Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)
Division of Leyte

TANAUAN SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADE

Module No. ________ Cabuynan, Tanauan, Leyte
Dates: _______________________
No. of Days: __________ PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
__
NATURE OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Name: _____________________________________________________________ Grade & Section:__________________________

Objective
An inquiry and research are two terms with almost the same in meaning. Both involved
investigate work and any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt,
or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a
treatment of the ways that each type of inquiry achieves its aim while research is to discover
truths by investigating on your chosen topic scientifically.

In this module, you should be able to describe the characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and
kinds of quantitative research.

Learn about it!

INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

What is Inquiry?

Inquiry is a learning process that motivates you to obtain knowledge or information about
people, things, places, or events. It requires you to collect data, meaning, facts, and information
about the object of your inquiry, and examine such data carefully. On the other hand, in your
analysis , you execute varied thinking strategies that range from lower-order to higher-order
thinking skills such as inferential, critical, integrative, creative thinking.

Furthermore, solving a problem, especially social issues, does not only involve yourself but other
members of the society too. Whatever knowledge you have about the world bears the influence
of your cultural, sociological, institutional, or ideological understanding of the world.

THE NATURE OF RESEARCH

The research process is, for many of us, just the way we do things. We research the best buys in
cars, and appliances, we research book reviews before shopping for books, we research the best
schools for children and ourselves, and we probably perform some kind of research in our jobs.
Our search for information may lead us to interview friends or other knowledgeable people; read
articles in magazines, journals, or newspapers; listen to the radio; search an encyclopedia on CD-
ROM; and even explore the Internet and World Web for information.
Research can be a way of life; it is the basis for many of the important decisions in our lives.
Without it, we are deluged with information, subjected to the claims of advertisers, or influenced
by hearsay in making sense of the world around us. This informal experiential research helps us
decipher the flood of information we encounter daily.

Formal academic research differs from experiential research and may be more investigative in
nature. For example, it may require us to learn about an area in which we have little knowledge
or inclination to learn. It may be library-oriented or field-oriented, depending on the nature of
the research.

CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Your goal in conductive quantitative research study is to determine the relationship between
one thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent or outcome variable) within a
population. Quantitative research designs are either descriptive (subjects usually measured once)
or experimental (subjects measured before and after a treatment). A descriptive study
establishes only associations between variables; an experimental study establishes causality.

Quantitative research deals about numbers, logic and an objective stance. Quantitative research
focuses on numeric and unchanging data and detailed, convergent reasoning rather than
divergent reasoning (i.e. the generation of a variety of ideas about a research problem in a
spontaneous, free-flowing manner).

Its main characteristics are:

1. The data is usually gathered using structured research instruments.

2. The results are based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the population.

3. The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability.

4. Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought.

5. All aspects of the study are carefully designed before data is collected.

6. Data are in the form of numbers and statistics, often arranged in tables, charts, figures, or
other non-textual forms.

7. Project can be used to generalize concepts more widely, predict future results, or investigate
causal relationships.

8. Researcher uses tools such as questionnaires or computer software, to collect numerical

data.

The overarching aim of a quantitative research study is to classify features, count them, and
construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed.

Things to keep in mind when reporting the results of a study using Quantitative methods:
 Explain the data collected and their statistical treatment as well as all relevant results in
relation to the research problem you are investigating. Interpretation of results is not
appropriate in this section.

 Report unanticipated events that occurred during your data collection. Explain how the
actual analysis differs from the planned analysis. Explain your handling of missing data
and why any missing data does not undermine the validity of your analysis.

 Explain the techniques you used to “clean” your data set.

 Choose a minimally sufficient statistical procedure; provide a rationale for its use and a
reference for it. Specify any computer programs used.

 Describe the assumptions for each procedure and the steps you took to ensure that they
were not violated.

 When using inferential statistics, provide the descriptive statistics, confidence intervals,
and sample sizes for each variable as well as the value of the test statistics, its direction,
the degrees of freedom, and the significance level [report the actual p value].

 Avoid inferring causality, particularly in nonrandomized designs or without further

experimentation.

