THE CHARACTERISTICSO OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Chandra Giat Prabowo

201710560211015
Mohammad Desriyanto Kau
201710560211005

Introduction to quantitative research

What is quantitative research?
Research methods in education (and the other social sciences) are often
divided into two main types: quantitative and qualitative methods. This book will
discuss one of these two main strands: ‘quantitative methods’, and what
distinguishes quantitative from qualitative methods. When you think of
quantitative methods, you will probably have specific things in mind. You will
probably be thinking of statistics, numbers, and many of you may be feeling
somewhat apprehensive because you think quantitative methods are difficult.
Apart from the last one, all these thoughts capture some of the essence of
quantitative methods. The following definition, taken from Aliaga and Gunderson
(2000), describes what we mean by quantitative research methods very well:
Quantitative research is ‘Explaining phenomena by collecting numerical data that
are analysed using mathematically based methods (in particular statistics)’. Let’s
go through this definition step by step. The first element is explaining phenomena.
This is a key element of all research, be it quantitative or qualitative. When we set
out to do some research, we are always looking to explain something. In
education, this could be questions like ‘why do teachers leave teaching?’, ‘what
factors influence pupil achievement?’, and so on. The specificity of quantitative
research lies in the next part of the definition. In quantitative research, we collect
numerical data. This is closely connected to the final part of the definition:
analysis using mathematically.

Definition Of Quantitative Research Methods

Quantitative research methods are research methods dealing with numbers
and anything that is measurable in a systematic way of investigation of
phenomena and their relationships. It is used to answer questions on relationships
within measurable variables with an intention to explain, predict and control a
phenomena (Leedy 1993).

Quantitative research is a means for testing objective theories by

examining the relationship among variables. These variables, in turn, can be
measured, typically on instruments, so that numbered data can be analyzed using
statistical procedures. The final written report has a set structure consisting of
introduction, literature and theory, methods, results, and discussion (Creswell,
2008). Like qualitative researchers, those who engage in this form of inquiry have
assumptions about testing theories deductively, building in protections against
bias, controlling for alternative explanations, and being able to generalize and
replicate the findings. (Creswell J. W. 4th Ed).

Quantitative research is used to measure the opinions of large groups of

Dutch consumers, citizens or customers. Using the results, we can draw solid
conclusions based on figures and make representative statements about target
groups that are relevant to our clients. On this basis, we offer advice in order to
better reflect the wishes of the target groups.

Characteristics of Quantitative Research

In quantitative research the major characteristics are:

1. Describing a research problem through a description of trends or a need

for an explanation of the relationship among variables

2. Providing a major role for the literature through suggesting the research
questions to be asked and justifying the research problem and creating a
need for the direction (purpose statement and research questions or
hypotheses) of the study

3. Creating purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses that are

specifi c, narrow, measurable, and observable

4. Collecting numeric data from a large number of people using instruments

with preset questions and responses
 5. Analyzing trends, comparing groups, or relating variables using statistical
analysis, and interpreting results by comparing them with prior predictions
and past research

6. Writing the research report using standard, fixed structures and evaluation
criteria, and taking an objective, unbiased approach

