Course Code: POS 058

Student Activity Sheets #4

Name: Class number: _______

_________________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________
________________________________________

Lesson title: Assumptions on Quantitative Research Materials:

Lesson Objectives: Pencil and Paper
1.Understand the concepts of Quantitative research
2. Be able to identify the characteristics of a Quantitative research in References:
Political Analysis https://political-
1. science.iresearchnet.com/qualitative-
vs-quantitative-research/

Productivity Tip:
Try doing your activity in your garden, so you can breathe fresh air while learning some assumptions about
Quantitative research.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

Introduction (2 mins)
Good day! Did you still remember our lesson last meeting? What did you remember about it? Of course, we
discussed about the overview of Quantitative Research. We learned the definition of it as well as the different
types of quantitative research. The past lesson about the overview of quantitative research is also part of today’s
lesson, which are the assumptions in doing Quantitative Research. Are you now ready?

Please read the learning targets before you proceed to the succeeding activities. The learning targets are your
goals. Remember, you need to achieve your learning targets at the end of the lesson.
Before we proceed to our topic today, let’s see your learning and understanding of the previous lesson by
answering the questions below.

Enumerate 4 Common Quantitative Research Methods

1.
2.
3.
4.

Activity 1: What I Know Chart, part 1 (3 mins)

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 Course Code: POS 058
Student Activity Sheets #4

Name: Class number: _______

_________________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________
________________________________________

In this activity, students will write their prior knowledge or what they know about assumptions of Quantitative Method in
the first column. Through this, they will be able to know their prior knowledge about the lesson. The third column should
be left blank at this time.

What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

1.Give 3 assumptions when doing
quantitaive research.
2.Give 2 ways on how Quantitative
Methods used in Political Analysis.
3. Give 1 common misconception of a
Quantitative Research.

B.MAIN LESSON

I think you are now ready to start with our lesson for today. Now, let’s move to the next set of activities. The succeeding
activities aim to develop your knowledge and understanding of the lesson.

Activity 2: Content Notes (13 mins)

Assumptions of Quantitative Methods

The goal of quantitative research is to examine particular instances or aspects of phenomena to determine if predictive
generalizations of a theory hold true or to test causal hypotheses. As a result, there are several key assumptions underlying
quantitative research methods, which are briefly outlined here. These include the following:
• Reality can be studied objectively.
• Research must remain independent of the researcher through the use of experiments, questionnaires, machines, or
inventories.
• Research is value free, and the researcher does not become a part of or interfere with the research.
• Theories and hypotheses are tested in a cause effect order with research based primarily on deductive forms of
logic identified a priori by the researcher.
• The purpose of research is to develop generalizations that contribute to theory and allow the researcher to predict,
explain, and understand a particular phenomenon.

Quantitative Methods in Political Analysis

Quantitative methods are essentially a variety of research techniques that are used to gather quantitative data. There are a
variety of different types of quantitative methods, which are briefly outlined in this section: experiments, quasi
experiments, content analysis, and surveys. First, in experiments, participants are randomly assigned to experimental
conditions, as well as experimental controls. The individuals who are assigned to experimental controls are testing the
independent variable. The difference between experiments and quasi experiments is the way that subjects are selected. In

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_________________________________________________________________ Date:
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________________________________________

quasi experiments, participants are assigned to experimental conditions in a nonrandom fashion.

Next, content analysis is a systematic means of counting and assessing information in order to interpret it. For instance,
scholars may count the number of times that personal characteristics, such as dress or hairstyle, are mentioned in
newspaper articles to determine whether media coverage of male and female candidates differs. Finally, surveys are used
to estimate the characteristics of a population based on responses to questionnaires and interviews from a sample of the
population. Surveys provide five types of information: (1) facts, (2) opinions, (3) perceptions, (4) attitudes, and (5)
behavioral reports. Essentially, questionnaires and surveys can serve as a means for helping scholars understand why
people feel or act the way that they do, as well as measure their attitudes and assess their behaviors.

Common Misconceptions in Using Quantitative Method

1.Quantitative research is scientific

While quantitative research certainly can be scientific, it is not inherently so. Let us look at the basic scientific method:

Step1: Ask a question

Step 2: Do background research
Step 3: Construct a hypothesis
Step 4: Test your hypothesis
Step 5: Analyze your data
Step 6: Report your results

Steps three and four, constructing and testing the hypothesis, are the critical pieces that make a research process scientific.
A hypothesis is a discrete, definitive statement about reality, as opposed to a question. It allows you to construct an
approach that will provide incontrovertible evidence for or against that specific, pre-defined finding. A hypothesis is
fundamentally different from a broader research question. Research questions are what are asked when you do not know
something; a hypothesis is formed based on your existing research to assert what you suspect to be true.

A research question might be something like: “Why are customers abandoning my site before making a purchase?”
Conducting background research may include qualitative research, like a usability test, and/or quantitative research, such
as a survey asking people why they leave. This is exploratory research. From there, you may learn several things: people
cannot find price, they do not like the look-and-feel, they do not trust the site, etc. You will not confidently know how
these factors are interacting, but you can observe them.

