Module 1 | PR 2: THE NATURE OF INQUIRY & RESEARCH

 INTRODUCTION

MODULE 4
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MODULE 1

The Nature of Inquiry and Research

In this module, you are expected to demonstrate critical understanding of the characteristics,
strengths, weaknesses, and kinds of quantitative research; the importance of quantitative research
across disciplines; and the nature of variables.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

In this module, you should be able to:

 recall the nature of inquiry and research;
 describe the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of quantitative research;
 identify the different types of quantitative research;
 recognize the importance of quantitative research across fields; and
 differentiate the kinds of variables and their use in research.

Pre-Assessment:

Directions: Read the question in each item carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. People inclined to doing a quantitative research want to discover truth in ____________.

a. an exact manner b. a careful manner c. an indirect way d. a personal way
2. A quantitative research presents research findings in this manner:
a. Many prefer to study with textbooks.
b. Students find textbooks indispensible or necessary.
c. Perhaps, 30% consider textbook unnecessary in their studies.
d. Out of 100 students, 90 find textbooks beneficial to others.
3. The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d. triangulation
4. Which is a classification of individuals, objects, or responses based on a common property or
characteristic?
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
5. How do you measure the variable “number of students per class” (All sections; Grade 12)?
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
6. Anything that can change due to circumstances is called a _________.
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a. hypothesis b. research problem c. attribute d. variable

7. They cause changes in the subject of an experimental study.
a. operational variables c. emergent variables
b. independent variables d. dependent variables
8. Fahrenheit temperature, standardized intelligence test score and age
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
9. Data is in the form of words, pictures or objects.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d. triangulation
10. It is based on numerical measurements and use statistical methods as key research indicators.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d triangulation

MODULE MAP
Quantitative Research

Characteristics &
Types
Strengths &
Weaknesses
Its Importance
Across Fields
Variables and
their Uses

In this module, you are expected to recall the nature of inquiry and research; describe the
characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of quantitative research; identify its different types;
recognize its importance across fields; and differentiate the kinds of variables and their use in
research.
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CORE CONTENTS

ENGAGE

Recalling the Nature of Inquiry

Activity 1: Sketch your own Schematic Diagram that explains the nature of research.

EXPLORE

Examining Quantitative Research

Activity 2: Individual Reading Activity

Nature of Inquiry

Inquiry is an active learning process that motivates you to obtain knowledge or information
about people, things, places, or events. You do this by investigating or asking questions about
something you are inquisitive about. - Inquiry is defined as the “quest for truth, information, or
knowledge through questioning” (How People Learn, 1999).
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What is Research?

The word “research” is a combination of the prefix “re” (do again) and the root word “search”
(to seek, explore, and investigate). Research is a continuous and repetitious pursuit of knowledge in
order to arrive at the truth. Research is a systematic investigation and study of materials and
sources to establish facts and reach new conclusions. It is the acquisition of new knowledge
through a purposive, organized, and designed program of activities. It seeks to find the answers to
the problems and generate new information for a better understanding of the concepts under study.

What is Quantitative Research?

Quantitative research is a type of educational research in which the researcher decides what
to study; asks specific, narrow questions; collects quantifiable data from participants; analyses
these numbers using statistics; and conducts the inquiry in an unbiased, objective manner.
In other words, quantitative research focuses on numerical data, such as weight, height,
width, length, age, speed, time, size, and temperature among other things that can be measured;
while qualitative research concerns itself with words, ideas, pictures, videos, sounds, smells,
artifacts, and other non-numerical data. This differentiation may be simplistic, but it is effective to
keep this basic difference in mind to establish direction in your research undertaking.
In quantitative research, numerical data is collected using structured and pre-tested or
validated survey instruments. Today, online questionnaires are the most popular survey tools as
they also provide quick and tabulated results. Websites such as SurveyMonkey, SurveyGizmon,
KwikSurveys, and Google Forms offer such survey services. Results of quantitative researches are
drawn from analyzing numerical data.

