Quantitative Research Design - Module 1 provides a basic understanding of quantitative research

Curriculum Designed by

Dorothy Kropf

Quantitative Studies

Instructor: Dorothy Kropf, M.A.

Doctoral Student of Education at Walden University

Specialization: Educational Technology

Area of Interest: Research and Higher Educational Issues

Module 1

In a quantitative research design, the researcher poses several hypotheses to analyze the cause and effects of specific variables in order to predict and explain certain phenomenon (Creswell, 2009).

Quantitative Research Design

To conduct a study, you must have a theoretical framework. What are you basing your research on?

Theoretical Framework

What new questions or observations do you have?

Do you want to investigate a phenomenon?

Do you want to see if an intervention that worked for a small school will work in a larger school?

Deductive Reasoning

Start with a research problem.

Deductive Reasoning

Start with a research problem. A research problem is a question that stimulates a response through scientific inquiry.

Deductive Reasoning

Quantitative research designs start with observations that need further explanations and theories. They make predictions that can potentially answer the hypotheses.


Quantitative research designs are structurally scientific methods, utilizing deductive reasoning in forms of hypotheses (Price & Oswald, 2009).


The outcomes measured in a quantitative research design are factual and based on data-driven information from specific measurement instrument(s) rather than from perceptions (Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias, 2008).


The overarching goal of a quantitative research design is to draw relationships between dependent and independent variables, thereby assisting the researcher in developing generalizations that explain or predict certain phenomenon (Creswell, 2009).


Variables and Unit of Analysis

According to Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias (2008), “the variable whose changes the researcher wishes to explain is known as the dependent variable, while the variable the researcher thinks induces or explains the change is the independent variable” (p. 49).


Wow! My kite flies higher when the wind blows harder!

There are 3 types of measures in quantitative research designs:

1. Nominal

2. Ordinal

3. Interval

4. Ratio


Example of Nominal measures:

01 = Female

02 = Male


Example of ordinal measures:

College Education

1=some college courses taken

2=Associates Degree conferred

3=Bachelor’s Degree conferred

4= Master’s Degree conferred

5= Doctoral Degree conferred


Example of Intervals:

Test Scores:

A: =90-100%

B = 80-89%

C= 75-79%

D= 70-74%

F= 69% and below


Types of Quantitative Research Designs

Experimental Design

A design in which the researcher controls and manipulates variables to determine cause and effects.


Balanced Experimental Design: allows “equal number of observations” despite of the randomness of the study (University of Texas at Austin, n.d.)


Correlational Research Design: A study that examines the relationship between variables and outcomes.

Hypothetical Example: There is a strong correlation (or link) with income and the type of car one drives. Again, this is only hypothetical – the more income a salesperson makes, the nicer his car....


Quasi-experimental Design:

The researcher has control over the selected participants and the selected instrumentation. However, the researcher doesn’t have control over who will be exposed and when will the exposure occur.


Single case research:

Continuous study of human behavior over time. Example: an intervention study


Meta-analysis research

The researcher studies the aggregation of results with other relevant studies.

This type of research usually explores the effectiveness of a specific method (Frankfort-Nachmias & Nachmias, 2008).

.


Properties or attributes a researcher would like to identify and measure.

Types of variables:

• Independent variable

• Dependent variable

• Control variable

Variables

Independent variable is the variable that the

Researcher has control over. This means that this variable can be manipulated.

Independent Variable

Is not a variable that a researcher can manipulate. Instead, a dependent variable can be observed and measured as a result of the variations of the independent variable.

Dependent Variable

A variable that the researcher will keep constant.

Control Variable

• To prepare for module 2:

• Review the terminologies in this module then decide on a quantitative study you would like to conduct.

• Identify what type of research design it is, what your variables are, and your research questions

End of Module 1

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Nachmias, D. (2008). Research methods in the social sciences (7th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

Price & Oswald (2008). Experimental research. Retrieved from http://psych.csufresno.edu/psy144/Content/Design/Types/experimental.html

Price & Oswald (2009). Developmental research. Retrieved from http://psych.csufresno.edu/psy144/Content/Design/Types/experimental.html

Simon, M. (n.d.) Quantitative research: The “N” side in the paradigm war [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&ved=0CDIQFjABOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyweb.cebridge.net%2Fkimblum%2FQuantitative%2520Researchpresentation.ppt&ei=x9cpU9_hMo7eoASg5oCwDw&usg=AFQjCNGnys3Q6t6w5sgnIyTIvd8rqcqmww&sig2=Eum26gRrDj_vW_RKKdtlwg

University of Texas at Austin (n.d.). The statistics glossary. Retrieved from University of Texas at Austin website: http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/glossary/?q=node/543

Bibliography