Characteristics of Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is commonly used in natural sciences research problems

because of the following characteristics:

LARGE SAMPLE SIZE. To obtain more meaningful statistical result, the data must
come from a large sample size.

2. OBJECTIVE. Data gathering and analysis of results are done accurately, objectively,
and are unaffected by the researcher's intuition and personal guesses.

3. VISUAL RESULT PRESENTATION. Data is numerical, which makes presentation

through graphs, charts, and tables possible and for better conveyance and
interpretation.

4. FASTER DATA ANALYSIS. The use of a statistical tools give way for a less time-
consuming data analysis.

5. GENERALIZED DATA. Data taken from a sample can be applied to the population if
sampling is done accordingly, i.e., sufficient size and random samples were taken.

6. FAST DATA COLLECTION. Depending on the type of data needed, collection can be
quick and easy. Quantitative research uses standardized research instruments that
allow the researcher to collect data from a large sample size efficiently. For instance, a
single survey form can be administered simultaneously to collect various measurable
characteristics like age, gender, socio-economic status, etc.

7. RELIABLE DATA is taken and analyzed objectively from a sample as a

representative of the population, making it more credible and reliable for policymaking
and decision making.

8. REPLICATION. The Quantitative method can be repeated to verify findings enhancing

its validity, free from false or immature conclusions.

Strengths of Quantitative Research

The following are the strengths of quantitative research.

Quantitative research can be replicated or repeated.

2. Findings are generalizable to the population.

3. Conclusive establishment of cause and effect
4. Numerical and quantifiable data can be used to predict outcomes
5. Fast and easy data analysis using statistical software.
6. Fast and easy data gathering
7. Very objective
8. Validity and reliability can be established
Weaknesses of Quantitative Research
The following are the disadvantages of quantitative research:
It lacks the necessary data to explore a problem or concept in depth.

2. It does not provide comprehensive explanation of human experiences.

3. Some information cannot be described by numerical data such as feelings, and beliefs.
4. The research design is rigid and not very flexible.
5. The participants are limited to choose only from the given responses.
6. The respondents may tend to provide inaccurate responses.
7. A Large sample size makes data collection more costly.
Kinds of Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a broad spectrum that it can be classified into smaller and
more specific kinds: descriptive, correlational, ex post facto, quasi-experimental, and
experimental.

Descriptive desiqn is used to describe a particular phenomenon by observing it as it occurs

in nature. There is no experimental manipulation and the researcher does not start with a
hypothesis. The goal of descriptive research is only to describe the person or object of the
study. An example of descriptive research design is "the determination of the different kinds of
physical activities and how often high school students do it during the quarantine period."

The correlational desiqn identifies the relationship between variables. Data is collected by
observation since it does not consider the cause and effect for example, the relationship
between the amount of physical activity done and student academic achievement.

Ex Post Facto is used to investigate a possible relationship between previous events and
present conditions. The term "Ex post facto", means after the fact, looks at the possible
causes of an already occurring phenomenon. Just like the first two, there is no experimental
manipulation in this design. An example of this is "how does the parent's academic
achievement affect the children obesity?"

A quasi-experimental design is used to establish the cause and effect relationship of

variables. Although it resembles the experimental design, the quasi-experimental has lesser
validity due to the absence of random selection and assignment of subjects. Here, the
independent variable is identified but not manipulated. The researcher does not modify
preexisting groups of subjects. The group exposed to treatment (experimental) is compared to
the group unexposed to treatment (control): example, the effects unemployment on attitude
towards following safety protocol in ECQ declared areas.
Experimental desiqn like quasi- experimental is used to establish the cause and effect
relationship of two or more variables. This design provides a more conclusive result because it
uses random assignment of subjects and experimental manipulations. For example, a
comparison of the effects of various blended learning to the reading comprehension of
elementary pupils.
A Variable is anything that has a quantity or quality that varies.

The independent variable is also identified as the presumed cause while the dependent
variable is the presumed effect. In an experimental quantitative design, the independent variable
is pre-defined and manipulated by the researcher while the dependent variable is observed and
measured.
It is important to note other factors that may influence the outcome (dependent variable) which
are not manipulated or pre-defined by the researcher. These factors are called Extraneous
Variables.
When the researcher fails to control the extraneous variable that it caused considerable effect to
the outcome, the extraneous variable becomes a Confounding Variable.
II. Quantitative Variables, also called numerical variables are the type of variables used in
quantitative research because they are numeric and can be measured. Under this category
are discrete and continuous variables.

A. Discrete variables are countable whole numbers. It does take negative values or values
between fixed points. For example: number of students in a class, group size and
frequency.
B. Continuous variables take fractional (non-whole number) values that can either be a
positive or a negative. Example: height, temperature.
Numerical data have two levels of measurement, namely:

Interval are quantitative variables where the interval or difference between consecutive
values are equal and meaningful but the numbers are arbitrary. For example, the difference
between 36 degrees and 37 degrees is the same as between 100 degrees and 101 degrees.
 A. Ratio type of data is similar to interval; the only difference is the presence of a true
zero value. The zero point in this scale indicates the absence of the quantity being
measured. Examples are age, height, weight and distance.

ll. Qualitative Variables are also referred to as Categorical Variables are not expressed in
numbers but are descriptions or categories. It can be further divided into nominal, ordinal
or dichotomous.

