Quantitative research components and methods

Quantitative research components Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon. (Babbie, E. R. (2010). The Practice of Social Research (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage; Muijs, D.M. (2010). Doing Quantitative Research in Education with SPSS (2nd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.) However, quantitative research methods can still be applied to qualitative research to help researchers acquire some factual, background, and/or statistical information in order to better understand participants' qualitative interpretations.

• Survey

Survey research is one of the most important areas of measurement in applied social research. The broad area of survey research encompasses any measurement procedures that involve asking questions of respondents. A "survey" can be anything from a short paper-and-pencil feedback form to an intensive one-on-one in-depth interview. View more from: survey research (Links to an external site.)AND MonkeySurvey (Links to an external site.) How to conduct a survey? Here are the 4 things you’ll need to do:

1. Ask yourself why do you want to send it...

   1. What do you want to find out from the survey? (---> your research inquiry)

   2. What questions can be connected with your main purpose

   3. What kind of question types can help you discover your inquiry further?

2. Pinpoint your target demographic

   1. Who are your main subjects/participants?

3. Identify the number of respondents you need

   1. Why do numbers matter?

4. Pick the right moment to conduct a survey (SurveyMonkey (Links to an external site.), How to conduct a survey in 4 simple steps )

Also looking up 10 Best Practices for Creating Effective Surveys (Links to an external site.)

• Questionnaires

Questionnaires often seem a logical and easy option as a way of collecting information from people. They are actually rather difficult to design and because of the frequency of their use in all contexts in the modern world, the response rate is nearly always going to be a problem (low) unless you have ways of making people complete them and hand them in on the spot (and this, of course, limits your sample, how long the questionnaire can be and the kinds of questions asked). As with interviews, you can decide to use closed or open questions, and can also offer respondents multiple-choice questions from which to choose the statement which most nearly describes their response to a statement or item. Their layout is an art form in itself because in poorly laid out questionnaires respondents tend, for example, to repeat their ticking of boxes in the same pattern. If given a choice of response on a scale 1-5, they will usually opt for the middle point, and often tend to miss out subsections to questions. You need to take expert advice in setting up a questionnaire, ensure that all the information about the respondents which you need is included and filled in, and ensure that you actually get them returned. Expecting people to pay to return postal questionnaires is sheer folly, and drawing up a really lengthy questionnaire will also inhibit response rates. You will need to ensure that questions are clear and that you have reliable ways of collecting and managing the data. Setting up a questionnaire that can be read by an optical mark reader is an excellent idea if you wish to collect large numbers of responses and analyze them statistically rather than reading each questionnaire and entering data manually. You would find it useful to consult the range of full and excellent research books available. These will deal in much greater depth with the reasons for, processes of holding, and processes of analyzing data from the variety of research methods available to you. Developing and using a questionnaire - some tips:

• Identify your research questions

• Identify your sample

• Draw up a list of appropriate questions and try them out with a colleague

• Pilot them

• Ensure questions are well laid out and it is clear how to 'score them' (tick, circle, delete)

• Ensure questions are not leading and confusing

• Code the questionnaire so you can analyze it afterward

• Gain permission to use questionnaires from your sample

• Ensure they put their names or numbers on so you can identify them but keep real names confidential

• Hand them out/post them with reply paid envelopes

• Ensure you collect in as many as possible

• Follow up if you get a small return

• Analyze statistically if possible and/or thematically

Activity--What kind of research methods are you going to use? Are they mostly:

• Quantitative, or qualitative, or a mixture of both?

• What do you think your methods will enable you to discover?

• What might they prevent you from discovering?

• What kinds of research methods would be best suited to the kind of research you are undertaking and the research questions you are pursuing?

• What sort of problems do you envisage in setting up these methods?

• How can different research methods help you conduct research?

• What will you need to do to ensure they gather useful data?

For further information see Chapters 13, 14 and 15 of The Postgraduate Research Handbook (Links to an external site.) by Gina Wisker. Also, the University of Southern California has a thorough guideline for conducting basic research here (Links to an external site.)

• I think I am mostly going to use qualitative, mixed, and arts-based research for my project.

• I am hoping that my methods will enable me to discover outsiders opinions and a new perspective

• I think it could prevent me from discovering the truth if I don't ask the questions correctly

• I think the best research methods would be surveys and personal interactions with someone like an interview to get some quantitative responses as well as genuine subjective responses.

• I predict that these methods I choose could irk some people and cause them discomfort mentally and ethically

• I can acquire different types of information because of the difference in statistic literature

• I will have to calculate the correct type of questions to ask my audience