Qualitative and quantitative methodology in the evaluation of an undergraduate course

Abstract

An analysis of research that evaluates courses offered by Higher Education Institutes reveals the existence of countless works that adopt a quantitative approach. There is very little work that chooses a qualitative approach and that bring together both approaches. Considering this gap and the importance of the issue, we decided to do research that would bring about this combination. Thus, we decided to investigate the views of teachers and students in a Business Administration Course in a Higher Education Institute. Using both approaches (qualitative and quantitative), the following aspects were investigated: course expectations, opportunities offered by the intended career, opinion about the curriculum and the quality of education, reasons that interfere and/or determine changes in students around their initial expectations, relation between organizational factors and variation of students' expectations. Students were asked to answer questionnaires and were also interviewed in groups and with teachers. The research revealed that the combination of the qualitative and quantitative approaches contributed in a substantial way to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon. The research also raised new questions from the results of other work which had a quantitative approach. We believe, therefore, that the qualitative approach has much to contribute on the issue of evaluating the courses given at Higher Education Institutes.