PR 2

Quantitative Research

a more formal, objective, and systematic approach to obtaining answers to a question or problem of the study

1.Qualitative Research

2.Quantitative Research

What are the 2 main classification of Research?

Descriptive design

is used to describe a particular phenomenon by observing it as it occurs in nature.

Descriptive design

There is no experimental manipulation, and the researcher does not start with a hypothesis

Descriptive design

The goal of descriptive research is only to describe the person or object of the study.

correlational design

identifies the relationship between variables

correlational design

Data is collected by observation since it does not consider the cause and effect

correlational design

for example, the relationship between the amount of physical activity done and student academic achievement.

Ex post facto design

is used to investigate a possible relationship between previous events and present conditions

Ex post facto design

which means after the fact, looks at the possible causes of an already occurring phenomenon

Ex post facto design

An example of this is “How does the parent’s academic achievement affect the children obesity?”

quasi-experimental design

is used to establish the cause-and-effect relationship of variables

quasi-experimental design

Although it resembles the experimental design, the quasi-experimental has lesser validity due to the absence of random selection and assignment of subjects.

Experimental design

like quasi- experimental is used to establish the cause-and-effect relationship of two or more variables

Experimental design

This design provides a more conclusive result because it uses random assignment of subjects and experimental manipulations

FIRST/1ST PARAGRAPH

What this study is all about?

SECOND/2ND PARAGRAPH

readings to support the first paragraph

THIRD/3RD PARAGRAPH

what is the gap in knowledge which the study would like to discover/explore

LAST PARAGRAPH

It states the purpose of the researcher in order to address, gap or problem stated in the “situation” and cites the reasons for conducting the study

VARIABLE

IS ANYTHING THAT HAS A QUANTITY OR QUALITY THAT VARIES

• Independent variable

• Dependent variable

Types of Variables

Independent variable

- is pre-defined and manipulated by the researcher.

- it is identified as the presumed CAUSE.

Dependent variable

- is observed and measured.

- it is the presumed EFFECT

Extraneous variable

- other factors that may influence the outcome (dependent variable) not manipulated or pre-defined by the researcher.

Internal validity

i.e. accurate conclusion

Confounding variable

when it is not controlled properly that it already caused considerable effect to the outcome.

Quantitative Variables

also called numerical variables, are the type of variables used in quantitative research because they are numeric and can be measured.

Discrete variables

are countable whole numbers.

- It does not take negative values or values between fixed points

Continuous variables

take fractional (non-whole number) values that can either be a positive or a negative

Intervals

are quantitative variables where the interval or differences between consecutive values are equal and meaningful, but the numbers are arbitrary.

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

Qualitative Variables

also referred to as Categorical Variables are not expressed in numbers but are descriptions or categories

Dichotomous Variables

consists of only two distinct categories or values

Nominal variable

• simply defines groups of subjects.

• you may have more than 2 categories of equivalent magnitude.

Ordinal variable

• denotes that a variable is ranked in a certain order

• This variable can have a qualitative or quantitative attribute

Choose an interesting topic

Research is a very challenging task that demands your time and persistence. Your motivation to find the answer to the problem should keep you going, thus building a momentum along the way

Select a significant topic

A topic that is worth researching must be able to answer or solve problems in the community. No one will take an interest in your topic if it is obsolete and does not address any real problem

Choose a topic relevant to your field

One of the goals of this course is for you to be able to produce a quantitative research study that is aligned to the theme “Gender and Development.

Do a preliminary research

The second step is much more time-consuming. Once you have chosen a broad topic, you need to have a better understanding of it by reading some more articles, journals, and related research studies.

Do a preliminary research

Find out how other researchers gathered their data, what research instruments were used, how the data were analyzed, and what important findings they shared. Take note of every relevant research study for future reference.

Define the problem

After getting enough information, you may be able to list some questions or problems that you want to research. At this stage, you should be able to narrow down broad topic into feasible and manageable research questions

Define the problem

A broad topic can be narrowed down by limiting the population, place, period, or a certain characteristic.

Refine the question

This step lets you evaluate the questions formulated. What specific questions should you ask? How should you gather your data sufficient to answer the questions?

Refine the question

Are the questions too narrow, or does it need to be trimmed down? While evaluating the research question, consider the requirements of the course. How much time are you given to finish the research? What resources do you need and are they available?

review of literature

is a summary of all the reviews from various research literatures related to the current study carried out by a researcher

literature review

is an assessment of a body of research that addresses a research question

researcher’s background

an experienced researcher finds it easy to prepare a review of literature than a beginner

complexity of the research project

it is easy to collect review of literature for simple and easy research projects than complex ones

availability of resources

like computer, internet facility, online and offline journal subscription makes it easy to prepare a good review of literature

study time frame

to conduct a relevant review of literature sufficient time is needed

availability of support system

if there are many research scholars involved in the research then a good review of literature can be gathered

traditional or narrative review of literature

this type critique and summarize literature to draw conclusion about a topic

systemic review of literature

this method uses more well defined approach, mainly used for making a complete list of all published and unpublished studies relating to a particular topic

meta analysis

this type of review takes large quantitate findings and conducts a statistical analysis to integrate those findings enhance understanding

meta synthesis

this is a non-statistical method used to integrate and evaluate and interpret the findings of multiple similar quantitative studies, to identify the common elements

primary source

is a literature resource of a study written by the original researcher. It is research publication written by the person or people who conducted the research

Secondary source

these are second hand information prepared or written by someone other than the original author

Tertiary source

these are excellent sources that can provide general background information to help narrow or broaden the focus of a topic

electronic sources

computer-assisted literature search has revolutionized the review of literature