determine how my campaign plan would be evaluated. Consequently, it taught me that consistent and quality evaluation is a crucial part in helping the PR machine to run smoothly.

Coming into CAP 220, I knew that PR was changeable and multifaceted. I knew that it involved strategic thinking and a willingness to “think outside the box” when coming up with solutions. But with the knowledge I gained through the class and especially through working on the campaign book for the GVSU Division of Inclusion and Equity, I’d like to amend my prior assessment of the public relations field. Public relations is a cycle and a process. It is often a messy process. And within it, careful research, creative and strategic planning, and continual evaluation and improvement serve as the best way to drive effective communication and relationship-building.

3 Things PR Practitioners Should Always Do Their Homework On

On September 11, 2019October 29, 2021 By Megan IrelandIn CAP 220, PR TrendsLeave a comment

“All right, time to fix this problem! What is it?”

Exactly the thing you never want to say to your client as a public relations specialist preparing a campaign plan.

Preliminary research is perhaps one of the most important parts of the PR process, simply because you can’t solve an issue without even knowing what the issue is. But beyond the basics of the problem at hand, there are a few other things you should always be sure to do your homework on before you attempt to dive right in and come up with a solution.

Know your audience.

Having a working knowledge of the public your campaign aims to target – their demographics, their perceptions, and their attitudes – is essential. No campaign can reach everyone. But if you can effectively reach and change the ideas of a small, relevant section of the population, you can consider yourself successful. In a 2014 article from PR Journal, professor Denise Bortree concurs that productive communication between corporations and their publics “is built on knowledge of audience interests and expectations” (pg. 1).

So maybe your issue is that WXYZ company has a weak brand that they’d like to revamp. Before you jump into making an action plan to address the problem at hand, take some time to look at exactly who the people the company serves are. Maybe the company is a line of eco-friendly hair and skin care products that caters mostly to middle-aged women who value their health and the protection of the environment. Or they could be a fast-food chain that attracts young families looking to eat out at an affordable price. Each of these businesses would likely serve a very different crowd with very different values and opinions. It’s crucial to do your research on the people who are going to be receiving your message so that you can communicate with them in the most effective way possible.

Know your objectives.

Or your client’s objectives. Either way, having some sort of picture of what you want the result of your campaign to be can help you figure out what tactics to use to get from point A to point B.

Sure, there may be many different ways to tackle the problem. In fact, Arthur Solomon of PR Daily says “every crisis needs original thinking. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. The same is true in non-crisis program planning” (para. 9). But creativity provides all the more reason for you to do your research, talk to management, and know the end goals you or your client strive for. Surely it is easier to be creative when you know whether your objective is to increase awareness of a cause, get a new segment of the public to buy a product, or something else entirely.

Know your competition.

In the business world, if there’s someone out there doing what you do and doing it better, of course you should want to know about it. Not only does researching your competition help you to know what you’re up against, it can give you ideas about tactics that are working for other companies that you might want to try. Communications professor Melissa Dawn Dodd mentions that it’s actually the job of PR professionals “to achieve competitive advantages for their organizations” (2016, pg. 289). And honestly, how can you beat your competition if you don’t even know who you’re up against?

This can be where qualitative research – the kind of research that provides insight into attitudes and perceptions – becomes key. If WXYZ fast food franchise is losing business to restaurant chain ABCD, the PR team working for WXYZ should want to know why. Research tools like surveys and interviews can tell them invaluable information, like perhaps the fact that people prefer ABCD for their cheaper hamburger prices, or their family-friendly atmosphere.

Lightbulb icon — Wikimedia-research-blank by Wikimedia Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0

It’s easy to see how spending even a few hours to research your problem, audience, objectives, and competition can give you a leg up in the PR field. Once you have a solid grasp on where you are, where you want to go, and what obstacles are in your way, that knowledge allows you to be so much more creative while constructing a strategy to achieve your objectives. It’s like destinations on a road map – there might be a million different ways to get from place to place, but without knowing where you must start and end, you’ll be lost.

References:

Dodd, M. D. (2016). Intangible resource management: Social capital
      theory development for public relations. Journal of 
      Communication Management, 20(4), 289-311. doi:10.1108/JCOM-12-
      2015-0095