In quantitative research, the investigator identifi es a research problem based

on trends in the fi eld or on the need to explain why something occurs. Describing
a trend means that the research problem can be answered best by a study in which
the researcher seeks to establish the overall tendency of responses from
individuals and to note how this tendency varies among people. For example, you
might seek to learn how voters describe their attitudes toward a bond issue.
Results from this study can inform how a large population views an issue and the
diversity of these views.However, some quantitative research problems require
that you explain how one variable affects another. Variables are an attribute (e.g.,
attitude toward the school bond issue) or characteristic of individuals (e.g.,
gender) that researchers study. By explaining a relation among variables, you are
interested in determining whether one or more variables might infl uence another
variable. For example, quantitative researchers may seek to know why certain
voters voted against the school bond issue. The variables, gender and attitude
toward the quality of the schools, may infl uence individuals’ vote on the bond
issue.
For example, examine the sample quantitative article—the parent
involvement study—at the end of this chapter. The authors in the parent
involvement study (Deslandes & Bertrand, 2005) are less interested in describing
the level of parent involvement in secondary-level schooling and more interested
in examining the relationship between four factors—parents’ role construction,
self-effi cacy, perceptions of teacher invitations, and perceptions of adolescent
invitations—as predictors of parent involvement at home and at school. To
examine this relation, they collect survey data from 770 parents of children in
Grades 7, 8, and 9 (American system equivalents to Canadian schools). Thus, the
problem being addressed is that we know little about what factors relate to
parental involvement in secondary- level schooling. Assessing whether certain
factors predict an outcome is best suited to quantitative research.
 In reviewing the literature in quantitative research, you will typically see a
substantial literature review at the beginning of the study. Thus, the literature
plays a major role in two ways: justifying the need for the research problem and
suggesting potential purposes and research questions for the study. Justifying the
research problem means that you use the literature to document the importance of
the issue examined in the study. To accomplish this, you search the literature,
locate studies that identify the problem as important to examine, and then cite this
literature in the opening sections of a research report. The literature also creates a
need for the study, as expressed specifi cally in the purpose statement and the
research questions or hypotheses. You identify in the literature key variables,
relations, and trends, and use these to provide direction for your research
questions and hypotheses. A literature review on college students, for example,
may show that we know little about the problem of binge drinking. Existing
literature, however, may identify the importance of peer groups and styles of
interacting among student peer groups. Thus, important research questions might
address how peers and their interaction styles infl uence binge drinking on college
campuses. In this way, the literature in a quantitative study both documents the
need to study the problem and provides direction for the research questions.
In the quantitative parent involvement study (Deslandes & Bertrand,
2005), the authors cite extensive literature at the beginning of the article. In these
paragraphs, the authors rely on the model of the parent involvement process, and
they discuss the literature surrounding each of the four major factors that are
expected to influence parental involvement. They begin by reviewing the
literature about the demographic or personal factors such as family size and
educational level, then they proceed to review the literature about the major
factors in the study that they predict will infl uence parental involvement—
parents’ role construction, parents’ self-effi cacy, parents’ perceptions of teacher
invitations, and parents’ perceptions of student invitations. In this way, the
introduction establishes the research that has been reported in the literature on
each of the four factors in the study and foreshadows the research questions that
will be addressed in the study.
In quantitative research questions, you ask specific, narrow questions to obtain
measurable and observable data on variables. The major statements and questions
of direction in a study—the purpose statement, the research questions, and the
hypotheses—arespecifi c and narrow because you identify only a few variables to
study. From a study of these variables, you obtain measures or assessments on an
instrument or record scores on a scale from observations. For example, in a study
of adolescent career choices, the variable, the role of the school counselor,
narrows the study to a specifi c variable from among many variables that might be
studied (e.g., role of parents, personal investment by student). To examine the
impact of the school counselor on adolescent career choices, data must be
obtained from the students. In the quantitative parent involvement study
(Deslandes & Bertrand, 2005), the authors narrow and select a few factors that
they predict will explain parental involvement. They state their purpose of the
study and the major research questions. They say that they will examine four
factors that infl uence parental involvement at home and at school, and then they
identify the four factors that they predict will infl uence this involvement. Thus,
their research questions are specifi c to four factors, and later in the method
section, they explain how they will measure these factors. In quantitative data
collection, you use an instrument to measure the variables in the study. An
instrument is a tool for measuring, observing, or documenting quantitative data. It
contains specifi c questions and response possibilities that you establish or
develop in advance of the study. Examples of instruments are survey
questionnaires, standardized tests, and checklists that you might use to observe a
student’s or teacher’s behaviors. You administer this instrument to participants
and collect data in the form of numbers. For instance, you might collect responses
based on students checking boxes on a form, or from checklists you complete as
you watch a student perform a task in the classroom. The intent of this process is
to apply the results (called generalizing the results) from a small number of
people to a large number. The larger the number of individuals studied, the
stronger the case for applying the results to a large number of people. For
example, on a survey sent to 500 parents in a school district, the researcher seeks
informationabout parents’ attitudes toward the educational needs of pregnant
teenagers in the schools. The researcher selects an instrument, “Attitudes toward
Education of Pregnant Teenagers,” found through a search of library resources.
The 500 parents who receive this instrument represent a cross section of people
from all socioeconomic levels in the school district. After collecting and analyzing
this data, the investigator will draw conclusions about all parents in this school
district based on the representative sample studied. Data collection is also an
integral part of the quantitative parent involvement study (Deslandes & Bertrand,
2005). The authors study a large number of parents (i.e., 770) of children in
Grades 7, 8, and 9. They survey parents using an adaptation of the instrument,
“Sharing the Dream! Parent Questionnaire,” as well as items on a questionnaire
designed by other researchers to assess parents’ perceptions of student invitations.
The survey items are translated into French to fi t the Quebec context, and they
gather quantifi able data (scores) on the survey. They discuss the scales used to
collect the data and how they are scored (i.e., from 1 = disagree very strongly to 6
= agree very strongly).
In quantitative data analysis, you analyze the data using mathematical
procedures, called statistics. These analyses consist of breaking down the data into
parts to answer the research questions. Statistical procedures such as comparing
groups or relating scores for individuals provide information to address the
research questions or hypotheses. You then interpret the results of this analysis in
light of initial predictions or prior studies. This interpretation is an explanation as
to why the results turned out the way they did, and often you will explain how the
results either support or refute the expected predictions in the study.

