NATURE OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

UNIT 1

LESSON 1.1: QUALITIES Characteristics of Quantitative

OF QUANTITATIVE Research
RESEARCH Controllability.
Quantitative Research - understand a specific relationship or
- root word quantity, which phenomenon, quantitative research should
means the “amount of” or be in an environment where all variables
“number of”. are identified and can be controlled.
- quantitative research deals Generalizability.
with numerals and how it can
describe a phenomenon or infer - understand from larger sample
a relationship. sizes that the results are based
on as a representative of the
- the go - to approach for scientific population.
inquiry because of its ability to test
hypotheses. Objectivity.

Variables - results of the data are

- relationship of different factors that observable and measurable
we see. using structured instruments.

- ones that are usually identified, Replicability.

examined, described, or - research study should be
correlated with answering a replicable by other teams of
scientific inquiry. researchers that will eventually
- basis for formulating and testing come up with similar outcomes.
hypotheses.
Strengths of Quantitative
- traits that numerically describe or Research
give meaning to an object,
phenomenon, or group of people.
 Analysis of data is
assisted with statistical
Examples of variables are the methods.
height of a chair, the weight of a - mathematical tools in
person, test scores of a student, which numbers can be
or the speed of a car. processed to become more
meaningful.
- Simple statistical
measures such as
determining the mean,
median, and mode of a
data set can also assist
researchers in reducing
the bulk of data to make it
 often
- make difficult
it easierto use
to these
values
understand. Analysisthe
in answering using
whys and also
statistics the hows of the
provides
phenomena.
unbiased results.
 Large-scale research
Types of can Quantitative
be undertaken. Research
- a research
Quantitative researchwith a large
number of samples is
 can generally
possible. - allowsbe
categorized
researchers tointo maketwo:a
- experimental
more comprehensive and
- non-experimental
generalizable conclusion types.
for the entire population.
used by researchers depending
 Data can be presented
on the topic and the nature of
in graphical or tabular
the problem that is being
form.
investigated.
- researchers can analyze
dataResearch
Descriptive using graphical or
(DESCRIBING)representations.
tabular
- Numerical dataresearch
- a nonexperimental
design.summarized in tabular or
graphical form aid
- focus ofresearchers
this research in design is to
making
describesense
factors, variables,
of them better. or
phenomena that occur in nature.
Weaknesses of Quantitative
For example, you want to identify the
Research
factors that contribute to the spoilage
of food.
 We know that
A large there might
sample size be a
thousand requires a lot of timebut
reasons why food spoils,
the best and
way to narrow it down is to
effort.
survey people that knowcan
- researchers about food
analyze
spoilage.data using graphical or
tabular representations.
Comparative Research (COMPARE
 Statistical analysis of
AND CONTRAST)
data requires an expert
- a nonexperimental research
to perform. Poor
design.
knowledge or
inadequate
- (also called skills in
causal-comparative
research) is to compare twonegatively
statistics might variables
in orderaffect the whether
to identify outcomethereof a
study.
exists a causative relationship
 Quantifying
between them. and
reducing observations
to just pieces of
numerical values makes
it too simplistic.
Numerical values can only
For example, you want to know if Quasi-experimental Research
participating in a school’s summer (DIFFERENT SAMPLES)
program is the cause of students' - mirrors experimental research, but it
increased class participation. You is not true experimental research
identified two groups of students who where a causal relationship can be
enrolled in the summer program and determined with the use of dependent
those who did not. Then, you collected and independent variables.
data about their individual class
participation. After analyzing the data - random selection of samples is not
gathered, you concluded that the possible due to innate or ethical
summer program helped the student in reasons.
participating more in class. For example, you want to know the
Correlational Research effect of height on milk brand
(RELATION BETWEEN TWO preference. True experiments would
VARIABLES) have to randomly assign participants to
- a nonexperimental research groups where they would be subjected
design. to taste tests in order to know which

