Posted: January 12th, 2022

Application in Fire Research Unit 1 Essay

Application in Fire Research Unit 1 Essay

QUESTION:

Instructions

Before you begin this assignment, make sure that you read Chapter 1, paying particular attention to the section titled “Mode of Enquiry Perspective.”

You are the assistant fire chief of a fire department in a growing suburban metropolitan area. The department currently has four stations and 57 full-time employees. Because of the area’s growth, an additional fire station must be built. The city manager has tasked the fire chief with researching the best place to build the new fire station and how to staff new fire apparatus once it opens. The fire chief, in turn, is delegating some of the responsibility of completing the initial research to you.

Using the knowledge you have gained from this unit, compare and contrast the three approaches to research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods), and provide an overview to the fire chief about how she can best approach addressing the city manager’s request.

Be sure to address the following topics in your essay.

• Explain the basic premise of each of the approaches.
• Explain how the three approaches are similar.
• Explain how the three approaches differ.
• Explain when you would use one approach over the other.
• Do you think one approach is better than the others?
• Justify your recommendation to the fire chief on which research approach would be most appropriate to meet the city manager’s request.

Your essay must be at least two full (but not more than five) pages in length, not including the required title and reference pages. It must also contain at least two sources in addition to your textbook. Remember to review the rubric before you begin your essay.

Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources used. Please note that no abstract is needed.

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ANSWER:

Comparison of the Common Research Approaches

Research is the process of obtaining answers to critical professional questions. It can also be defined as a way of thinking to critically examine a situation to raise sufficient evidence to help formulate policies and guidelines and institute certain changes within one’s profession. (Baxter, 2010) It involves the question of “what you do”, and the possibility of improving the existing situation.

It, therefore, the systematic scrutiny of the observations made to help in the betterment of service. (Ibid) The type of research to be carried out is often determined by the study’s objectives (the problem questions). In this paper, three research approaches (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods) are compared and contrasted with settling for the best approach in the search for a location to set up a new fire station and fire apparatus after it is erected.

All three approaches have various distinct characteristics; data collection is structurally approached in the quantitative approach. The researcher predetermined the research questions and objectives before the actual field data collection process. In this type of research, there is rigidity in all aspects of the process.

The results under this approach are often based on large sample sizes, and the study can be replicated or redone. It is vital in generating theories and models since it involves sample measurements and experiments to quantify variations. Of all the types of research, quantitative is the most appropriate approach when the determination of an extent or magnitude of a particular problem or issue is involved (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004)

In qualitative approach, on the other hand, involves solely describing the situation. In this type, there is some flexibility in the aspects of the processes involved. The data collection approach is unstructured and predominantly deals with the nature of the problem, majoring in the variations and diversity in a given phenomenon (Apuke, 2017).

The data collected in this approach are measured in nominal or ordinal scales, and analysis is done to obtain variations. It is, therefore, the best approach when the required research answer involves the opinion of people or a description of the observed situation. (Silverman, 2020)

The mixed-method approach is where both the qualitative and quantitative data analysis processes are incorporated towards the solution of a particular research problem. Data collected under this method cuts across both the open and closed-ended with the aim of getting a response to research questions. The procedures for the quantitative and qualitative methods are carried out Rigorously and in a persuasive manner, respectively (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004).

The three approaches some similarities are used in them. Raw data and the analysis of the data collected are involved in all of them. Despite the difference in the types of data collected, all the approaches aim to achieve the research questions and the solution to a given problem. Although quantitative research involves figures, all the methods have similar use of samples, design, and questions to achieve observations for analysis.

Consequently, these research methods have differences. In the quantitative method, the approach to inquiry is Structured, rigid, and predetermined methodology, while in the qualitative approach, the methodology is open, flexible, and unstructured. Another outstanding difference is the purpose of the investigation.

Quantitative research seeks to quantify the extent of variation in a situation, whereas the qualitative approach is aimed to describe the variation in a phenomenon. Analysis of data also shows a remarkable difference between the two research approaches.

In quantitative methods, the data collected is subjected to various statistical procedures such as cross-tabulations and frequency distribution, among others, to Annalise the data collected. In the qualitative method, on the other hand, the narratives and the observation are subjected to qualitative measurement scales. (McCusker & Gunaydin, 2015)

When carrying out research, the choice of the best approach between qualitative and quantitative will be determined by the aim of the research itself. Quantitative research will be the best option when a researcher aims to confirm or test a theory. The qualitative method will be suitable when the research aims to understand a given concept in a phenomenon clearly.

Apart from the aim, another determinant of the best research approach is time and resource availability. More time and resources are required in quantitative methods than in qualitative research. The mixed method can also be used in a situation where the understanding of similarities and differences between quantitative results and the qualitative findings of a problem is required.

These approaches have various strengths and weaknesses. There is no superior method to the rest since the choice and preference of one is made based on the aim of the research problem. (Hong, Gonzalez‐Reyes,& Pluye 2018). For more affirmation, it is the purpose of the study, the type of data required, and to some degree area of specialization and the subject of study that will determine the preferred method.

In conclusion, in the research, for the best location to erect a new fire station, I would recommend the use of a qualitative research approach. This is because all three approaches it is the best method that will give the opinions of the members of the public and even the organization itself. Moreover, the qualitative method clarifies the situation’s description, which is vital in the location of any given firm.

  References

Apuke, O. D. (2017). Quantitative research methods: A synopsis approach. Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 33(5471), 1-8.

Blaxter, L. (2010). How to research. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Hong, Q. N., Gonzalez‐Reyes, A., & Pluye, P. (2018). Improving the usefulness of a tool for appraising the quality of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 24(3), 459-467.

Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational researcher, 33(7), 14-26.

McCusker, K., & Gunaydin, S. (2015). Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion, 30(7), 537-542.

Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2020). Qualitative research. Sage Publications Limited.