Characteristics of Quantitative Methods

Seven characteristics discriminate qualitative methods of research from
qualitative ones.
1. Data gathering instruments contain items that solicit measurable
characteristics of the population (e.g. age, the number of children,
educational status, economic status).
2. Standardized, pre-tested instruments guide data collection thus ensuring
the accuracy, reliability and validity of data.
3. For more reliable data analysis, a normal population distribution curve is
preferred over a non-normal distribution. This requires a large population,
the numbers of which depend on how the characteristics of the population
vary. This requires adherence to the principle of random sampling to avoid
researcher’s bias in interpreting the results that defeat the purpose of
research.
4. The data obtained using quantitative methods are organized using tables,
graphs, or figures that consolidate large numbers of data to show trends,
relationships, or differences among variables. This fosters understanding
to the readers or clients of the research investigation.
5. Researchers can repeat the quantitative method to verify or confirm the
findings in another setting. This reinforces the validity of groundbreaking
discoveries or findings thus eliminating the possibility of spurious or
erroneous conclusions.
6. Quantitative models or formula derived from data analysis can predict
outcomes. If-then scenarios can be constructed using complex
mathematical computations with the aid of computers.
7. Advanced digital or electronic instruments are used to measure or gather
data from the field.

And also we can know the characteristics of quantitative research from:

1. design
- spesific, clear, detailed
- determined from the outset
- be a step bye step guide
2. objectives
- show the relationship between valiabel
- test the theory
- look for generalizations that have a productive value
3. data collection techniques
- questionnaire
- structured observations and interviews
4. research instruments
- test, questionnaire, structure interview
- standardized instruments
5. data
- quantitative
- the results of measurement of variables that are operated by using the
instrument
6. sample
- big
- representative
- as far as possible random
- determined from the beginning
7. analysis
 - after completion of data collection
- deductive
- using static to test the hypothesis
8. relationship with respondents
- created distant
- the position of the researcher is higher than the respondent
- short term until the hypothesis can be proven
9. proposed design
- broad and detailed
- literature related to the variables studied
- specific procedures
- problems are formulated with specific and clear
- the hypothesis is formulated elastically
- written in detail and clear before plunging into the field
10. when is the research considered completed?
- after all the planned activities can be completed
11. trust against research result
- testing the validity and reliability of the instrument

Your goal in conducting quantitative research study is to determine the

relationship between one thing [an independent variable] and another [a
dependent or outcome variable] within a population. Quantitative research designs
are either descriptive [subjects usually measured once] or experimental [subjects
measured before and after a treatment]. A descriptive study establishes only
associations between variables; an experimental study establishes causality.

