Introduction
Before starting collecting data and writing the methodological part of the paper, it is an integral step to determine how the research design of the paper will look like. In the initial steps, there was the elaboration of a proper topic statement and research questions. Although the major hypotheses of the paper were not fully formulated yet, there is a sense of thinking about the possible methods that will be used in the research. Conventionally, scholars choose between qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research strategies. In the area of my study (proactive hazard identification and line maintenance in commercial aviation), it is beneficial to use quantitative methods rather than qualitative ones.
Methods used in the Related Literature
The proper way to understand which methods are applicable is to analyze the academic literature that is associated with the main topic of the study. Because the scope of research is quite specific, there is no requirement to search articles with the same type of study. In fact, the articles for consideration can discuss different aspects: causes of accidents in aviation, analysis of the effectiveness of issues reporting systems, risk assessment models, etc.
Concerning qualitative research papers, it should be clarified that this type of method can also be associated with numbers. In fact, it is a stereotypical view that if a paper has complicated tables with coefficients and numbers, it is a quantitative research design. For example, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is also associated with numerical work, but it helps to use medium number of cases if there is no possibility to incorporate full-scale quantitative research with a big sample (Kan et al., 2020). Concerning sources, Bağan and Gerede (2019) in their study of outsourcing of aircraft maintenance operations used qualitative method by conducting interviews with experts and coding their answers to underscore arguments repeated in experts’ answers. Habib and Turkoglu (2020) trying to understand the influence of aircraft maintenance on aircraft accidents used content analysis. They analysed accident reports case by case without making any general big samples for analysis. Thus, the qualitative type is quite popular in the area under study because it allows understanding the problem deeper and avoiding the problem of lack of cases for large-n analysis.
As for quantitative research, intuitively it seems that in the topic of aircraft safety and aviation in general, the quantitative approach will be popular. However, the existing modern literature demonstrates that it is not the fully correct view (Zimmermann & Mendonc 2021; Sun & Zhang, 2021). This sphere is related to the analysis of managerial practices, not with the mathematical calculation of any formulas how people can think. As for data, it is hard to create a dataset that will have many observations and cases of proactive hazard identification. Nevertheless, there are articles that effectively use quantitative methods that contradict my point of view. For example, Kumar et al. (2021) in their study of go-around effectiveness for safety conducted his empirical work on the basis of 890 flights in San Francisco. In other words, they found a sufficient number of observations for the use of the quantitative approach. In the article written by Patriarca et al. (2019), a method similar to the text-as-data method is applied. They analyse the different regulation papers of hazards management in aircraft, focusing on the repeatable concepts and rules.
All in all, scholars in the field of airplanes safety management use both quantitative and qualitative methods. The fundamental question is the availability of data for the research (Disman et al., 2017). A quantitative approach will be effective for small-n comparisons, medium n size samples, and case studies (Bryman, 2017). If a researcher wants more generalized and verified answers to research questions and hypotheses, she needs to collect as much valid data as possible. In the case of the research on the impact of proactive hazard identification and reporting in line and hangar maintenance on commercial aviation accident trends, I can collect the cases when proactive hazard identification showed positive/negative results for safety on airplanes.
Why Use Quantitative Research Approach
Quantitative research is the most common form of research due to its ability to standardize data collection and analysis. It also helps researchers effectively generalize, summarize, and conclude study findings (Queirós et al., 2017). The research method has several pros, such as replication, the ability to analyze large samples, direct result comparisons, and its ease in testing hypotheses. The different advantages are discussed in the following sections.
Firstly, it is easy to repeat a given study as the data collection tools, and apparatus are standardized. For instance, interview questions and questionnaires can be reproduced and given to another population sample. It implies that the same research can be repeated after a long period without losing touch on the data collection methods and tools. It enables the research to avoid chances of bias by exposing all respondents to the same set of questions which helps generalize the results.
Secondly, quantitative researches are designed to analyze large data sets using consistent and reliable procedures. The reliability of quantitative research depends on the accuracy in choosing sample size. Unless the right mechanisms are employed in sample selection, the results may be biased. However, if the sample size represents the target population properly, the results are entirely effective and reliable (Rahman, 2020). This makes it easy for researchers to study large populations by just focusing on the selected sample sizes.
Lastly, the research makes it easy for researchers to test the study hypothesis with established and formalized procedures (Rahman, 2020). The researchers are able to carefully analyze, interpret and present their data prior to making conclusions (Rahman, 2020). The procedures help researchers detail their data collection and testing approaches, study variables and predictions in a statistically accountable manner which help them formulate conclusions (Savela, 2018). The conclusions either support or denounce the study hypothesis, which is also the study’s main conclusion.
Specific Implications of Quantitative Method for Research Topic
It will be beneficial for my study to use quantitative methods. For example, I as a researcher can collect data on how proactive hazard identification helped the airplanes to become safer. One of the ideas is to use an imaginary experiment by considering two samples: cases with the use of proactive hazard identification and reporting in line and cases that have not used such techniques. The statistically significant relationship will show the validity of dependency of planes’ safety from proactive hazard identification and reporting in line. Nevertheless, it will take a lot of effort to collect such a specific type of data. The proper collection of appropriate data will play a major role in the success/failure of my research.
Conclusion
The two main research methods applicable in safety studies are quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research collects, analyses, interprets, and presents statistically quantifiable data. The data is collected using established tools such as interviews and questionnaires. Qualitative research uses standard theories to analyze and conclude on non-numerical data. Safety management systems operate on numerical data that is analyzed for better decision-making and conclusions. Conventionally, the safety of airplanes is measured by analyzing the frequency of occurrence of an accident or incident, which can only be analyzed quantitatively. Quantitative research is chosen over the qualitative approach because of its pros which include: ease of testing hypothesis, replication, ability to study large populations, and its suited for numerical and statistical analysis.
References
Bağan, H., & Gerede, E. (2019). Use of a nominal group technique in the exploration of safety hazards arising from the outsourcing of aircraft maintenance.Safety Science, 118, 795-804.
Bryman, A. (2017). Quantitative and qualitative research: further reflections on their integration. In Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research (pp. 57-78). Routledge.
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Kan, A. K. S., Adegbite, E., El Omari, S., & Abdellatif, M. (2016). On the use of qualitative comparative analysis in management. Journal of Business Research, 69(4), 1458-1463.
Kumar, S. G., Corrado, S. J., Puranik, T. G., & Mavris, D. N. (2021). Classification and analysis of go-arounds in commercial aviation using ADS-B data. Aerospace, 8(10), 291.
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Rahman, M. S. (2020). The advantages and disadvantages of using qualitative and quantitative approaches and methods in language “testing and assessment” research: A literature review.
Savela, T. (2018). The advantages and disadvantages of quantitative methods in schoolscape research.Linguistics and Education, 44, 31-44.
Sun, R. S., & Zhang, N. (2021). Study on Flight Training Safety of Fuyun Airport in Xinjiang Province Based on Threat and Error Management. In The 2021 3rd International Conference on Big Data Engineering (pp. 144-149).
Zimmermann, N., & Mendonca, F. A. C. (2021). The Impact of Human Factors and Maintenance Documentation on Aviation Safety: An Analysis of 15 Years of Accident Data Through the PEAR Framework. The Collegiate Aviation Review International, 39(2).