From there you can establish formal hypotheses, such as “Increasing the size of the price displayed will increase
conversion.” These hypotheses can be supported or disproven with scientific research. This is confirmatory research. This
is typically when quantitative research becomes scientific.

Again, it may feel trivial to say, “the hypothesis has to be a statement instead of a question.” It may feel like a grade-
school technicality, but consider the research paradigms; if you lean towards positivism and feel there is an objective truth

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out there, you want to validate it and verify it if possible. When you are working from a hypothesis, you can create an
approach that will ensure you either provide evidence to substantiate it or disconfirm it. A scientific approach will rule out
alternative explanations and isolate the individual effects of the variables tested.

2. Quantitative research is highly complex and complicated

This misconception is often associated with the thought quantitative research implies scientific research. While scientific,
confirmatory research does entail more complexity than exploratory research, neither necessarily must be particularly
complex. Some simple descriptive quantitative statistics are among the simplest research approaches available, far simpler
than usability testing. And, even scientific experimental designs can be simple (depending on the hypothesis and skill of
the researcher) and conducted quickly and easily. Of course, some quantitative research can be highly complicated, but it
is not always necessary.

A simple descriptive quantitative survey could be obtaining your System Usability Scale (SUS). This is an existing
measure and only requires you build a survey, distribute it to your users, and analyze the results.

A simple scientific quantitative survey could be comparing your market segments or personas on the System Usability
Scale (SUS) to see how the aggregate of each type of customer/user differs on their rating.

Scientific research becomes far more complex when our questions change from "are these variables related" to, "are these
variables related given these other variables, and can we make predictions about people based on the relationship between
the variables". The complex research is valuable but is needed less than simple correlation style studies.

3. Quantitative research is more rigorous than qualitative

Qualitative research can, and often should, be just as rigorous as quantitative research. To an outside observer, it may look
like a usability test, for example, is nothing more than a casual conversation or interview. That “casual conversation”,
though, is the planned result of a well-trained researcher, adept at guiding the participant through the desired session flow,
without influencing or leading the participant themselves. The researcher balances friendly casualness to keep the
participant engaged with targeted and direct questions to elicit the desired opinions and reactions. Let alone all the
rigorous recruiting, screening, research plan creation, and analysis that goes into these projects.

The distinction between quantitative and qualitative is not about the rigor of the research approach, rather it is about how
representative and predictive the information obtained from the research is.

Qualitative researchers focus on transferability. Transferability is how well the findings can be transferred to other
contexts. A good qualitative researcher conducting a usability test will identify how the user’s behavior is influenced by
the non-natural testing process and how it may differ in a more normal (non-lab) environment.

Quantitative researchers focus on generalizability. Generalizability is how well the findings fit (i.e., are representative of)
the population and settings. A good quantitative researcher conducting a system usability scale (SUS) analyses will ensure
the sample obtained is representative of the population and reduces threats to internal validity while balancing ecological

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validity

4. Quantitative research is prohibitively expensive and/or time-consuming

The price tag and timeline attached to quantitative research can vary dramatically, just like qualitative research. But it
does not have to be expensive or time-consuming. This misconception often arises when attempting to compare
quantitative and qualitative research solutions and apply them to the same problem. Again, though, these are
fundamentally different research paradigms. Consider the qualitative and quantitative research solutions in the scenario
above. Both would likely be relatively quick and inexpensive research projects. A quick qualitative usability test will
provide clear insights to validate design direction of a massive and technically complex site. Similarly, a conjoint analysis,
used to determine the optimal bundle of product or service offerings and price points, can offer efficient, predictive,
actionable insights with a quick, well-crafted survey.

Flip them, try to answer those questions with the other methodology (qualitative <-> quantitative), and while technically
doable, both projects would have huge timelines and costs. The research paradigms are fundamentally different, so a
mismatch between the approach and the research question can lead to runaway costs. The approaches are so ridiculously
different that trying to think about either solution using the other paradigm borders on non-sensical!

This is why pragmatism is so important within the CX/UX space; being able to understand the needs of the research and
how best to gain the insights necessary leads to much more efficient and insightful research, without extraneous and
unnecessary impacts to your budget and timeline.

Limitations of Quantitative Methods

There are three key criticisms of quantitative research that are discussed here. First, since quantitative research methods
were adopted from the physical sciences, critics argue that all cases are treated as though they are alike. Complex concepts
are turned into numbers, and their unique elements are dissipated as a result. Furthermore, people can easily attribute
different meanings to something even when they are experiencing the same phenomena. Second, and related to the first
criticism, some people argue that quantitative methods are inherently biased. Since they are adopted from the physical
sciences, critics argue that quantitative methods fail to take into account the unique cultural roots and other critical aspects
of marginalized groups of people. Thus, according to critics, when it comes to populations that have been politically
excluded, the usage of quantitative methods may not be appropriate, according to critics. Third, critics argue that
quantitative research methods result in taking individuals out of their natural settings to examine very limited aspects of
what a person thinks or believes. To these critics, context is very important, and by taking actions out of context, it is
impossible to understand the true meaning of events or responses.

