Research

Design in
Quantitative
Method
Quantitative Research

“Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the

statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected
through poll’s, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-
existing statistical data using computational techniques. Quantitative
research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it
across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon”.

Babbie, Earl R. The Practice of Social Research. 12 th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage, 2010; Muijs, Daniel. Doing Quantitative
Research in Education with SPSS. 2 nd edition. London: SAGE Publications, 2010.
What is Quantitative Research?

 In a nutshell, quantitative research generates numerical data or

information that can be converted into numbers.
 Only measurable data are being gathered and analyzed in
quantitative research.

 Goal or Aim of the Research:

- The primary aim of the Quantitative Research is to focus more in
counting and classifying features and constructing statistical models and
figures to explain what is observed.
 Quantitative Research is highly recommended for the late phase of
research because it provides the researcher a clearer picture of what to
expect in his research compared to qualitative Research.
What is Quantitative Research?
 Data Gathering Instrument
-Quantitative Re Research makes use of tools such as questionnaires, surveys,
measurements and other equipment to collect numerical or measureable data.

 Type of Data
-if you are conducting a quantitative Research, what will most likely appear in
your discussion are tables containing data in the form of numbers and statistics.
 Approach

-In Quantitative Research, researchers tend to remain objectively separated from

the subject matter. This is because Quantitative Research
What do Quantitative Research?
 if your study aims to find out the answer to an inquiry through numerical evidence,
then you should make use of the Quantitative Research.

 In general, use qualitative research at the beginning of the design process to

uncover innovations. Use qualitative research at the end of the design process to
measure improvement.

 French sociology Pierre Bourdieu followed a typical arc to the narrative research
by first investigating economic class in an open-ended fashion. Once he established
what he thought going on, he tested these ideas with large surveys.

 The main activity for which quantitative research is especially suited is the testing
of hypotheses.
Quantitative Data

“Quantitative data is information about quantities; that is information that

can be measured and written down with numbers.”

• Some example of quantitative data are your height, your shoe size, and the length
of your fingernails.
• Quantitative data defines whereas qualitative describes.
Units and variables in Quantitative data

 Units:

When we collect data is quantitative educational research, we have to

collect them from someone or something. There people or things (e.g.
schools) we collect data on or from are known as units or cases.

 Variables:

The data that we are collecting from these units are known as variables. Variables
are any characteristic of the unit we are interested in and want to collect (e.g. gender,
age, self-esteem).
Units and Variables

• The label ‘variable’ refers to the fact that these data will differ between units.

For example, achievement will differ between pupils and schools, gender will
differ between pupils, and so on.

• If there are no differences at all between the units we want to study, we probably
aren’t going to be able to do any interesting research (for example, studying
whether pupils are human would not yield interesting findings).
Quantitative research Design

Quantitative Research design is the standard experimental

method of most scientific disciplines.

 They are most commonly used by physical scientists, although social sciences,
education and economics have been known to use this type of research. It is the
opposite of qualitative research.

 Quantitative experiments all use a standard format, with a few minor inter-
disciplinary differences, of generating a hypothesis to be proved or disproved. This
hypothesis must be provable by mathematical and statistical means, and is the basis
around which the whole experiment is designed.
Quantitative research Design

• Randomization of any study groups essential, and a control group should be

included, wherever possible. A sound quantitative design should only manipulate
one variable at a time, or statistical analysis becomes cumbersome and open to
question.

