Impacting Memory: Quantitative vs. Qualitative

According to Green Doors, (a community housing service that caters to the Homeless to help them get back on their feet) "On any given night, approximately 643,067 people experience homelessness in America." "Approximately 238,110 of those people are in families, 25% suffer from mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, 17% are considered chronically homeless, 13% are fleeing domestic violence, and 12% are veterans." We hear facts like this all the time, but never truly take them to heart. Its because Quantitative data isn't always the most effective form of research.

To truly affect an audience, a good media source must  include both Quantitative and Qualitative data. In the article, What is Qualitative Research, by Jackson, Drummond, and Camara, Quantitative data gives an "accurate representation of a body of messages," but in the form of hard facts and statistics, while remaining an impersonal way of representing information. On the other hand, Qualitative data seeks to understand and experience the research and construct knowledge from said experiences. Often these experiences and stories are the ones we remember because we can relate to the information represented, and come to understand and construct a deeper knowledge of the subject ourselves.

There are many approaches to Qualitative research. Some common methods are Fieldwork, Interviewing, and the Human as Instrument Approach. In fact, all three of these methods were used in Tuned's video. 

In this video, two friends, Dave and Andrew, choose to experience homelessness for a day. Both go through different unique experiences and approach their day's differently. Dave and Andrew both do a form of content analysis while out in the field, one looking specifically at how homeless shelter seeking individuals live and go about their day, the other taking to the streets and parks to live outside. They use the Human as Instrument Approach in their Fieldwork, focusing on understanding homelessness and reflecting back on their own lives and how the two differ.

Looking back at the beginning of the post, the Quantitative facts given (though true and straightforward) may still seem a bit hazy. However in the video, the facts become alive and clear when Dave and Andrew experience them firsthand, and while both Quantitative and Qualitative data contribute to an effective content analysis, it is the Qualitative data that is typically remembered. A quote by Albert Einstein sums this up perfectly.