Activity 3: Skill-building Activities (with answer key) (18 mins + 2 mins checking)

A. Answer the table below my identifying the strength of Quantitative Method and Limitations of Quantitative Method.

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_________________________________________________________________ Date:
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________________________________________

Strength of Quantitative Method Limitations of Quantitative Method

1. 1.

2. 2.

3.
3.

B.Based on the readings on oyur content notes I know its gives you now a wide knowledge about Quantitative Method.
Now, let us do some bouncing back to our lesson and give thought to this question, could you consider Quantitaive
Method useful in Political Analysis? Use the space below for your answer.

I think Quantitative Method is useful in Political Analysis

because_______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Activity 4: What I Know Chart, part 2 (2 mins)

Now let’s check your understanding of the lesson. I hope that everything about the lesson is clear to you. This time you
have to answer the “What I learned” column in page 1. I am sure you knew now the answer to the questions.

Directions: Turn your activity sheet to page 1 and answer the “What I Learned” column. Make sure to write your new
answer based on your learning of the lesson.

Activity 5: Check for Understanding (5 mins)

Answer the next activity. This will measure your learning/understanding of the lesson today.

Direction: Read the statements below, write True if the statement is correct and write False if the statement is incorrect.
Write your answer on the space provided for.

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Name: Class number: _______

_________________________________________________________________ Date:
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________________________________________

_______1. Research is value free, and the researcher does not become a part of or interfere with the research.

_______2. People argue that quantitative methods are inherently biased.

_______3. . In quasi experiments, participants are assigned to experimental conditions in a nonrandom fashion.

______4. Content analysis is a systematic means of counting and assessing information in order to interpret it.

_______5. The purpose of research is to develop generalizations that contribute to theory and allow the researcher to
predict, explain, and understand a particular phenomenon.

C. LESSON WRAP-UP
1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning (5 mins)
A. Work Tracker
You are done with this session! Let’s track your progress. Shade the session number you just completed.

B) Think about your Learning

DirectionsL Please answer this tracker, this will remind you of the things you learned and accomplished today.

What contributed to the

What module# did you do?
What were the learning
What’s the date today?
targets? What activities did
you do?
quality of your performance
What were your scores in today? What will you do
the activities? next session to maintain
your performance or
improve it?

C). Directions: Since you are done with today’s lesson, please carefully read the question below and give your
honest answer to it.

What are the challenges/difficulties you encountered in learning the lesson? If none, which part of the topic did you
find interesting that helped you learned and met the learning targets?
1.
2.

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 Course Code: POS 058
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Name: Class number: _______

_________________________________________________________________ Date:
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________________________________________

Question/s I want to ask my teacher about this module is/are:

1.
2.

FAQs
1. When is quantitative research useful?
Ans. The goal of quantitative research methods is to collect numerical data from a group of people, then generalize those
results to a larger group of people to explain a phenomenon. Researchers generally use quantitative research when they
want get objective, conclusive answers.
2. How can you plan a quantitative research exercise?
Ans. 1.Identify the research problem, 2. Prepare the research questions , 3. Review existing literature, 4. Develop a
research plan

KEY TO CORRECTIONS

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW

1.Survey Research
2. Correlational Research
3. Casual-Comparative Research
4.Experimental Research

Activity 5: Check for Understanding (5 mins)

1.True
2.True
3.True
4.True
5.True

* See rubric for the checking the answers for the essay/open-ended questions

4 3 2 1 0 SCORE

Content Write-up is Write-up is Write-up is not Write-up is Ques-

comprehensive, accurate but not completely stated. incomplete. Key tions
(50%) accurate and complete. Key Key points are not points are are not
complete. Key points are stated addressed and not lacking. Does not answer
ideas are clearly but not supported. supported. Does incorporate ed
stated and Include some not include information from
supported. pertinent and pertinent class discussions
Include pertinent detailed information from

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Name: Class number: _______

_________________________________________________________________ Date:
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________________________________________

and detailed information from class discussions.

information from class discussions.
class
discussions.

Organi- Well organized, Mostly clear and Inadequate Organization and Ques-
zation developed and easy to follow. organization. structure draw tions
easy to follow. Usually maintains Structure of the away from the are not
(30%) Maintains focus focus but answer is not easy answer. Provides answer
on the topic. occasionally to follow. Presents no information ed.
presents information that is that can be
information that is sometimes understood.
different from the unclear.
topic.

Spelling Grammar, Contain few Contain Contain enough Ques-

and spelling, distracting substantial distracting tions
Gram- punctuation, and problems. There distracting grammar, are not
mar sentence are one or two problems. There spelling, answer
structure have no errors in grammar, may be three to punctuation, and ed.
(20%) errors. spelling, four errors in sentence
punctuation, and grammar, spelling, structure
sentence punctuation, and problems to make
structure. sentence it substantially
structure. incomprehensible

TOTAL SCORE

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________________________________________

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