Instructions
Before you begin this assignment, make sure that you read Chapter 1, paying special attention to the section titled, Mode of Enquiry Perspective.

You are the assistant fire chief of a fire department in a growing suburban metropolitan area. The department currently has four stations and 57 full-time employees. Because of the growth of the area, an additional fire station must be built. The city manager has tasked the fire chief with conducting research to determine the best place to build the new fire station and how to staff new fire apparatus once it opens. The fire chief, in turn, is delegating some of the responsibility of completing the initial research to you.

Using knowledge that you have gained from this unit, compare and contrast the three approaches to research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods), and provide an overview to the fire chief about how she can best approach addressing the city manager’s request.

Be sure to address the following topics in your essay.

Explain the basic premise of each of the approaches.
Explain how the three approaches are similar.
Explain how the three approaches differ.
Explain when you would use one approach over the other.
Do you think one approach is better than the others?
Justify your recommendation to the fire chief on which approach to research would be most appropriate to meet the city manager’s request.
Your essay must be at least two full (but not more than five) pages in length, not including the required title and reference pages. It must also contain at least two sources in addition to your textbook. Remember to review the rubric before you begin your essay.

Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed.