QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

METHODS
EXPERIMENTAL
EXPERIMENTAL
AND NON-
AND NON-
eXPERIMENTAL
eXPERIMENTAL
RESEARCH
RESEARCH
 VARIABLES
VARIABLES
The basic building blocks of
quantitative research
In research, variables are any
characteristics rhan can take on
different values, such as height, age,
temperature, or test scores.
Common types
Common types of
of variables
variables

categorical
categorical
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: a variable that
is made up of different types of
categories of a phenomenon.

EXAMPLE: The variable gender is made

up of the categories of male and female.
Common types
Common types of
of variables
variables

quantitative
quantitative
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: a variable that
varies in degree or amount of a
phenomenon.

EXAMPLE: The variable annual income

varies from zero to a very high income
level.
Role taken
Role taken by
by the
the variables
variables

independent
independent
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: A variable
that is presumed to cause changes to
occur in another variable, a causal
variable.

EXAMPLE: Amount of studying (IV)

affects test grades (DV)
Role taken
Role taken by
by the
the variables
variables

dependent
dependent
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: A variable
that changes because of another
variable, the effect or outcome variable.

EXAMPLE: Amount of studying (IV)

affects test grades (DV)
Role taken
Role taken by
by the
the variables
variables

mediating
mediating
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: AKA
intervening variable. A variable that
comes in between other variable, helps to
delineate the process through which
variables affect one another.
Role taken
Role taken by
by the
the variables
variables

moderator
moderator
KEY CHARACTERISTICS: A variable
that delineates how a relationship of
interest changes under different
conditions or circumstances.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
The purpose of ER is to
experimental
experimental study cause and effect
relationships. Its defining
research
research characteristic is active
manipulation of an
independent variable.
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
experimental research:
experimental research:
Pre-experimental research
Pre-experimental research
design
design
A group, or various groups, are kept under
observation after implementing factors of
cause and effect. You’ll conduct this
research to understand whether further
investigation is necessary for these
particular groups.
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
experimental research:
experimental research:
TRU experimental
TRU experimental research
research
design
design
In a true experiment, three factors need to
be satisfied:
There is a Control Group, which won’t
be subject to changes, and an
Experimental Group, which will
experience the changed variables.
A variable which can be manipulated by
the researcher
Random distribution
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
experimental research:
experimental research:
quasi-experimental research
quasi-experimental research
design
design
The word “Quasi” indicates similarity. A quasi-
experimental design is similar to experimental, but
it is not the same. The difference between the two
is the assignment of a control group. In this
research, an independent variable is manipulated,
but the participants of a group are not randomly
assigned. Quasi-research is used in field settings
where random assignment is either irrelevant or
not required.
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
NON-experimental research
NON-experimental research
In Nonexperimental research there is no
manipulation of the independent variable.

It means that if you ever see a relationship

between two variables in nonexperimental
research you cannot jump to a conclusion of
cause and effect because there will be too
many other alternative explanations for the
relationship.
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
NON-experimental research:
NON-experimental research:
Causal-comparative research
Causal-comparative research

There is one categorical IV and one

quantitative DV:

Example: Gender (IV) and Class

Performance (DV)
You would look for the relationship by
comparing the male and female average
performance levels.
 Major Types
Major Types of
of Quantitative
Quantitative Research
Research
NON-experimental research:
NON-experimental research:
Correlational research
Correlational research
There is one quantitative IV and one
quantitative DV:

Example: Self Esteem (IV) and Class

Performance (DV)
You would look for the relationship by
calculating the correlation coefficient.
The correlation coefficient is a number that
varies between -1 and +1, and 0 STANDS FOR NO
RELATIONSHIP. The farther the number is from
0, the stronger the relationship.
If the sign of correlation coefficient is positive
then you have a positive correlation, which
means the two variables move in the same
direction.
If the sign of correlation coefficient is negative
then you have a negative correlation, which
means the two variables move in the opposite
direction.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Qualitative
Qualitative Research
Research

phenomenology
phenomenology
The researcher attempts to understand
how one or more individuals experience
a phenomenon.
For example, you might interview 20
widows and ask them to describe their
experience of the deaths of their
husbands.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Qualitative
Qualitative Research
Research

ethnography
ethnography
It focuses on describing the culture of a
group of people.
Note culture is the shared attitudes,
values, norms, practices, language and
material things of a group of people.
Example is you want to live in a
indigenous people and you want to
study their health practices.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Qualitative
Qualitative Research
Research

case study
case study
It is focused in providing a detailed
account of one or more cases.
example: you might study a classroom
that was given a new curriculum for
technology use.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Qualitative
Qualitative Research
Research

Grounded tHEORY
Grounded tHEORY
A qualitative approach to generating and
developing a theory form data that the
researcher collects.
Example: you might collect data form
parents who have pulled their children
out of public schools and develop a
theory to explain how and why this
phenomenon occurs, ultimately
developing a theory of school pull-out.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Mixed
Mixed Research
Research

mixed method
mixed method
A research in which the researcher uses
the qualitative research paradigm for one
phase of a research study and the
quantitative research paradigm for another
phase of the study.
Ex: A researcher might conduct an
experiment and after the experiment
conduct an interview with the participants
to see how they viewed the experiment and
to see if they agreed with the results.
Major Types
Major Types of
of Mixed
Mixed Research
Research

mixed model
mixed model
is a research in which the researcher mixes
both qualitative and quantitative
approaches within a stage of the study or
across two of the stages of the research
process.
Ex: A researcher might conduct a survey
and use a questionnaire that is composed
of multiple close-ended or quantitative type
items as well as several open-ended or
qualitative type items.
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