Quantitative Research

- a formal, objective, rigorous, systematic process for generating

numerical information about the world.
- conducted to describe new situations, events, or concepts; examine
relationship among variables, and determine the effectiveness of
treatments or interventions on selected health outcomes in the world.
 describing the spread of flu cases each season and their
potential influence on local and global health. (descriptive
study)
 examining the relationships among the variables – for example,
minutes watching television per week, minutes playing video
games per week, and body mass index of a school-age child.
(correlational study)
 determining the effectiveness of calcium with vitamin D3
supplements on the bone density of adults (quasi –
experimental study)
Types of Quantitative Research

Descriptive

Correlational

Quasi – experimental

Experimental
1. Descriptive Research
Exploration and description of phenomena in a real-life situation.

Provides accurate account of characteristics of individuals, situations, or groups.

Usually conducted with large numbers of subjects or study participants, in natural setting, with no
manipulation of the situation.

Discovers new meanings, describe what exists, determine the frequency with which something occurs,
and categorized information in real-world setting.

Outcomes: identification and description of concepts, possible relationship among concepts, and
development of hypotheses that provides a basis for future quantitative research.
 Explain the nature of relationships in
the real world, not to determine cause
and effect.

Investigation of relationships between

2. or among variables

Correlational Positive Correlation – both

variables increase or decrease
together.
Research Determine the degree or strength
and type (positive or negative) of a
relationship between 2 variables.
Negative Correlation – variables
vary in opposite direction. One
variable increases, the other
decreases.
Outcomes: generate hypothesis to
guide quasi – experimental and
experimental studies that do focus
on examining cause and effect
relationships.
 Examine casual relationships or determine the
effect of one variable on another. Cause and Effect

3. Quasi –
Implementing a treatment or intervention and
experimental examining the effects of this interventions using
selected methods of measurement.
Research
Difference between experimental and quasi –
experimental is, quasi – has no or little control
over the manipulation of treatment, management
of setting, and/or selection of the subjects.
 4. Experimental Research
• Objective, systematic, highly controlled investigation
conducted for the purpose of predicting and controlling
phenomena in nursing practice.
• Causality of the dependent (outcome) and independent
(treatment) variables is examined under highly controlled
conditions.
• Most powerful method because of rigorous control of
variables.
• 3 main characteristics:
• Controlled manipulation of at least 1 treatment
variable
• Exposure of some of the subjects to the treatment
(experimental group) and no exposure of the
remaining subjects (control group)
• Random assignment of subjects to the control or
experimental group
• Random selection of subjects and the conduct of
the study in a laboratory or research facility
strengthen control
• The degree of control varies according to the
population, variables examined, and the
environment.
 5 Conceptual Phase
Phases:

Design and Planning Phase

Steps in the Empirical Phase
Quantitative
Process Analytic Phase

Dissemination Phase
Phase 1: The Conceptual Phase
Step 1: - begin with the topics that fascinate you or about which you have a passionate interest or
curiosity.
Formulating and - “Is this research question significant, given the existing base of knowledge?”
Delimiting the - “Could findings from this research be useful in clinical practice?”
Problem - “How can this question best be studied to yield high – quality evidence?”

Step 2: Reviewing Quantitative strive to understand what is already known about a research problem. A thorough
the Related literature review provides a foundation on which to base new knowledge and usually is
conducted well before any data are collected.
Literature
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Step 3: Undertaking Clinical
Fieldwork
• - it can provide perspectives on
recent clinical trends, current
diagnostic procedures, and relevant
health care delivery models.
• - it can help researchers better
understand affected clients and the
setting in which care is provided.
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Step 4: Defining the
Framework and Developing
Conceptual Definitions
• - researcher must have a clear sense
of the concepts under study.
• - quantitative research, within the
context of a theoretical framework,
the findings may have broader
significance and utility.
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Step 5: Formulating
Hypotheses
• - hypothesis: researcher’s
expectations about relationships
between the variables under
investigation; a prediction of
expected outcomes; they state the
relationships researchers expect to
find as a result of the study
Phase 2: The Design and Planning Phase
Step 6: Selecting a Research Design

• - overall plan for obtaining answers to the questions being studied and for handling some of the
difficulties encountered during the research process.
• - researchers specify which specific design will be adopted and what controls will be used to
minimize bias and enhance the interpretability of results.
• - this is essentially the architectural backbone of the study.

Step 7: Developing Protocols for the Intervention

Step 8: Identifying the Population to be studied

Step 9: Designing the Sampling Plan

• - Probability sampling and Nonprobability sampling

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10 2
11 3
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Step 10: Specifying Step 11: Developing Step 12: Finalizing
Methods to Methods for and Reviewing the
Measure the Safeguarding Research Plan
Research Variables Human / Animal
Rights.
Phase 3: The Empirical Phase

Step 13: Collecting the Data Step 14: Preparing the Data for
Analysis
Phase 4: The Analytic Phase

Step 15: Step 16:

Analyzing the Interpreting
Data the Results
Phase 5: the Dissemination Phase

Step 17: Communicating the

Findings
Step 18: Utilizing the Findings in
Practice