Purpose and Uses

The purpose of any scientific inquiry is to add a body of knowledge that helps explain,
predict, or control events of interest in the domain. And, most often, this is done through the use of
quantitative research approach.
Quantitative research approach examines social phenomena through pieces of quantifiable
evidence and often relies on statistical analysis of many cases to create valid and reliable claims.
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As a type of empirical research, its investigation focuses on confirmable observation that often times
are expressed in numbers. A researcher will represent and manipulate certain observations that
they are studying. They will attempt to explain what is they are seeing and what effect it has on a
subject. The overall goal is to convey numerically what is being seen in the research and to arrive at
specific and observable conclusions.

Research Aspect Quantitative Research

Purpose To test hypothesis, look at cause and effect, and

make predictions.

The purpose of the research Average: seek common, representative features

Samples Large samples and randomly selected to

produce generalizable results

Criteria to identify respondents or key informants Representative: chosen informants must

represent the target group

Design of method Systematic: survey with closed questions

Data collection approach Structured response; categories provided

Type of data collected Numbers and statistics

Key concepts of methodology Explanation: How? How many? Who does what?
Causal explanations

Form of data collected Quantitative data based on precise

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measurements using structured and validated

instruments

Examples of investigations Surveys by mail, online or handout

Type of data analysis Identify statistical relationships

Role of researcher Researcher and his biases are not known to

participants in the study; participant
characteristics are deliberately hidden from the
researcher (double blind studies).

Researcher independence Researcher is an uninvolved observer. Results

are objective.

Results Generalizable findings that can be applied to

other populations.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
- It investigates, measures and describes one or more aspects or characteristics of one or
more groups, communities, or phenomenon.
- It answers research questions that start with:
“How many….?”
“How much….?”
“How often….?”
“How long….?”
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- The subjects it deals with are complex and require systematic research and measurement to
be answered.

Example:
A school principal wants to understand the students’ study habits in different grade levels and
sections within the school. She can ask the homeroom teachers to survey the parents of their
students on how their kids spend their time in a typical week. Based on the answers, the principal
can learn about the average time that students in each section/grade level spend on homework,
projects, reviewing for classes, watching TV, playing computer games, surfing the internet, and
other activities. She can then prepare a report and present this information to the PTA and make
recommendations based on the findings.

CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
- It studies the relationship between two or more characteristics of one or more groups.
- It can verify or disprove a systematic relationship between two variables.
- A positive (+) relationship means that high values of one variable correspond with high
values of the other; a negative (-) relationship means that high values of one variable
correspond with low values in the other.

Example:
A school principal wants to know whether the time spent by pupils playing computer games
affects their grades. The principal can perform a simple statistical test to determine whether there is
a significant relationship between the number of hours spent by pupils playing computer games and
their quarterly grades in different subjects.

In this example,
Positive relationship – the more hours they spend on playing computer games the higher their
grades become
Negative relationship – the more hours they spend on playing computer game, the lower their
grades become

CAUSAL – COMPARATIVE RESEARCH

- It compares one or more measurable characteristics of two or more groups to find the
similarities and the differences between them.
- The result of a comparison can be used to generate insights about the characteristics of both
groups. As well, it can be used to determine the possible underlying causes of these
similarities or differences.
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Example:
A principal wants to know why students from two sections that have the same teachers at the
same grade level in the same school perform differently. One section is performing well, while the
other is doing poorly. The teachers can collect information about their socio-economic background,
their study habits, diet, and other activities. The data collected can be compared to see if there are
systematic differences between the two groups. Once the differences are identified, they can
proceed with investigating which differences explain the variance in academic performance.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
- Social science experimental researches attempt to approximate methods used in the natural
sciences in social setting.
- Researchers actively manipulate conditions or inputs to observe the outcomes.
- This is subject to ethical standards to safeguard the total well-being of a person or
environment.