• Ideally, the research should be constructed in a manner that allows others to repeat
the experiment and obtain similar results.
The Design Based of the number of contact

1. Cross-sectional studies

2. Before-and-after studies

3. Longitudinal studies
Cross-sectional studies

The cross-sectional study design is most commonly

used in the social science research. The aim of these
studies is to obtain information about a cross-section
of a population. The information is collected once
hence they are also called as one-shot studies.
Before-and-after studies

The before-and-after study design as the name

suggests is a type of study design in which the
researcher contacts the audience twice.
Longitudinal studies

A longitudinal study can be defined as repetitive

cross-sectional studies. The aim of the longitudinal
study is to collect information from the respondents
on a regular basis to know the pattern of change.
Study Design based on references period

1. Retrospective

2. Prospective

3. Retro-
prospective
Retrospective study design

Investigates a phenomena that has happened in a

retrospective study is longitudinal study that looks
back time. E. g. a researcher may look up the
medical records of previous years to look for a
trend.
Prospective study design

Likely preference in of a phenomena or outcome the

future. E.g. the nurse’s health study in Australia is good
example of a prospective cohort study. In this study,
groups of nurses have been followed for over 30 years to
see how various factors- including smoking, hormone
levels, and exercise- after their long term health.
Retro-prospective study design

This applies to study wherein available data are analyzed and used as bases
of future projections. It does not involve a control group. Trend studies fall
under this category.
Study based on the nature of investigation

Experimental

Non-
Experimental

Semi-
Experimental
Experimental Study

First path i.e. starting from the cause to establish the effects
(involving researcher to assume changes).
Non- Experimental study

Second path i.e. staring from effects to trace the

cause (Research observing a phenomenon and
attempting establish what caused it).
Semi-Experimental Study

Has the properties of both the experimental and non-

experimental studies.
Quantitative research Design

 There are four main types of Quantitative research:

1. Descriptive

2. Correlational

3. Causal-
Comparative/ Quasi-
Experimental
4. Experimental
Research
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

• This type of research describes what exists and may help to uncover new facts and
meaning. The purpose of descriptive research is to
Observe, describe, document
aspects of situation as it naturally occurs.

• This involves the collection of data that will provide an account or description of
individuals, groups or situations. Instruments we use to obtain data in descriptive
studies include questionnaires, interviews (closed questions), observation
(checklists, etc.)

• There is no experimental manipulation or indeed any random selection to groups,

as there is in experimental research.

• The characteristics of individuals and groups such as nurses, patients and families
may be the focus of descriptive research. It can provide a knowledge base which
can act as a springboard for other types of quantitative research methods.
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH

• Quantitative correlational research aims to systematically investigate and explain

the nature of the relationship between variables in the real world. Often the
quantifiable data (i.e. data that can quantify or count) from descriptive studies are
frequently analyzed in this way.

• Correlational research studies go beyond simply describing what exists and are
concerned with systematically investigating relationships between two or more
variables of interest (Porter 7 Carter 2000).

• Such studies only describe and attempt to explain the nature of relationships that
exist, and do examine causality (i.e. whether one variable causes the other).
Causal-comparative/quasi-experimental research

• Quasi-experimental research attempts to establish cause-effect relationships among the

variables. These types of design are very similar to true experiments, but with some
key differences.
• An independent variable is identified but not manipulated by the experimenter, and
effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable are measured.
• It is not the same as true experimental research because quasi- experimental research
studies lack one or both of the essential properties of randomization and control group.
• The research does not randomly assign groups and must use ones that are naturally
formed or pre- existing groups.
• The major drawback with quasi-experimental research is that, compared to
experimental research, it has weakness in that is not possible to deliver cause and
effect results.
• In other words, we cannot infer from quasi- experimental research that, for example,
doing one thing causes a particular phenomenon (e.g. smoking cigarettes causes
cancer).
• Identified control groups exposed to the treatment variable are studied and compared
to groups who are not.
Experimental research

• often called true experimentation, uses the scientific method to establish the cause-
effect relationship among a group of variables that make up a study.

• The true experiment is often thought of as laboratory study, but this is not always
the case; a laboratory setting has nothing to do with it. A true experiment is any
study where an effort is made to identify and impose control over all other
variables except one.