Quantitative research deals in numbers, logic, and an objective stance.

Quantitative research focuses on numbered and unchanging data and detailed,
convergent reasoning rather than divergent reasoning [i.e., the generation of a
variety of ideas about a research problem in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner].

Its main characteristics are:

 The data is usually gathered using structured research instruments.

 The results are based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the
population.
  The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high
reliability.
 Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective
answers are sought.
 All aspects of the study are carefully designed before data is collected.
 Data are in the form of numbers and statistics, often arranged in tables,
charts, figures, or other non-textual forms.
 Project can be used to generalize concepts more widely, predict future
results, or investigate causal relationships.
 Researcher uses tools, such as questionnaires or computer software, to
collect numerical data.

The overarching aim of a quantitative research study is to classify features,

count them, and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is
observed.

In quantitative research, the investigator identifi es a research problem based

on trends in the fi eld or on the need to explain why something occurs. Describing
a trend means that the research problem can be answered best by a study in which
the researcher seeks to establish the overall tendency of responses from
individuals and to note how this tendency varies among people. For example, you
might seek to learn how voters describe their attitudes toward a bond issue.
Results from this study can inform how a large population views an issue and the
diversity of these views.
However, some quantitative research problems require that you explain how
one variable affects another. Variables are an attribute (e.g., attitude toward the
school bond issue) or characteristic of individuals (e.g., gender) that researchers
study. By explaining a relation among variables, you are interested in determining
whether one or more variables might infl uence another variable. For example,
quantitative researchers may seek to know why certain voters voted against the
school bond issue. The variables, gender and attitude toward the quality of the
schools, may infl uence individuals’ vote on the bond issue. For example,
examine the sample quantitative article—the parent involvement study—at the
end of this chapter. The authors in the parent involvement study (Deslandes &
Bertrand, 2005) are less interested in describing the level of parent involvement in
secondary-level schooling and more interested in examining the relationship
between four factors—parents’ role construction, self-effi cacy, perceptions of
teacher invitations, and perceptions of adolescent invitations—as predictors of
parent involvement at home and at school. To examine this relation, they collect
survey data from 770 parents of children in Grades 7, 8, and 9 (American system
equivalents to Canadian schools). Thus, the problem being addressed is that we
know little about what factors relate to parental involvement in secondary- level
schooling. Assessing whether certain factors predict an outcome is best suited to
quantitative research.
In reviewing the literature in quantitative research, you will typically see a
substantial literature review at the beginning of the study. Thus, the literature
plays a major role in two ways: justifying the need for the research problem and
suggesting potential purposes and research questions for the study. Justifying the
research problem means that you use the literature to document the importance of
the issue examined in the study. To accomplish this, you search the literature,
locate studies that identify the problem as important to examine, and then cite this
literature in the opening sections of a research report. (Creswell J. W. 4th Ed).
The process of collecting quantitative data consists of more than simply
collecting data. You decide on what participants you will study. Then you obtain
their permission to be studied. You identify the types of measures that will answer
your research question, and you locate instruments to use. Then, you can begin
collecting data.
There are five steps in the process of quantitative data collection. This process
involves more than simply gathering information; it includes interrelated steps. It
involves the steps of determining the participants to study, obtaining permissions
needed from several individuals and organizations, considering what types of
information to collect from several sources available to the quantitative research,
locating and selecting instruments to use that will net useful data for the study,
and fi nally, administering the data collection process to collect data. (cresswell
4th edition)
 References
Creswell J. W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and mixed method
approaches (4th Ed).
http://gudangpendidikan.blogspot.co.id/2009/05/karakteristik-metode-kuantitatif-
dan.html
http://www.sagepub.com.introduction_to_quantitative_research.36869_muijs
Sugiyono, Metode Penelitian Pendidikan: Pendekatan Kuantitatif, Kualitatif dan
R&D (Bandung: Alfabeta,2013)
University of Southern California (2015). Quantitative methods. Retrieved on 3
January, 2015 from http://goo.gl/GMiwt