PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

methods describe and measure the level of occurrences on the basis of numbers and calculations.
Moreover, the questions of “how many?” and “how often?” are often asked in quantitative studies.

makes you focus your mind on specific things by means of statistics that involve collection and study of
numerical data.

KINDS

EXPERIMENTAL

NON-EXPERIMENTAL

An attempt by the researcher to maintain control over all factors that may affect the result of an
experiment. In doing this, the researcher attempts to determine or predict what may occur.

Experimental

Non-experimental

is research that lacks the manipulation of an independent variable, random assignment of participants
to conditions or orders of conditions, or both.

EXPERIMENTAL

TRUE-EXPERIMENTAL

SUB-TYPES

SUB-TYPES

must employ the following:

Random selection of subjects

Use of control groups

Random assignments to control and experimental groups

Random assignment of groups to control and experimental conditions

In order for an experiment to follow a true-experimental design, it must meet the preceding criteria.
There is some variation in true-experimental designs, but that variation comes in the time(s) that the
treatment is given to the experimental group, or in the observation or measurement (pre-test, post-test,
mid-test) area.

Advantages of the true-experimental design include:

Greater internal validity

Causal claims can be investigated

Disadvantages:

Less external validity (not like real world conditions)

Not very practical

QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL

are usually constructions that already exist in the real world. Those designs that fall into the quasi-
experimental category fall short in some way of the criteria for the true experimental group. A quasi-
experimental design will have some sort of control and experimental group, but these groups probably
weren't randomly selected. Random selection is usally where true-experimental and quasi-experimental
designs differ.

QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL

Some advantages of the quasi-experimental design include:

Greater external validity (more like real world conditions)

Much more feasible given time and logistical constraints

Disadvantages:
Not as many variables controlled (less causal claims)

MATCHED COMPARATIVE GROUP

TIME SERIES

COUNTERBALANCED QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL

SINGLE SUBJECT

(also known as single case experiments) is popular in the fields of special education and counseling. This
research design is useful when the researcher is attempting to change the behavior of an individual or a
small group of individuals and wishes to document that change. Unlike true experiments where the
researcher randomly assigns participants to a control and treatment group, in single subject research
the participant serves as both the control and treatment group. The researcher uses line graphs to show
the effects of a particular intervention or treatment. An important factor of single subject research is
that only one variable is changed at a time. Single subject research designs are “weak when it comes to
external validity….Studies involving single-subject designs that show a particular treatment to be
effective in changing behavior must rely on replication–across individuals rather than groups–if such
results are be found worthy of generalization”

PRE-EXPERIMENTAL

are lacking in several areas of the true-experimental criteria. Not only do they lack random selection in
most cases, but they usually just employ a single group. This group receives the "treatment," there is no
control group. Pilot studies, one-shot case studies, and most research using only one group, fall into this
category.

The advantages are:

Very practical

Set the stage for further research

Disadvantages:

Lower validity

NON-EXPERIMENTAL

SUB-TYPES
Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Surveys can be specific and
limited, or they can have more global, widespread goals. A survey consists of a predetermined set of
questions that is given to a sample.

SEVERAL TYPES

SURVEY

HISTORICAL

HISTORICAL

a process of critical inquiry into past events, in order to produce an accurate description and
interpretation of those events.

OBSERVATIONAL

as means of gathering information for research, may be defined as perceiving data through the senses:
sight, hearing tastes, touch and smell.

CORRELATIONAL

the researcher measures the two variables of interest with little or no attempt to control extraneous
variables and then assesses the relationship between them

DESCRIPTIVE

is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. It does not answer
questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred.

COMPARATIVE RESEARCH

is a research methodology in the social sciences that aims to make comparisons across different
countries or cultures. A major problem in comparative research is that the data sets in different
countries may not use the same categories, or define categories differently (for example by using
different definitions of poverty).