• An independent variable is manipulated to determine the effects on the dependent

variables. Subjects are randomly assigned to experimental treatments rather than
identified in naturally occurring groups.
When to apply/employ the quantitative research design

Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating

numerical data or data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It is used to
quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables – and generalize
results from a larger sample population.
How to construct a quantitative research questions

step 1:
Choose the type of quantitative research question (i.e., descriptive, comparative or relationship)
you are trying to create

step 2:
Identify the different types of variable you are trying to measure, manipulate and/or control, as
well as any groups you may be interested in

step 3:
Select the appropriate structure for the chosen type of quantitative research question, based on the
variables and/or groups involved

step 4:
Write out the problem or issues you are trying to address in the form of a complete research
question
Structure of descriptive research questions

1. Choose your starting phrase

2. Identify and name the dependent variable

3. Identify the group(s) you are interested in

4. Decide whether the dependent variable or group(s) should be included first, last

or in two parts

5. Include any words that provide greater context to your question

6. Write out the descriptive research question

Choose your starting phrase

You can start descriptive research questions with any of the following phrases:

How many?
How often?
How frequently?
How much?
What percentage?
What proportion?
To what extent?
What is?
What are?
Some of these starting phrases are highlighted in blue text in the
examples below:

 How many calories do American men and women consume per day?

 How often do British university students use Facebook each week?
 What are the most important factors that influence the career choices of Australian
university students?
 What proportion of British male and female university students use the top 5 social
networks?
 What percentage of American men and women exceed their daily calorific
allowance?
Identify and name the dependent variable
All descriptive research questions have a dependent variable. You need to identify what this is.
However, how the dependent variable is written out in a research question and what you call it are
often two different things. In the examples below, we have illustrated the name of the dependent
variable and highlighted how it would be written out in the blue text.

Name of the dependent variable How the dependent variable is written out

Daily calorific intake How many calories do American men and

women consume per day?
Daily calorific intake What percentage of American men and women
exceed their daily calorific allowance?
Weekly Facebook usage How often do British university students use
Facebook each week?
Factors influencing career choices What are the most important factors that influence
the career choices of Australian university students?
Use of the top 5 social networks What proportion of British male and female
university students use the top 5 social networks?
Identify the group(s) you are interested in

 All descriptive research questions have at least one group, but can have multiple
groups. You need to identify this group(s). In the examples below, we have
identified the group(s) in the green text.
 How many calories do American men and women consume per day?
 How often do British university students use Facebook each week?
 What are the most important factors that influence the career choices of Australian
university students?
 What proportion of British male and female university students use the top 5 social
networks?
 What percentage of American men and women exceed their daily calorific
allowance?
Decide whether the dependent variable or group(s) should be included
first, last or in two parts

Sometimes it makes more sense for the dependent variable to appear before the group(s) you are
interested in, but sometimes it is the opposite way around. The following examples illustrate this,
with the group(s) in green text and the dependent variable in blue text:

Group 1st; dependent variable 2nd:

How often do British university students use Facebook each week?

Dependent variable 1st; group 2nd:

What are the most important factors that influence the career choices of Australian university
students?
Include any words that provide greater context to your
question

Sometimes the name of the dependent variable provides all the explanation we need to
know what we are trying to measure. Take the following examples:

How many calories do American men and women consume per day?

How often do British university students use Facebook each week?

Write out the descriptive research question

• How many calories do American men and women consume per day?
• How often do British university students use Facebook each week?
• What are the most important factors that influence the career choices of Australian
university students?
• What proportion of British male and female university students use the top 5 social
networks?
• What percentage of American men and women exceed their daily calorific
allowance?
References

https://www.slideshare.net/ToobaSalman/quantitative-research-56914253?fbclid=IwAR0TB79bxf
r45p6KdQChP85dnydLoyoeGjZ4U3KJJBi3goKZgBhF_nCmDNk

http://dissertation.laerd.com/how-to-structure-quantitative-research-questions.php#step1

https://www.slideshare.net/kangsophanna/research-design-78264610?fbclid=IwAR3WN-Usqi2tV
VnNBSAsMkW-pLQQ6Qo9uGvpdGRRcQ6nSR-Y7AQLWg24Gvs