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PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
CHAPTER I - NATURE OF INQUIRY AND RESEARCH
Lesson 1: Characteristics, Strengths, Weaknesses, Kinds
of Quantitative Research
Introduction
Quantitative research designs use numbers in stating
generalizations about a given problem or inquiry in contrast to
qualitative research that hardly uses statistical treatment in
stating generalizations.
These numbers are the results of objective scales of
measurements of the units of analysis called variables.
Research findings are subjected to statistical
treatment treatment to determine significant relationships or
differences between variables, the results of which are the
bases for generalization about phenomena.
Characteristics of Quantitative Research
 Methods of procedures of data gathering include
items like age, gender, educational status, among
others that call for measurable characteristics of the
population
 Standardized instruments guide data collection, thus,
ensuring the accuracy, reliability and validity of data
 Figures, tables or graphs showcase summarized data
collected in order to show trends, relationship or
differences among variables. In sum, the charts and
tables allow you to see the evidence collected
 A large population yields more reliable data, but
principles of random sampling must be strictly
followed to prevent researcher’s bias
 Quantitative methods can be repeated to verify
findings in another setting, thus, reinforcing validity of
findings
 Quantitative research puts emphasis on proof, rather
than discovery
Strengths of Quantitative Research
 Quantitative research design is the most reliable way
of concluding results, giving way to a new hypothesis
or to disproving it
 A bigger number of the sample of a population, the
results or generalizations are more reliable and valid
 Quantitative experiments filter out external factors, if
properly designed, and so the results gained can be
seen, as real and unbiased. Quantitative experiments
are useful for testing the results gained by a series of
qualitative experiments, leading to a final answer and
a narrowing down of possible directions to follow
Weaknesses of Quantitative Research
 Quantitative research can be costly, difficult and time-
consuming - difficult because most researches are
non mathematicians
 Quantitative studies require extensive statistical
treatment, requiring stringent standards, more so with
confirmation of results. When ambiguities in some
findings surface, retesting and refinement of the
design call for another investment in time and
resources to polish the results
 Quantitative methods also tend to turn out only proved
or unproven results, leaving little room for uncertainty,
or grey areas. For the social sciences, education ,
anthropology and psychology, human nature is a lot
more complex than just a simple yes or no response.
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Kinds of Quantitative Research Designs
Research design refers to the overall strategy that you
choose in order to integrate the different components of the
study in a coherent and logical way, thereby ensuring you will
effectively address the research problem. Furthermore, a
research design constitutes the blueprint for the selection,
measurement and analysis of data. The research problem
determines the research design you should use.
Quantitative methods 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.
Experimental Research Design
 It allows the researcher to control the situation
 It allows the researcher to answer the question, “What
causes something to occur?”
 It allows the researcher to identify cause and effect
relationships between variables and to distinguish
placebo effects from the treatment effects
 This research design supports the ability to limit
alternative explanations and to infer direct causal
relationships in the study; the approach provides the
highest level of evidence for single studies
Pre-Experimental Research Design
 A type of research apply to experimental designs with
the least internal validity
 One type of pre-experiment, the single group, pre-
test-post-test design, measures the group two times,
before and after the intervention
 Instead of comparing the pretest with the posttest
within one group, the posttest of the treated groups is
compared with that of an untreated group.
 Measuring the effect as the difference between
groups marks this as between subjects design
Two Classes of Experimental Design
1. Quasi-Experimental Design - the researcher can collect more
data, either by scheduling more observations or finding more
existing measures
- differs from true experimental design by the
absence of random assignment of subjects to different
conditions
- what it have in common with true experiments is that
some subjects receive an intervention and provide data likely to
reflect its impact.
2. True Experimental Design - controls for both time-related and
group-related threats
- two features mark true experiments-two or more
differently treated groups and random assignment to these
groups
- these features require that the researcher have
control over the experimental treatment and the power to place
subjects in groups
- it employs both treated and control groups to deal
with time-related rival explanations
- a control group reflects changes other than those
due to the treatment that occur during the time of the study. Such
changes include effects of outside events, maturation by the
subjects, changes in measures and impact of any pre-tests
- offers the highest internal validity of all design.
Types of Quasi-Experimental Design
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PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
1. Non-equivalent Control Group design - refers to the chance
failure of random assignment to equalize the conditions by
converting a true experiment into this kind of design, for purpose
of analysis
2. Interrupted Time Series Design - employs multiple measures
before and after the experimental intervention. It differs from the
single-group pre-experiment that has only one pretest and one
posttest. Users of this design assume that the time threats such
as history or maturation appear as regular changes in the
measures prior to the intervention
Non-experimental Research Design
 In this kind of design, the research observes the
phenomena as they occur naturally and no external
variables are introduced.
