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Quantitative Research Methodology
In this essay I will try to help you understand what quantitative research is and why it is
used by researchers. Quantitative research is a type of research that focuses on quantifying the
collection and analysis of data. It comes from a deductive approach but the emphasisis placed on
the testing of theories and then shaped by empiricists and positivist philosophies. Although in the
end, the primary focus of all of the research is basically to test and understand relationships
between things.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It is generally
used to find patterns and averages, for making predictions, for testing casual relationships, and
to generalize results to wider populations (Bhandari, 2023). This type of research is very widely
used in natural and social sciences such as: biology, chemistry, psychology, economics,
sociology, marketing, ect. However, before doing a quantitative research study, a researcher has
to decide first whether it will be a descriptive or experimental research study, since that will
dictate how they gather, analyze, and interpret their results. The difference between them is that
descriptive research describes the characteristics of the group or occurrence while experimental
research manipulates the variables to arrive at the conclusions.
Quantitative Research Methods
Descriptive Research
Descriptive research is one method of quantitative research. In this method a person is trying
to get an overall summary of the study variables. Descriptive research aims to accurately and
systematically describe a population, situation, or phenomenon. It can answer what, where,
when, and how questions, but it cannot answer the why questions (McCombes, 2019).
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Researchers generally choose this research method when their research needs to identify
characteristics, frequencies, trends, and categories. This method is also useful when not a lot is
known about the topic or problem.
Correlational Research
Correlational research is another method of quantitative research. In this method, the
researcher investigates the relationships between variables without the researcher controlling or
manipulating any of them. This way reflects the strength and/or direction of the relationship
between two (or more) variables. The direction of a correlation can be either positive or negative.
This type of research is good for gathering data quickly from natural settings. It helps a person
generalize their findings to real-life situations in an externally valid way. Also, correlational
research can help provide a insight into complex real-world relationships, helping the researchers
develop theories and make predictions (Bhandari, 2021).
Experimental Research
Experimental research is also another method of quantitative research. In this type, a
researcher will systematically examine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between
the variables. When using this method, a researcher will create a set of procedures to
systematically test a hypothesis. A good experimental design requires a strong understanding of
the system that is being studied (Bevans, 2019). In this method there are five key steps when
designing a experiment. First the researcher needs to consider their variables and how they are
related, then write down a specific, testable hypothesis, next they would design experimental
treatments to manipulate the independent variables, after that they would assign subjects to
groups (either between-subjects or within-subjects), last thing is they would plan how to measure
their dependent variable.
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Advantages of Quantitative Research
While there are many advantages to this type of research, one of the advantages is that a
researcher is able to see a direct comparison of the results. Meaning a study can be reproduced in
other cultural settings, times, or even with different groups of participants where the results. Can
be compared statistically. Another advantage with this method is that hypothesis testing is used
in this type of research. When hypothesis testing is used it means that the researchers have to
carefully consider, report, and document their research variables, predictions, data collection and
testing methods all before they can ever come to a conclusion about it.
Disadvantages of Quantitative Research
A disadvantage of quantitative research is the superficiality of it. When using precise and
restrictive operational definitions it may inadequately represent complex concepts. Structural
bias is another disadvantage of this type of research as well. Despite standardized procedures,
structural biases can still affect this research method simply because missing data, imprecise
measurements, and inappropriate sampling methods are all biases that can lead to wrong
conclusions (Bhandari, 2023).
Conclusion
Quantitative research 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. Quantitative
research designs can either be descriptive ( the subjects are usually only measured once) or
experimental ( the subjects are measured before and after treatment). However, the main goal in
quantitative research is to determine the relationship between one thing ( a independent variable)
and another (a dependent or outcome variable) within a population.
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References
Babbie, Earl R. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. 12th ed. Wadsworth Cengage.
Bevans, Rebecca. (12/03/ 2019). Guide to Experimental Design- Overview, 5 Steps, & Examples.
Bhandari, Pritha. (07/07/2021). Correlational Research-When and How to Use.
Bhandari, P. (06/22/2023). What is Quantitative Research? Definitions, Uses, and Methods.
Black, Thomas R. (1999). Doing Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences: An Integrated
Approach to Research Design Measurement and Statistics.
McCombes, Shona. (05/15/2019). Descriptive Research-Definitions, Types, Methods, &
Examples.
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