- compare two variables then identify

the relationship between them.
For example, you want to know if
there is a relationship between
the length of sleep and student
productivity. You can collect data
for the length of sleep by asking
students about their bedtime and
waking up time. For student
productivity, let's say the number
of activities being finished every
day defines student productivity.
After gathering your data and
subjecting it to statistical
analysis, you found out that the
closer the length of sleep to eight
hours, the higher the number of
activities being done by a
student. Through this, you can
now identify that there exists a
direct relationship between the
length of sleep and student
productivity.
brand they prefer. However, because LESSON 1.2: TYPES OF
height is an innate characteristic of a
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
person, participants cannot be
three main research designs:
randomly assigned to groups. Instead,
you have to group participants based - qualitative
on their height. - quantitative

True Experimental Research - mixed methods design

(EXPERIMENT) Quantitative Research
- identify a cause-effect relationship - relationship “a means for testing
between the variables where the objective theories by examining the
samples are randomized. relationship among variables”.
One of the earliest experiments that we - deals with empirical, observable,
have done is when we are trying to and measurable data that are often
understand plant needs. For us to find expressed in numbers and analyzed
out if sunlight affects the growth of through statistical techniques.
plants, we are asked by our teacher to
create three different set-ups: set A is quantitative research focuses on the
to grow a seed that will receive ample following:
amount of sunlight, set B is a seed that
- collection of observable and
will be placed where sunlight is limited,
measurable data
and set C is a seed that will be placed
- standardized data collection
completely in the dark. All of them will
instruments
be planted in the same type of soil and
- statistical techniques in data
will be given equal amounts of water.
analysis
After several days, we discovered that
set A grew perfectly, set B grew, but it Correlational and Causal Research
leaned toward the source of light, while - Correlational research
set C did not grow at all. involves identifying relationships
between two variables.
A causal relationship can be
determined between the dependent - correlation is “a statistical measure of
variable, which is the growth of the association between two variables”.
plant, and the independent variables,
which are the amount of soil, type of - Vanderstoep and Johnston (2009),
soil, and amount of water. two well-known communication and
social sciences researchers.
- a large sample size is required so
that results can be generalized to an - often used in quantitative research in
entire population. This is done by the the social sciences.
process of sampling where - does not say that one variable
respondents for a study are randomly causes the other.
selected from a population.
Correlational research may look at Causal Research
the following: - looks at causes and effects.
1. whether an association - Causation refers to the claim that a
exists between variables change in one variable creates a change
2. the magnitude of the in another variable.
existing association
between two variables - often used in studying the natural
3. the direction of the sciences
association between two An example of causal research is
variables looking at the cause and effect
An example of correlational relationship between a food
research is the relationship ingredient and the rate of decay of a
between hours of sleep and test food sample. A possible research
scores among students. Based on study based on this example can
the main focus points of examine how an additional unit of
correlational research, the the food ingredient (cause) leads to
following results are possible: faster decay of the food sample
there is no significant (effect).
relationship between hours of Types of Quantitative Research
sleep and test scores, or higher
test scores are related to more There are two main types of
hours of sleep among students. quantitative research:

