In order to gain a full understanding of either the qualitative or quantitative approach, it is important to first give an overview of what research is all about. Research deal with the search for knowledge and also can be utilized to investigate knowledge and facts. Research h can also be defined as a scientific and systematic approach towards the search for information on a particular subject matter. From that above definition, it can be said that research is carried out to seek and provide solutions to an existing problem or add to an existing knowledge with a futuristic scope.
Undergraduate research projects can be utilized in propounding of new theories as well as support some theories. More so, research can be said to be involved in building of knowledge, carrying out some experiments in order to find the cause and effect of a particular problem as well as to provide the basis for further research by other researchers. However, many at times people have mistaken research for what it is not like saying research is all about gathering of information. But on the contrary, there is more to research than just gathering of information. Research therefore, involves the collection, analyzing, and interpreting of data in order to get a thorough understanding of an event, happening, fact, or situation. From the above, it can be seen that research is systematic because it follows certain guidelines in arriving at a conclusion from its findings. The systematic nature of an accurate research, it avails researchers on what should be added as well as what should be excluded from the research. It also tells the direction the research should go and how the research should be carried out. Research as a process of steps used to collect and analyze information in order to increase our understanding of a topic or happenstances.
QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

Quantitative approach emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques.
A quantitative research method deals with quantifying and analyzing variables in order to get results. It involves the utilization and analysis of numerical data using specific statistical techniques to answer questions like who, how much, what, where, when, how many, and how. Quantitative research approach is an approach that explains an issue or phenomenon through gathering data in numerical form and analyzing with the aid of mathematical methods; in particular statistics. Furthermore, using the quantitative approach in a research, numerical data are collected and analyzed using statistical methods. Quantitative approach also involves the collection of data so that information can be quantified and subjected to statistical treatment in order to support or refute alternative knowledge claims. However, it must known that the quantitative approach in a research employs strategies of inquiry such as experiments and surveys, and collects data on predetermined instruments that yield statistical data.
Quantitative Research establishes statistically significant conclusions about a population by studying a representative sample of the population. The population consists of the entire group being studied. It does not matter if the population is broad or narrow; only that it includes every individual that fits the description of the group under study.

QUALITATIVE APPROACH

As a result, the qualitative approach has gained momentum as a mode of inquiry over the years. Qualitative research is a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. By systematic it means planned, ordered and public following rules agreed upon by members of the qualitative research community. Therefore, qualitative approach describes an event in its natural setting. It is a subjective way to look at life as it is lived and an attempt to explain the studied behavior. Rather than design an experiment and artificially control the variables, qualitative researchers use anthropological and ethnographic methods to study the participants. As little intrusion as possible should occur in qualitative research and a researcher will frequently observe the participants unnoticed.
Qualitative approach is used in understanding social phenomena and happenstances. Therefore, it can be said to focus more on real life inquiries. It also goes further in focusing on the "why" and “how” rather than the "what" of social phenomena and depends on the direct experiences of human beings as meaning-making agents in their everyday lives. However, a researcher can choose to use any of the qualitative approach such as Descriptive Research, Correlation Research, Experimental Research, and Survey Research.

WHY STUDENTS PREFER QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO QUALITATIVE APPROACH

There are several reasons why undergraduate students prefer to use the quantitative approach to qualitative approach in their research. Some of the reasons are: quantitative research is more preferred over qualitative research because it is more scientific, objective, fast, focused and acceptable. However, qualitative research is used when the researcher has no idea what to expect. It is used to define the problem or develop and approach to the problem.
Instead of providing a broad view of a phenomenon that can be generalized to the population, qualitative research only seeks to explain a current situation and only describes that situation for that group. Because of the nature of qualitative approach which focuses only on a current situation, it is therefore mostly done in the field. Although a focus group is conducted in a controlled environment, the open ended questions and lack of rigid sample selection make it seem more like a field exercise. Whereas quantitative research seeks to validate a theory by conducting an experiment and analyzing the results numerically, qualitative research seeks to arrive at a theory that explains the behavior observed. In this way, it can be said that quantitative research is more deductive and qualitative research is more inductive. Some other reasons are:

a) It Is Easy To Interpret And Fast: quantitative approach is easier to interpret than the qualitative approach to research. The quantitative approach is fast because data collection using questionnaires is relatively quick for because it gives audience the comfort of their time to fill up their opinion as regard the case study.

b) Easy with statistical tools: the statistical tools used in quantitative approach are easy and simple to use. A large amount of data is gathered and then analyzed statistically. This almost erases bias, and if more researchers run the analysis on the data, they would always end up with the same numbers at the end of the analysis.

c) Research hypothesis are easily tested: in quantitative approach, research hypothesis can be easily tested and verified.

d) Less biased/objective: quantitative approach basically aims for objectivity i.e. a research without bias, and is separated from the data. Researchers have clearly defined research questions to which objective answers are sought.

Conclusion
In conclusion, in as much as qualitative data adds humanity to data, quantitative data usually comes at the end to use numerical data to make conclusions and appropriate recommendations to the problem. However, both qualitative and quantitative approach has their flaws. It is imperative to note that quantitative research method deals with a larger population and quantifiable data and will, therefore, produces a more reliable result than qualitative approach in a research.
Finally, it could be deduced that the first thing a research tackles or deals with is explaining of an issue be it qualitative or quantitative. Both are good but it depends on what you want to achieve in the research.

Pls what type if research us this topic: 'assessment of effect if urbanization in tree specie density and diversity in an area of study' thank u and if u have the material or any more explanations on how to tackle the topic, pls do help me with it.