 Use tables to provide exact values; use figures to convey global effects. Keep figures
small in size; include graphic representations of confidence intervals whenever possible.

 Always tell the reader what to look for in tables and figures.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Quantitative Method

Quantitative Data are pieces of information that can be counted and which are usually
gathered by surveys from large numbers of respondents randomly selected for inclusion.
Secondary data such as census data, government statistics, health system metrics, etc. are
often included in quantitative research. Quantitative data is analyzed using statistical
methods. Quantitative approaches are best used to answer what, when and who questions
and are not well suited to how and why questions.

Strengths Weaknesses
Findings can be generalized if selection Related secondary data is sometimes not
process is well-designed and sample is available or accessing available data is
representative of study population. difficult/impossible

Relatively easy to analyze. Difficult to understand context of a

phenomenon
Data can be very consistent, precise and
reliable Data may not be robust enough to explain
complex issues.
 Importance of Quantitative Research

1. More reliable and objective.

2. Can use statistics to generalize a finding.

3. Often reduces and restructures a complex problem to a limited number of variables.

4. Looks at relationships between variables and can establish cause and effect in highly
controlled circumstances.

5. Tests theories or hypotheses.

6. Assumes sample is representative of the population.

7. Subjectivity of researcher in methodology is recognized less

8. Less detailed than qualitative data and may miss a desired response from the participant.

What do you think?

Directions: Explain your understanding of inquiry and research by answering the following
questions.

1. Compare and contrast Inquiry and Research.

2. Which is easier to carry out: Inquiry or Research? Give reasons for your answer.
3. How can a researcher be a scientist?
4. Should you immediately concern yourself with data analysis prior to research approach? Why?
Why not?
5. Could Inquiry and Research go together? Explain your point.
6. Do these two words, Inquiry and Research, somehow indicate strength of character?
7. Have you had an application of Inquiry and Research in your day-to-day life? Explain.
8. Name some institutions or organizations that often engage themselves in inquiry and
research. Describe their ways of doing it.

Key Points
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

Having obtained much knowledge about qualitative and quantitative research, you are now
able to compare and contrast the two based on some standards or criteria appearing in the
following table.

Standards Qualitative Quantitative

Mental survey of reality Results from social Exists in the physical world
interactions
 Cause-effect relationships Explained by people’s Revealed by automatic
objective desires descriptions of
circumstances or conditions
Researcher’s involvement Subjective; sometimes Objective; least involvement
with the object or subject of personally engaged by the researcher
the study
Expression of data, data Verbal language (words, Numerals, statistics
analysis, and findings visuals, objects)
Research plan Takes place as the research Plans all research aspects
proceeds gradually before collecting data
Behavior toward research Desires to preserve the Control or manipulation of
aspects/ conditions natural setting of research research conditions by the
features researcher
Obtaining knowledge Multiple methods Scientific method
Purpose Makes social intentions Evaluates objective sand
understandable examines cause-effect
relationships
Data-analysis technique Thematic codal ways, Mathematically based
competence-based methods
Style of expression Personal, lacks formality Impersonal, scientific, or
systematic
Sampling technique More inclined to purposive Random sampling as the
sampling or use of chosen most preferred
samples based on some
criteria

Short Assessment

Directions: Circle the letter of the correct word to complete the sentence.

1. You tend to inflate something in a qualitative research because of your __________________________.

a. objective views c. personal traits
b. teacher’s influence d. mathematical skills
2. This line, “The truth is out there.” is true for _.
a. qualitative research c. all research designs
b. quantitative research d. any research type
3. People inclined to doing a quantitative research wants to discover truth in _.
a. an exact manner c. an indirect way
b. a careful way d. a personal way

4. Some think of quantitative research as complex because of its use of _.

a. hypotheses c. factual data
b. numerical data d. theories
5. A quantitative research presents research findings in this manner:
a. Many prefer to study with textbooks.
b. Students find textbooks indispensable or necessary.
c. Perhaps, 30% consider textbook unnecessary in their studies.
d. Out of 100 college students, 90 find textbooks beneficial to their studies.

Adapted and modified by:

ARGIE BALASBAS MABAG

Secondary School Teacher III

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