LESSON 2 – KINDS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS

KINDS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Quantitative
Research

Experimental Non-Experimental

Pre- Survey Research

True Experimental Quasi Experimental
Experimental 1. Descriptive
Research Research
Research Research
2. Correlational
Research
3. Comparative
Research

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
■ Experimental research is concerned primarily with the cause and effect relationships in studies that involve
manipulation or control of the independent variables and measurement of the dependent variables.

■ The key idea is that the researcher tries to set up a situation where the ONLY systematic difference between the
groups is the different levels of the independent variable.

■ In experimental research, the researcher attempts to hold all variables other than the independent variable
constant.

Experimental group vs control group.

■ An experimental group receives the experimental treatment. A control group does not receive the experimental
treatment condition. The standard in experimental research is to compare an experimental group with a control
group.

True Experimental Design

■ A design is considered a true experiment when the following criteria are present:

– Presence of treatment or intervention.

– Presence of experimental and control group.

– Random assignment of subjects.

Quasi Experimental Research

■ A design in which the subjects are not randomly assigned to groups.

Examples of situations that naturally fall into Quasi Experimental.

a. It would be unethical to treat patients; for example, you might want to find out if a certain drug causes
blindness. The researcher cannot require the respondents to take the medication. Instead, the researcher
must look for a group of people who normally take the said medication and assign them as the experimental
group. In this case random assignment is not possible.
b. You might want to compare educational experiences of first, middle and last born children. Random
assignment isn’t possible, so these experiments are quasi-experimental by nature.

Pre-Experimental Research
■ In this design, the researcher studies a single group and provides an intervention during the experiment. This
design does not have a control group to compare with the experimental group.

NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
■ By definition, non-experimental designs are those in which none of the three criteria for true experimentation
exists in the structure of sample selection, exposure to an experimental condition, and data collection.

■ These designs are most useful when testing a concept or construct a set of relationships.

Survey Research

■ Surveys generally ask the respondents to report on their attitudes, opinions, perceptions, or behaviors.

■ Aims at describing characteristics, opinions, attitudes, and behaviors as they currently exist in a population.

Descriptive Research

■ Utilized for the purpose of accurately portraying a population that has been chosen because of some specific
characteristics.

■ You want to observe and describe something in an effort to understand it better.

Example: A study to assess the factors influencing postnatal depression among postnatal mothers in Balanga City.

Correlational Research

■ Examines if variables relate to each other.

■ Quantifies the strength or relationship between the variables.

Weak points

• Correlation research only uncovers a relationship; it cannot provide a conclusive reason for why there's
a relationship.
• A correlative finding doesn't reveal which variable influences the other.

For example, finding that wealth correlates highly with education doesn't explain whether having
wealth leads to more education or whether education leads to more wealth.

Example: A correlational study to assess the relationship between stress and coping behavior seen among patients
with myocardial infarction in selected hospitals in Balanga City.

Comparative Research

■ States the differences or similarities between or among people, things, objects, etc.

■ Examine the differences between two groups on some dependent variable.

Example: A comparative study of dietary practices of anemic and non-anemic adolescent girls in selected colleges.
 If the study is quantitative, ask:
YES = True
experimental
Was the sample
YES random?
No = Quasi
experimental
Is there a control
YES
group?

Was there an
intervention? No = Pre-
Experimental
No = Non-
experimental

REMEMBER:
There is no single best way to conduct a research, nor is there a universally applicable
research design.

QUIZ 2
Direction: Answer briefly and directly.
1. Differentiate True Experimental Research, Quasi-Experimental Research, and Pre-Experimental
Research.
2. In an experiment, what is the importance of having a control group?
3. TRUE or FALSE: In an experiment, you can have 3 or more experimental groups.
4. What specific research design will you employ given the research topic: “Emotional Intelligence and
Level of Stress of Senior High School Students During the New Normal.” Justify your answer. (Choose
from the different quantitative research designs)