 In psychology - survey research

used to look at patterns and - experimental research
associations of human
Survey Research
behavior.
- correlational type of
- An example is looking at
quantitative research.
whether there is an association
between the number of hours a - use of a questionnaire as its main
student spends on social media data collection tool.
and his/her academic
performance. - most widely used social science data-
 In economics gathering technique.
used to determine what affects Survey research has the following
(or is affected by) certain main components as explained by
economic variables. Creswell (2009) and Neuman
For example, we are looking at (2014):
the relationship between the
foreign exchange rates and the
credit rating of a particular
country.
 1. Survey design. There are  Behavior- e.g., How frequently
two main types of survey do you use social media
designs: cross-sectional applications?
and longitudinal.  Attitudes/beliefs/opinions-
- A cross-sectional e.g., What do you think about
survey acquires animal therapy?
information at one point  Characteristics- e.g., What is
in time. your highest educational
- A longitudinal survey attainment?
acquires information at  Expectations- e.g., Do you plan
multiple points in time to to visit a coffee shop in the next
compare, contrast, and two weeks?
assess changes in  Self-classification- e.g., Do you
responses. consider yourself socially
2. Population and sample. aware of current events and
Survey research involves issues?
getting a sample from a  Knowledge- e.g., Who is your
population. student council batch
- A population is a representative?
general group of people
with similar 4. Data analysis and interpretation.
characteristics. - The analysis may either be
- A sample is a subgroup descriptive or inferential.
of the population that is - A descriptive analysis
chosen either randomly provides a numerical report of
or purposively to the results of the survey, which
participate in the survey may include frequencies or
research. average scores.
3. Survey instrument. - An inferential analysis makes
Otherwise known as the comparisons among the survey
questionnaire, is the results to establish and explain
main data collection relationships.
tool of a survey
research. It contains Experimental Research
closed-ended questions - aimed at causation.
with fixed answers that
- looks at whether the application of a
will be given to the
treatment, otherwise known as an
selected sample. The
intervention, causes an effect on the
responses of the
sample being experimented on.
participants will be used in
analyzing the relationships
of interest.

Survey questions may belong to the

following categories:
 Behavior- e.g., How frequently
do you use social media
Experimental researchhas the - independent variable is
following main components as the treatment variable. It
discussed by Creswell(2009), Leavy causes and explains the
(2017), and Neuman (2014): effect.
- may be manipulated in
 Respondents.
order to see changes in
- are called groups.
the produced effects.
Samples are selected and then
- dependent variable is
differentiated intogroups.
the outcome variable. It
There are two main subgroups
is the effect. It is the
in an experimental research:
response to the
experimental and control
application of or
groups.
changes in the
- The experimental
independent variable.
group is the group that
The dependent variable
receives the
may reflect different
experimental treatment
outcomes depending on
or intervention.
the conditions of the
- The control group is the
independent variable.
group that does not
 Stages of the experimental
receive the experimental
procedure. Experimental
treatment or
research may undergo three
intervention. While the
stages of the experimental
control group does not
procedure: pretest stage, the
receive an intervention,
actual intervention stage, and
it is still a part of the
the posttest stage.
experimental research to
- The actual intervention
assess similarities or
stage is the execution phase
differences with the
of the planned experimental
results drawn from the
procedure/s.
experimental group.
- There are two main stages
 Variables.
of procedure in between
- two main types of
the actual intervention: the
variables used in
pretest and the post-test.
experimental research,
and their interaction - pretest is the stage prior to the
constitutes the cause- conduct of the experiment or the
and-effect relationship. intervention. There is no interaction
These two main types yet between the variables of the study.
are the independent
and dependent
variables.
- posttest is the stage after the conduct - single-subject design only
of the experiment or the intervention. has a single individual as the
lone respondent of the
- the results of the posttest reflect experiment. The experiment
whether there have been changes in proceeds by observing the
the dependent variable based on the individual at different
conditions of the independent variable. experimental stages and over
 Instrumentation and time.
materials.  Data analysis and
- makes use of different interpretation. Similar to
instruments and/or survey research, the results of
materials in the pretest, experimental research may
posttest, or actual be analyzed in a descriptive
intervention stages. or inferential manner.

