ahmad- RM

Quantitative Research
Experience in Number

Quantitative Research
There are two different ways of recording observations of the same world. Sometimes we convert our raw experience of the social world into WORDS and at other times into NUMBERS.

Ideological Orientation
QUAN research in social sciences was originally inspired by scientific methods used in natural sciences. The scientific method postulates three key steps in the research process:
Observing a phenomenon or identifying a problem Formulating research question / hypothesis Answering the research question or testing the hypothesis by collecting and analyzing the empirical data using standardized procedures. - Thus the scientific method was claimed to offer a tool to explore questions in an objective manner, trying to minimize any researcher bias or prejudice, thereby resulting in a reliable description of the world. 1. 2. 3.

Ideological Orientation
The scientific method is closely associated with numerical values and statistics. Being a scientist means measuring ones subject matter empirically. To serve the mathematical needs of the social sciences, statistics plays a significant role. The mathematical needs of social sciences are based on the assumption that any knowledge that one cannot measure numerically is a poor sort of knowledge.

Main Characteristics of QUAN Research

Using numbers A priori categorization Variables rather than cases The language of statistics Standardized procedures for analysis Quest for generalizability

Steps in the QUAN Research

7. Inform Others 1. Select Topic 2. Focus Question

6. Interpret Data

Theory

5. Analyze Data 4.Collect Data

3. Design Study