Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research
Being one of the most wide-spread methods of research quantitative research
presupposes the analysis of certain objects by means of numeric representations
and statistical analysis. The main goal of this research is to measure, define
and make a report on the correlation of certain elements. Quantitative research
is usually conducted by means of collecting statistical data in the form of
surveys, questionnaires, interviews and experiments, which are designed to determine
opinion of people or certain trends in the society. According to the author
of the article “The advantages and disadvantages of qualitative and quantitative
research methods” Rob O’Neill, quantitative research is “built
upon the ‘positivism’ paradigm, and is perceived as the scientific
approach to research employing ‘experimental’ and ‘quasi-experimental’
strategies (O’Neill, 2005). Received findings serve as representative
characteristics used to describe the total population rather than some of its
parts. Data that is being collected from various sources is easily analyzed
and interpreted into useful information for the researchers. Techniques that
are used in quantitative research are also included into so-called primary research.
Quantitative research is very often opposed to qualitative research, from which
it differs in several ways. In contrast to qualitative research, “the
use of standardized methods in quantitative research allows for greater objectivity
and accuracy of results” (O’Neill, 2005), which means that the data
received is more objective and the instruments that are used in research are
more structured. Quantitative research provides generalized data on the objects
that are being analyzed, thus, the information is not so detailed on behaviour
and attitudes of the subject matters. Another characteristic feature of quantitative
research is that it “usually involves few variables and many cases, and
employs prescribed procedures to ensure validity and reliability” (O’Neill,
2005). Thus, this type of research if often repeated due to the high level of
reliability it possesses. Quantitative research is based upon deductive methods
and theories, which are usually analyzed in a “cause effect order”.
It is concentrated on the four major goals, which include: to generalize the
received facts, to predict the trends for the future, to “explain, and
understand some phenomenon” (Creswell, 1997). Despite of the fact that
qualitative and quantitative researches have their own followers and opponents
“both research methods have their own individual strengths and weaknesses”
(O’Neill, 2005). However, there is an assumption made by some of the scientists
that “the skilled researcher can successfully combine approaches”
(Seigle, 2003). The most wide-spread techniques of quantitative research are
observation, survey techniques and experiments.
Speaking about the usage of quantitative researches in education it is necessary
to underline the fact that both “quantitative and qualitative research
approaches in education have arisen from different research needs” (Hara,
1995). Katsuko Hara, the author of the article “Quantitative and Qualitative
Research Approaches in Education” characterizes the use of quantitative
research in education in the following way. Firs of all it is stated that “the
quantitative research approach endlessly pursues facts while the qualitative
research approach recognizes that the researcher’s viewpoint is central”
(Hara, 1995). Also, Katsuko Hara states that “the quantitative research
approach is used when the researcher desires to obtain entire trends or statistical
truth in the research while the qualitative research approach is used if the
researcher wants to observe in detail by his/her own research viewpoint”
(Hara, 1995). The usefulness of quantitative research in education is conditioned
by certain characteristic features of this type of research. The purposes and
the methods used in quantitative research effectively display the trends existing
in educational sphere of life. The explanations provided by this type of research
are supported by numeric calculations and logic deductions. Obvious advantage
of quantitative research in education is that it is based on “neutral
activity from the researchers’ subjective viewpoint” (Hara, 1995).
Thus, the need to use so-called “neutral, scientific language” in
quantitative research for educational purposes appeared. This was done in order
to make quantitative research applicable and acceptable all over the world.
Because quantitative research employs objective methods of analysis and uses
numeric explanation of the received data, it avoids researchers’ subjectivity,
making the results of research even more valuable. Thus, the results of quantitative
research can be used in education in any cultural environment regardless of
nationality, race and language of the educators who use them. It is important
to note another integral feature of quantitative research known as generalizability,
which can be achieved by using neutral scientific languages understood by every
member of scientific environment. Quantitative research in education is very
effective because its results are “derived by discovering exact facts
and, therefore, the same research methods and the results are generalized”
(Hara, 1995).
There are two approaches in quantitative research – experimental and non-experimental.
The main purpose of experimental quantitative research is to study the causes
and effects of correlations. Experimental approach presupposes the usage of
manipulation of independent variables, while in non-experimental approach “variables
of interest are not manipulable” (Johnson, 2001). Non-experimental approach
is represented by two methods, which are causal-comparative research and correlational
research. Both methods of non-experimental approach in quantitative research
use attribute variables, which cannot be manipulated. Such attribute variables
include “gender, parenting style, learning style, ethnic group, college
major, party identification, type of school, marital status of parents, retention
in grade, type of disability, presence or absence of an illness, drug or tobacco
use, and any personality trait that is operationalized as a categorical variable”
(Johnson, 2001). It is necessary to underline the fact that non-experimental
methods are more widely used by the researchers because “many important
variables of interest are not manipulable”.
In conclusion, quantitative research is an effective mean of conducting analysis
of various phenomena in many spheres of life. Its effectiveness is conditioned
by the usage of neutral language and generalizability, which makes the results
of the research applicable in all sciences.
Bibliography
Hara, K. (1995). Quantitative and Qualitative Research Approaches in Education.
Education, Vol. 115.
Johnson, B. (2001). Toward a New Classification of Non-experimental Quantitative
Research. Educational Researcher, Vol. 30, No. 2.
O’Neill, R. (2005). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative and
Quantitative Research methods. Retrieved March 8, 2007 from www.roboneill.co.uk/papers/research_methods.pdf
Siegle, D. (2003). Qalitative versus Quantitative. Retrieved March 8, 2007 from
www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research/Qualitative/qualquan.htm
Creswell, W. (1997). Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Retrieved March
8, 2007 from www.unr.edu/bench/chap04.pdf