C. Dichotomous are consisting of only two distinct categories or values. For example,
a response to a question either be a yes or no.

D. Nominal variable simply defines groups of subjects. Here you may have more than
2 categories of equivalent magnitude. For example, a basketball player's number is
used to distinguish him from other players. It certainly does not follow that player 10
is better than player 8. Other examples are blood type, hair color and mode of
transportation.

E. Ordinal variable, from the name itself denotes that a variable is ranked in a certain
order. This variable can have a qualitative or quantitative attribute. For example, a
survey questionnaire may have a numerical rating as choices like I, 2, 3, 4, 5ranked
accordingly (5=highest, l=lowest) or categorical rating like strongly agree, agree,
neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. Other examples or ordinal variable: cancer
stage l, Stage Il, Stage Ill), SpotiW Top 20 hits, academic honors (with highest, with
high, with honors).

QUANTITATIVE - gathers information in numerical form, or information that can be quantified,

counted or measured, and given a numerical value.
Ex: Age, score, grades, weigh, height, salary.
Title Page – consists of the research title and names of the researchers.
Acknowledgement – a personal page where the researchers are given the privilege to extend
gratitude to all people who helped in accomplishing the research.
Table of Contents – contains the accurate paging of each part of the research paper. contains
the accurate paging of the tables/figures used in the study
Abstract– A short summary of the completed research. This briefly introduce the reader to the
aim of the study, the methodology, results and findings.
 Why did you do this study?
 What did you do and why?
 What did you find?
 What did your findings mean?
Background of the Study – includes purpose and reason behind the conduct of the study.
(What made you conduct the study?) Also serves as the introduction.
Statement of the Problem – the main problem that the research is trying to solve. It follows the
formulation of the title and should be faithful to it. It specifically points the important questions
that the study needs to answer. It also serves as the bases of the questionnaire.
Significance of the Study – (Why conduct the study?) You have to identify who will benefit
from the research and how they will be benefitted. This should match with the
Recommendations.

Conceptual Framework -a tentative explanation or theoretical explanation of the phenomenon

or problem and serves as the basis for the formulation research hypotheses.
Theoretical Framework - an organized body that explains what has been done and what has
been said on the topic or problem being investigated
Hypothesis– the expected outcome of the research. a tentative answer to a research question,
it can be derived from the observation before the research is conducted.

Null Hypothesis H0: No effect exists in the population.

Alternative Hypothesis HA: The effect exists in the population.

Scope and Limitations of the Study – determines the coverage of the study and all the things
that it will not cover in order to be specific.

 Subjects of the Study – describes your respondents: who they are, what their
profile is, where they are from, etc.
 The period of the study. This is the time, either months or years, during which
the data were gathered.
 Limitations of the Study-the weaknesses of the study beyond the control of the
researcher.
The independent variable is the one condition that you change in an experiment. The
dependent variable is the variable that you measure or observe. It is the factor that is
dependent on the state of the independent variable.

Definition of Terms – defines technical terms based on how they are used in the study,
specifically in the title. This aims to provide the readers or future researches with the basic
terminologies that are important to understand the paper.

Literature Review- to summarize what conclusions have been reached in the research
literature whether different writers agree or not.
 What is the present state of knowledge regarding the topic under considerations?
 How are the studies related to the one being proposed?
 How will the proposed study contribute to the existing literature?
Methodology – the specific procedures or techniques used to identify, select. Process, and
analyze information about a topic. (Experiment, Survey, Interview, observation)
Research Instrument – describes your instrument which is the questionnaire.
Data Gathering Procedure – narrates the process undergone by the study that eventually
leads to the findings.

Statistical Treatment Applied - The statistical treatment that you will use which includes your
sampling method and formulas to come up with findings out of the data gathered.
Results of the Study – presents all the data gathered using the questionnaire by tabulating all
the gathered information. Aside from the tables, an interpretation of each presented data should
follow. These will serve as the bases of your Summary of Findings.
Summary of Findings – summarizes the interpretation of data given in Chapter 4. These
should directly answer your statement of the problem.
Conclusions – Out of your findings, your conclusions are based. This provides the answers for
ever statement of the problem. This is where you will prove your hypotheses and assumptions.
Recommendations – should be directly based on the significance of the study. This also
includes the recommended actions that should be done after the conduct of the study such as
further assessment of the subject, focus on other factors, etc.
Bibliography – where you will use your source cards. Presents the sources using APA or MLA
format.
APPENDIX - (e.g., survey questionnaire, interview questions) – attachments
A RESEARCH GAP is an unanswered question or unresolved problem in a field, which reflects
a lack of existing research in that space.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES describe concisely what the research is trying to achieve. They
summarize the accomplishments a researcher wishes to achieve through the project and
provides direction to the study.