Research can be divided into three broad areas: descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative. Some researchers subsume descriptive research (archival) as quantitative. However, for this discussion, we are considering it a separate kind, as descriptive research can fall into either area: qualitative or quantitative. Your assignment for this discussion is to prepare a 250-300 word post differentiating qualitative, quantitative, and analysis of availability data. Identify those attributes that form the essence of these three research venues.

Questions that might be considered:

• What are the differences in types of data / information among the three venues?
• What are the expected outcomes when using each kind? For example, does using available data enable one to determine cause and effect?
• Which venue utilizes narrative and observation as a data source?
• What are some advantages / disadvantages for each research venue?