Example:
A P.E. teacher wants to know whether exercising in the morning 3 times a week affects the
length of sleep that pupils get at night. The teacher invites 100 pupils from the same grade to
participate: 50 of them exercise in the morning for 45 minutes, 3 times a week. Another 50 students
do not exercise for a month. The pupils are asked to record how many hours they sleep per night.
After a month, the 2 groups switch. The first will not exercise and the second group will do the same
exercise. Using data from the experiment, the teacher can determine if morning exercise leads to
longer sleep at night.

Quantitative research can be exciting and highly informative. It can be used to help explain
all sorts of phenomena. The best quantitative research gathers precise empirical data and can be
applied to gain a better understanding of several fields of study. At this point, let us explore the
strong points or advantages of using quantitative method as well as its limitations:
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STRENGTHS
 Relatively faster and easier to do
 Useful for large sample or population
 Generates accurate and credible results
 Data analysis can be done by software
 Objective and free from researcher‟s bias
 Samples are randomly selected
 Study is replicable and the instruments used may be re-used

WEAKNESSES
 Statistical aspects may be too technical for average readers to comprehend
 Results may be too abstract and extensive for application
 Disregards the importance of “effects”
 Results may be too limited as they only provide numeric interpretations rather than detailed
narrative accounts or insights

Advantages of Quantitative Research

1. It provides estimates of populations at large.
2. It indicates the extensiveness of attitudes held by people.
3. It provides results which can be condensed to statistics.
4. It allows for statistical comparison between various groups.
5. It is precise, definitive and standardized.
6. It measures level of occurrence, actions, trends, etc.
7. It can answer such questions as "How many?" and "How often?"

Use of Quantitative Method Across Fields

The different fields of social sciences use quantitative

Social Science Discipline Quantitative Methodological Technique

Poll survey (use of one multiple choice question)

Examples:
Political Science  Opinion poll (a survey of public opinion
from a particular sample)
 Exit poll (taken immediately after the
voters have exited the polling stations to
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gain an early indication as to how an

election has turned out)
 Entrance poll ( is taken directly before
voters cast their votes)

Demography Census
Attitude / motivation survey
Psychology Experimental research
Correlational study
Feasibility study
Economics Customer satisfaction survey
Economic data survey
Economic statistics for time-series study
Field survey
Web-based survey
Sociology Mail-out questionnaire
Longitudinal and cross-section surveys

THE USE OF VARIABLES IN RESEARCH

 A variable is the characteristic of a data set.
 A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category
which can be measured (Kalof, Dan, & Dietz, 20018).
 Attributes (sub-values) are the possible observations or the data to be processed in a
research.
 It is made up of the root word “vary” which means to undergo changes or to differ from,
variables have varying values in relation to time and situation.

For instance, as years go by, your age or intelligence increases. But placed in a situation
where you are afflicted by a disease or have no means of reading or no access to „knowledge‟, your
intelligence tends to decrease. (Suter 2013, p.137)

Research is not possible without taking into account measurable factors that are subject to
change due to certain conditions or situations. Anything that can change due to circumstances is
called a variable. Variables are “changing qualities or characteristics” of persons or things like age,
gender, intelligence, ideas, achievements etc. that are involved in your research study.
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TYPES OF VARIABLES

Independent Variables (IV)

 They cause changes in the subject
 This is the Input variable.
 The probable cause of an event.

Dependent Variables (DV)

 The bear or manifest the effects caused by the Independent Variable
 This is the outcome variable.
 A result of the modifications or manipulations made on the independent variable.
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MEASURING VARIABLES

Nominal Variables
 The classification of individuals, objects, or responses based on a common property or
characteristic.
 Frequencies/occurrences can be counted but not ranked.
 They may have two or more categories depending on the extent of the variation.
Examples: Gender (male or female); College Major (English, Pol.Sci.,Math, etc.); Religion (Catholic,
Muslim, Protestant, etc.)