 Experimental procedures.
differ according to which
group is studied and the
actions done with the
group(s). There are four
main experimental
procedures, which are as
follows:
- pre-experimental design
studies and provides an
experimental intervention to
a single experimental group.
It does not make use of a
control group.
- true experiment makes use
of both experimental and
control groups, whose
respondents are randomly
assigned.
- quasi-experiment
uses both experimental
and control groups.
participants of the quasi-
experiment are not
randomly assigned into
groups.
LESSON 1.3: VARIABLES Dependent Variables
IN QUANTITATIVE - also called outcome variables.
RESEARCH - variables that change because of
Variables in Quantitative Research another variable. These are variables
- anything that can be observed by that are also measured by
researchers, such as a person, thing, researchers using standardized tools.
place, situation, or even a For example, a researcher is trying to
phenomenon. Such variables can be determine the effectiveness of the
changed or can inflict change. different coaching styles on volleyball
- vary depending on their role and teams. The winning streak of the teams
level of measurement. may be measured and may change
depending on the coaching style
Roles employed by their coaches. Therefore,
the winning streak is considered as the
Researchers, who focus on cause and
dependent variable.
effect relationships between variables,
need to understand the differences  Mediating Variable
among the roles of variables, which are - also called intervening
as follows: variables) show the
connection between the
Independent Variables
independent and the
- also called causal variables. dependent variables.
- can also be a mechanism
- are presumed to cause the change
by which the independent
in the setup. variable can effect change
- influence another variable to on the dependent variable.
change.
For example, a researcher wants to
- In experimental research, know the effects of working for seven
independent variables may also be days a week on the employee’s
manipulated to examine the specific productivity level. In this given
effect an independent variable may hypothesis, a researcher might see job
have toward another variable. satisfaction as a possible intervening
variable, ensuring that the employee is
For example, a researcher is motivated enough to come to work
determining the effects of motivation every day.
on the performance of employees. The
level of one’s motivation is measured Independent Variable: 7-day work
and related to its possible effects on an week
employee’s performance. Therefore,
motivation is considered as the
independent variable
Dependent Variable: Productivity  Extraneous Variable
level - may be treated as
independent or
Mediating Variable: Job satisfaction
moderating variables
 Moderating Variable but should be excluded
- may have a strong from the research study
conditioned effect on the itself.
relationship between
For example, a researcher wants to
independent and
know the effect of poor garbage
dependent variables.
disposal on pollution. All other
- may also portray how the
variables that a researcher should take
relationship between the
note of, such as environmental factors
independent and the
and people, among others, may have a
dependent variables may
direct impact on the dependent
change, given different
variable, which is pollution. The
circumstances.
researcher must identify all these so
- may also modify the
that the extraneous variable can be
strength of the original
controlled immediately and not
causal relationship
compromise the validity of the
between the independent
research.
and the dependent
variables. Independent Variable: Poor garbage
disposal
For example, a researcher wants to
know the effects of exercising on one’s Dependent Variable: Pollution
weight loss. In this case, if a researcher Extraneous Variables: Environmental
is going to take note of one’s gender as factors, people
a factor that can affect weight loss, it
can be considered as a moderating Level of Measurement
variable as it can modify the strength of - also called scales of measure.
the original relationship of the
independent and dependent variable, - gives you an idea of the type of data
which are exercise and weight loss in that you have and how the variables
this case, respectively. are measured.

Independent Variable: Exercise The level of measurement can be

divided into two:
Dependent Variable: Weight loss
 Categorical variables are
Moderating Variable: Gender variables that are qualitative in
nature, which could either be
nominal or ordinal.
  Continuous variables are Ratio Variable is an interval variable,
variables that are quantitative but unlike the interval variable, it has a
in nature, which could either be true zero. can be counted, ranked and
interval or ratio. has a meaningful difference between
values. Additionally, there is a true zero
Nominal Variable nominal variable is
point. True or absolute zero means
any variable that represents different
that nothing exists for that variable,
types of data that can be categorized or
that zero simply means none.
may be divided into groups. There is no
specific order; hence, the frequencies For instance, a person’s weight can
for each category are only counted. be counted, ranked, and you can
determine the equivalent distance
Examples are:
between a person’s weight and
race, ethnicity, and hair color. another person’s weight. Moreover,
if you say that there is 0 kg, then
Ordinal Variable any variable that can there is no weight measured at all.
also be categorized or may be divided
into groups, but it has a specific order
or rank.
- each category or group can be
counted or ranked.
Examples are:
year of graduation, brands of bags,
and food preferences.
Internal Variable any variable that
has numerical value. the numerical
values can be counted and ranked. In
addition, the difference between
ranked categories is meaningful.
For example, you know that the
difference or interval between 25°C
and 35°C is the same between 10°C
and 20°C. However, there is no true
zero when determining the interval
in this kind of variable. If you say,-
6°C, then that means below freezing
point.