LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

What is Research?

• Research is a scientific, experimental, or inductive manner of thinking.

• The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.

• Research requires an in-depth investigation and analysis.

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Quantitative research is the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical,
mathematical or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ
mathematical models, theories and/or hypotheses pertaining to phenomena. The process of measurement is
central to quantitative research because it provides the fundamental connection between empirical observation
and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships.

• Since Quantitative Research uses numbers and figures to denote a particular thing, this kind of research tend to
exclude your own thoughts and feelings about the subject or object. This is why Quantitative Research is described
as Objective Research in contrast to qualitative research that is subjective.

CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

1. It is reliable and objective.

2. It uses statistics to generalize findings.

3. It reduces and restructures a complex problem to a limited number of variables.

4. It looks at the connections between variables and establishes cause and effect relationships in highly controlled
circumstances.

5. It test theories or hypotheses.

6. It assumes that the sample is representative of the population.

Research Questions

A research question is the fundamental core of a research project, study, or review of literature. It focuses the
study, determines the methodology, and guides all stages of inquiry, analysis, and reporting.

Quantitative Research Questions Qualitative Research Questions

1. How many calories do Filipino men and women 1. What causes some children to be bullies?
consume per day? 2. In what ways is brain development affected by
2. How often do male and female BNHS-SHS students experience?
upload photos and comment on other users' photos 3. How can changes in diet and upbringing compensate
on Facebook each week? for genetic abnormalities?
3. What are the most important factors that influence
the career choices of Australian university students?
4. What is the difference in the daily calorific intake of
Filipino men and women?
LESSON 2

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

STRENGTHS

1. Objective - It allows the researcher to measure and analyse the data to arrive at an objective answer to the
problem posted or stated.

2. Reliable - The result is reliable since the study uses a big sample of the population.

3. Replicable - Standards are usually used in choosing the instruments, in sampling procedures, and in choosing the
most appropriate statistical treatment, thus making the research replicable.

4. Unbiased - Personal biases can be avoided since personal interaction is not part of the research process.

5. Simplified - Results can be reduced through statistical treatments and interpreted in a few statements.

WEAKNESSES

1. Misses Contextual Details - The context of the study or experiment is ignored in such a way that it does not
consider the natural setting where the study is conducted.

Example: A researcher researching diabetes medication, for instance, might record how many times a research
participant missed the medication but not the details of what happened during a participant's day to cause him to
forget to take the diabetes medication.

2. Expensive and time consuming - Having a large study sample requires researchers to spend more resources.

3. Difficultly in data analysis - Quantitative study requires extensive statistical analysis, which can be difficult to
perform for researchers from non- statistical backgrounds. Statistical analysis is based on scientific discipline and
hence difficult for non-mathematicians to perform.

4. Results are limited - Results are limited since they are usually based on the analysis of numbers and are not
obtained from detailed narratives.

DIMENSIONS QUANTITATIVE PARADIGM QUALITATIVE PARADIGM

Purpose Prediction and Control Understanding

Reliability Stable – reality is made up of facts that do not Dynamic – reliability changes with changes in
change people’s perceptions

Viewpoint Outsider – reality is what quantifiable data Insider – reality is what people perceive it to be
indicate it to be

Values Value free – values can be controlled Value bound – values will impact on
understanding the phenomena

Focus Particularistic – defined by variables studied Holistic

Orientation Verification Discovery

Data Objective Subjective

Results Reliable Valid – the focus is on design and procedures to

gain real, rich and deep data