Story or Numbers?

Quantitative research is composed of peoples lives and experiences turn into numeric representations, while qualitative research is “data with a soul.” So which of these would work best to research the specific topic of the foster care system? On the one hand, there is a wide array of data from the foster care system, and often, decisions have to be made quickly to minimize the possible trauma and to create a stable environment for children as soon as possible. It is clear than how quantitative research could really be beneficial for such a cause. The ‘simplicity’ of numbers to provide a rank order of options is hard to pass up. However, in what discipline would it be more important to capture the soul of the person being researched than in social work. These children in foster care have stories and perspectives that are impactful. They are in a situation that only they know about. These stories can not be discounted, and yet, large decisions are hard to make based on stories. Therefore, both types of research need to be done in this area to really achieve a well-rounded view of the state of the foster care system in America and how we can work together to make it better.

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