 In this research design, the variables are not
deliberately manipulated nor is the setting controlled.
 Researchers collect data without making making
changes or introducing treatments
 Descriptive Research Design
 Its main purpose is to observe, describe and
document aspects of a situation as it naturally occurs
and sometimes to serve as a starting point for
hypothesis generation or theory development
Types of Descriptive Research Designs
1. Survey - a research design used when the researcher intends
to provide a quantitative or numeric description of trends,
attitudes or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that
population (Creswell, 2003).
Example: universities regularly float surveys to determine
customer satisfaction, that is, the students’ attitudes toward or
opinions regarding student services like the canteen, clinic,
security, the guidance and counselling services, and the like.
2. Correlational - has three types:
 Bivariate correlational studies - obtain scores from two
variables for each subject, then use them to calculate a
correlation coefficient. The term bivariate implies that the two
variables are correlated (variables are selected because they
are believed to be related)
Example: Children of wealthier (variable #1), better educated
(variable #2) parents earn higher salaries as adults.
 Prediction studies - use correlation co-efficient to show
how one variable (the predictor variable) predicts another (the
criterion variable)
Example: Which high school applicants should be admitted to
college?
 Multiple Regression Prediction Studies - suppose the
high school GPA is not the sole predictor of college GPA, what
might be other good predictors? All of these variables can
contribute to the over-all prediction in an equation that adds
together the predictive power of each identified variable
3. Ex-Post Facto Research Design - these are non experimental
designs that are used to investigate causal relationships. They
examine whether one or more pre-existing conditions could
possibly have caused subsequent differences in groups of
subjects. Researchers attempt to discover whether differences
between groups have result in an observed difference in the
independent variables.
Example: What is the effect of home schooling on the social
skills of adolescents?
4. Comparative design - involves comparing and contrasting
two or more samples of study subjects on one or more variables,
often at a single point of time. Specifically, this design is used to
compare two distinct groups on the basis of selected attributes
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such as knowledge level, perceptions and attitudes, physical or
psychological symptoms.
Example: a comparative study on the health problems among
rural and urban older people from district Mehsana, Gujarat.
5. Evaluative Research - seeks to assess or judge in some way
providing information about something other than might be
gleaned in mere observation or investigation of relationships
- It is conducted to elicit useful feedback from a
variety of respondents from various fields to aid in decision
making or policy formulation.
- Formative and summative evaluation types are most
commonly used in research. Formative evaluation is used to
determine the quality of implementation of a project, the
efficiency and effectiveness of a program, assessment of
organizational processes like procedures, policies, guidelines,
human resource development and the like.
Example: where a test of children in school is used to assess
the effectiveness of teaching or deployment of a curriculum
Methodological - in this approach, the implementation of a
variety of methodologies forms a critical part of achieving the
goal of developing a scale-matched approach, where data from
different disciplines ca be integrated.
ACTIVITY 1:
1. Which of the following BEST defines quantitative research?
A. It is an activity of producing or proving a theorem.
B. It is an activity concerned with finding new truths in
education.
C. It is an exploration associated with libraries, books and
journals.
D. It is a systematic process for obtaining numerical
information about the world.
2. You tend to expand something in a qualitative research
because of your __________________.
A. Mathematical Skills B. Objective Views C.
Personal Traits D. Teacher’s Influence
3. This line, “The truth is out there.” is true
for___________________.
A. Qualitative Research C. All Research type
B. Quantitative Research D. None of the Above
4. Some think of quantitative research as a complex because
A. Factual data B. Hypothesis
C. Numerical data D. Theories
5. A quantitative research presents research finding in this
manner:
A. Many prefer to study with textbooks
B. Students find textbooks indispensable or necessary
C. Perhaps, 30% consider textbook unnecessary in their
studies
D. Out of 100 college students, 90 find textbooks beneficial to
their studies.
Actvity 2:
Formulate a quantitative research question about each of the
following topics:
1. Gender (male/ females)
2. Learning Styles (Visual, Audio, kinestetic, etc)
3. Philppine transportation system (MRT, LRT, buses,
FX, Jeep, taxi, etc.)
4. Communation Media (TV, newspaper, cellphones,
email facebook, instagram)
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PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1