Quantitative Research: Brief Overview

INTRODUCTION: Research is said to be quantitative when it objectives and intention is to collect numerical and statistical or numerical analyse data often collected from surveys, content analysis, poll etc. However, Quantitative Research is one of the essential and popular research design.

Its main characteristics are:

• The data is usually gathered using structured research instruments.
• The results are based on larger sample sizes that are representative of the population.
• The research study can usually be replicated or repeated, given its high reliability.
• Researcher has a clearly defined research question to which objective answers are sought.
• All aspects of the study are carefully designed before data is collected.
• Data are in the form of numbers and statistics, often arranged in tables, charts, figures, or other non-textual forms.
• Project can be used to generalize concepts more widely, predict future results, or investigate causal relationships.
• 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.

References

Babbie, E. R. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage,

Muijs, D. (2010). Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS. London: SAGE Publications

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