QUANTITATIVE METHODS (including Modelling 2.

Narrow focus
and Simulation) 3. Structural bias
4. Lack of context
What is Quantitative Method in Research?
• Quantitative research is the process of collecting The Difference Between Quantitative and Qualitative
and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to Research
find patterns and averages, make predictions, test
causal relationships, and generalize results to Quantitative Research Qualitative Research
wider populations. Focuses on testing Focuses on exploring
• Quantitative research is defined as a systematic theories and hypotheses ideas and formulating a
investigation of phenomena by gathering theory or hypothesis
Analyzed through math and Analyzed by
quantifiable data and performing statistical,
statistical analysis summarizing, categorizing
mathematical, or computational techniques. and interpreting
• Quantitative research is widely used in the natural Mainly expressed in Mainly expressed in
and social sciences: biology, chemistry, numbers, graphs and words
psychology, economics, sociology, marketing, etc. tables
Requires many Requires few respondents
Two Methods to Conduct Quantitative Research respondents
Closed (multiple choice) Open-ended questions
• Primary quantitative research methods
questions
• Secondary quantitative research methods Key terms: testing, Key terms:
measurement, objectivity, understanding, context,
When is Quantitative Research Useful? replicability complexity, subjectivity
• The goal of quantitative research methods is to
collect numerical data from a group of people, THE NATURE OF DATA
then generalize those results to a larger group of Data are known facts or things used as basis for
people to explain a phenomenon. Researchers inference or reckoning.
generally use quantitative research when they Data can be seen in two distinct ways: Categorical
want to get objective, conclusive answers. and Numerical.

How to plan a quantitative research exercise?

• Identify the research problem.
• Prepare the research questions that need to be
answered to address the research problem.
• Review existing literature on the research problem
and questions to ensure that there is no
duplication. If someone has already answered
this, you can rely on their results. Categorical data are values or observations that can
• Develop a research plan. This includes identifying be sorted into groups or categories.
the target group, sample, and method of data There are two types of categorical values:
collection; conducting data analysis; collating • A nominal variable has no intrinsic ordering
recommendations; and arriving at a conclusion. to its categories.
• An ordinal variable has an established
Advantages ordering.
1. Replication
2. Direct comparison of results Numerical data are values or observations that can
3. Large samples be measured.
4. Hypothesis testing There are two kinds of numerical values:
• Discrete data are values or observations that
Disadvantages can be counted and are distinct and
1. Superficiality separate.
 • Continuous data are values or observations MEASUREMENT OF DATA
that may take on any value within a finite or Properties of Measurement
infinite interval. • Identity
• Magnitude
Two Main Flavors of Data: Qualitative and • Equal intervals
Quantitative • A minimum value of zero
• Quantitative data deals with numbers and
things you can measure objectively: Types of Data and Measurement Scales: Nominal,
dimensions such as height, width, and length. Ordinal, Interval and Ratio
Temperature and humidity. Prices. Area and • The nominal scale of measurement defines
volume. the identity property of data.
• Qualitative data deals with characteristics o Nominal with order. Some nominal
and descriptors that can't be easily data can be sub-categorized in order,
measured, but can be observed such as “cold, warm, hot and very
subjectively—such as smells, tastes, hot.”
textures, attractiveness, and color. o Nominal without order. Nominal
data can also be sub-categorized as
Types of Quantitative Data nominal without order, such as male
• Discrete data is a count that can't be made and female.
more precise. Typically, it involves integers. o Dichotomous. Dichotomous data is
The numerical values which fall under are defined by having only two categories
integers or whole numbers. or levels, such as “yes’ and ‘no’.
• Continuous data could be divided and • The ordinal scale defines data that is placed
reduced to finer and finer levels. The in a specific order.
fractional numbers are considered as • The interval scale contains properties of
continuous values. nominal and ordered data, but the difference
between data points can be quantified.
Three Main Kinds of Qualitative Data • Ratio scales are the ultimate nirvana when it
• Binary data place things in one of two comes to data measurement scales because
mutually exclusive categories: right/wrong, they tell us about the order, they tell us the
true/false, or accept/reject. exact value between units, and they also
• Nominal data are the set of values that don’t have an absolute zero–which allows for a
possess a natural ordering. When collecting wide range of both descriptive and inferential
unordered or nominal data, you assign statistics to be applied.
individual items to named categories that do
not have an implicit or natural value or rank.
• Ordinal data have natural ordering while
maintaining their class of values. Ordered or
ordinal data, in which items are assigned to
categories that do have some kind of implicit
or natural order, such as "Short, Medium, or
Tall."

What is Qualitative (Categorical) Data?

Qualitative data describes the qualities of data
points and is non-numerical. It’s used to define the
information and can also be further broken down into
sub-categories through the four scales of
measurement.