\ten(t)-shən\ noun ~ a state of latent hostility or opposition between individuals or groups
An examination of the tension inherent in the qualitative and quantitative debate first requires an understanding of the two terms in question. Both forms of research follow from an empirical process involving the standard collection, analysis, and interpretation of data (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). But to describe their distinctions as a simple comparison between words (qualitative) and numbers (quantitative) is to over-generalize their fundamentally different ways of approaching the research process. Qualitative research involves emergent and inductive research designs, processes, and analyses that focus on the interpretation and meaning of phenomenon and/or participant experience in a natural setting. Conversely, quantitative research is a deductive and theory-driven approach focusing on strict measurement and control of variables within large samples and using analysis to identify statistical links among the data (Creswell, 2014; Ponterotto, 2005).