The data are 'quantitative' if they are in a numerical form and 'qualitative' if they have descriptive form. Notice that qualitative data could be much more than just words or text. Photographs, videos, sound recordings and so on, can be considered as qualitative data. Qualitative and quantitative data are intimately related to each other. All quantitative data are based upon qualitative judgments; and all qualitative data can be described and manipulated numerically. All qualitative information can be converted into quantitative one, and there are many times when doing so would add considerable value to your research. The simplest way to do this is to divide the qualitative information into units and number them! I know that sounds trivial, but even that simple nominal numeration can enable you to organize and process qualitative information more efficiently.

wirtschaftswachstum --Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:26:10 +0000