Ordinal Variables
 They have all the characteristics of a nominal variable but ranked in a certain order. The
relative position of one case is known.
Examples: Social class (upper, middle, low); Competition (first, second, third); Typhoon signal
number (1,2,3&4)

Interval Variables
 This is a numerical variable. An interval measure describes a variable whose attributes are
rank-ordered and have equal distances between adjacent attributes. They do not have a
“true zero” value.
Examples: Fahrenheit temperature (the scale between 70 and 80 degrees is the same as 30 and 40
degrees; but “0” does not mean no temperature; Standardized intelligence test score; Age
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Ratio Variables
 Ratio variables have the characteristics of nominal, ordinal, and interval measures. They are
based on a fixed starting point or a “true zero point” (Kumar 1996; Babbie 2010). The value
of zero represents none or nothing.
Example: Annual Family Income in Thousands of Pesos (1200 Php, 2500 Php, 4800 Php); Number
of students per classroom (38, 47, 56); Voter turnout per presidential election (38, 000, 000;
33,000,000; 27, 000,000)

EXPLAIN

Checking for Comprehension

Activity 3: Directly or concisely respond to the questions below:

1. Give three (3) characteristics of quantitative research and explain each in your own words.

2. What is the greatest strength of quantitative researches? Support your answer.

3. What is the greatest weakness of quantitative researches? Support your answer.

4. In what way can quantitative researches help people face or resolve pandemic-related
problems in the health or education sector?
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EXTEND

Spotting the Variables

Activity 4: Situation Analyses

a. In quantitative research, the relationship of variables is examined. Differentiate an
independent variable from a dependent variable

Independent Variable (IV) Dependent Variable (DV)

b. If you are to study the relationship of school performance and study habits of Grade 11
students in your school, which is the independent variable and the dependent variable in this
scenario?

Independent Variable (IV) Dependent Variable (DV)

c. For each of the following situations, identify and provide:

i. THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
ii. THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE
iii. 2 attributes of the Independent Variable

Independent Variable – probable cause of an event

Dependent Variable – outcome of the study
Attributes – possible observations or the data to be processed

EXAMPLE
1. Effect of gender on the academic performance of students
i. Independent Variable - Gender
ii. Dependent Variable - Academic Performance of Students
iii. 2 Attributes: Male or Female
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2. Relation of length of study period and students‟ grades.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

3. A study on high school students‟ choice of type of movies.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

4. Customers‟ satisfaction based on the quality of food offered in a restaurant.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

5. Whether the choice of type of foot wear differs between genders.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

6. Extent to which work efficiency affects employee retention.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

7. Relation between age and internet search engine preference.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

8. Time required for mice to respond to different decibels of sound.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

9. Relationship between average family income and food expenditure.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
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iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

10. Relation between study habits and academic performance of students.

i. Independent Variable - _________________________
ii. Dependent Variable - __________________________
iii. 2 Attributes: _________________________________

EVALUATE

Assessing What I’ve Learned

Activity 5:

A. Give the type of quantitative research being referred to or described by the statement.

1. It does not answer questions about how, when or why the characteristics become evident or
conditions exist.
2. It is a study of a relationship between two variables.
3. It makes use of numbers to characterize a group of individuals in relation to an existing
phenomenon.
4. The subjects are randomly assigned to treatments and trials.
5. It applies methods used in the natural sciences in a social setting.
6. The highest ethical standards are observed to protect the safety and well-being of a person
participating in this type of study.
7. It determines whether the independent variable affected the dependent variable by
comparing two or more groups of individuals.
8. It establishes relationships between independent and dependent variables after an action or
event.
9. It can verify or disprove a systematic relationship between two variables.
10. It addresses the "what" question in a research.

B. Identify the type of measurement scale. Choices: Nominal, Ordinal, Interval or Ratio.

1. Political parties
2. Population of a country
3. Attitude (favor, not in favor)
4. Test scores
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5. Attitudes (very unfavorable, unfavorable, neutral etc.)

6. Age
7. Socio-economic status (upper, middle, low)
8. Senatorial race results
9. Temperature (Celsius)
10. Gender (male, female, others)

TOPIC SUMMARY
 Research is a systematic investigation and study of materials and sources to establish facts
and reach new conclusions.
 In quantitative research, numerical data is collected using structured and pre-tested or
validated survey instruments.
 Descriptive research investigates, measures and describes one or more aspects or
characteristics of one or more groups, communities, or phenomenon.
 Correlational research can verify or disprove a systematic relationship between two
variables.
 Causal - Comparative research compares one or more measurable characteristics of two or
more groups to find the similarities and the differences between them.
 Social science experimental researches attempt to approximate methods used in the natural
sciences in social setting.
 Research is not possible without taking into account measurable factors or variables that are
subject to change due to certain conditions or situations.

POST-ASSESSMENT

Directions: Read the question in each item carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. People inclined to doing a quantitative research want to discover truth in ____________.
a. an exact manner b. a careful manner c. an indirect way d. a personal way
2. A quantitative research presents research findings in this manner:
a. Many prefer to study with textbooks.
b. Students find textbooks indispensible or necessary.
c. Perhaps, 30% consider textbook unnecessary in their studies.
d. Out of 100 students, 90 find textbooks beneficial to others.
3. The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d. triangulation
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4. Which is a classification of individuals, objects, or responses based on a common property or

characteristic?
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
5. How do you measure the variable “number of students per class” (All sections; Grade 12)?
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
6. Anything that can change due to circumstances is called a _________.
a. hypothesis b. research problem c. attribute d. variable
7. They cause changes in the subject of an experimental study.
a. operational variables c. emergent variables
b. independent variables d. dependent variables
8. Fahrenheit temperature, standardized intelligence test score and age
a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio
9. Data is in the form of words, pictures or objects.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d. triangulation
10. It is based on numerical measurements and use statistical methods as key research indicators.
a. qualitative research b. quantitative research c. all research designs d triangulation

REFERENCES

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Babbie, E. (2014).The Basics of Social Research. 6th ed. Wadsworth- Cengage

Learning.USA.

Baraceros, E. (2016). Practical Research 1 - First Edition. Rex Book Store, Inc., Metro
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Barbour, R. (2014). Introducing Qualitative Research: A Student Guide. Sage Publishing, Los
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Cristobal, A.P., Jr, & Cristobal, M.D. (2016). Practical Research 1 for Senior High
School .Ist ed.C & E Publishing Inc. Quezon City.
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De Belen, R. (2019). Research and Thesis Writing - Outcomes-Based Manual. Jobal

Publishing House, Quezon City.

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2008). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and
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Lichtman, M. (2006). Qualitative research in education: A user‟s guide. Sage Publications.

Thousand Oaks, CA.

Marquez-Fong, S. (2016). Practical Research 1. Vibal Group, Inc. Quezon City.

Pastor, M. (2020). Alternative Delivery Mode - Practical Research 1 First Edition. Bureau of
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Prieto, N. et.al. (2017). Practical Research for Senior High School 1 – Qualitative. Lorimar
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Yazon, A. (2019). Learning Guide in Methods of Research. Wiseman‟s Books Trading, Inc.
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Online:

Bhasin, H. (2019). What are the Characteristics of Quantitative Research? Retrieved from
https://www.marketing91.com/characteristics-of-quantitative-research/. Retrieved 20 February 2021

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LHlHQc9QVc. Retrieved 20 February 2021

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types-statistics. Retrieved 20 February 2021

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https://www.educba.com/types-of-quantitative-research/. Retrieved 20 February 2021

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https://sciencenotes.org/independent-and-dependent-variables-examples/. Retrieved 20 February
2021

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB3-Uxgf0xc. Retrieved 20 February 2021