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S. 7 Quantitative
Research
Education 5P92 - Collier - Oct. 23, 2019
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2. Last week
This week in the news
Quantitative Research
Critical review of research paper
Coding/theming
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Interviews
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
5. Article review – upcoming
assignment
Let’s look at the assignment in syllabus
and the checklist we developed
6. Survey Research
The most widely used quantitative design in the social
sciences.
Surveys rely on asking people standardized questions that
can be analyzed statistically. They allow researchers to collect
a breadth of data from large samples and generalize to the
larger population from which the sample was drawn.
Typically used for ascertaining individuals’ attitudes, beliefs,
opinions, or their reporting of their experiences and/or
behaviors.
Subjective data can only be ascertained only from the
respondents (Vogt, Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2014).
Objective data are facts that can be ascertained elsewhere
(e.g., age, place of birth) (Vogt et al., 2014).
7. Survey Research Designs
Cross-sectional designs seek information from a
sample at one point in time.
Longitudinal designs occur at multiple times in
order to measure change over time.
Types of longitudinal designs: repeated cross-
sectional, fixed-sample panel design, and
cohort study (in which a sample that experienced
the same event or starting point completes the
survey at multiple times) (Ruel et al., 2016). In
longitudinal designs attrition (respondents pulling
out of the study) is potentially an issue.
8. Questionnaires
Questionnaires (the survey instrument) are the
primary data collection tool in survey research.
Use preexisting surveys when available.
Survey items (questions in the questionnaire)
are designed to test your hypotheses or answer
your research questions. The questions you design
around each concept in the study are how you
operationalize your variables. They are the
indicators that a variable is or is not present.
9. Survey Delivery
Balance response rate and pragmatic concerns (e.g., time,
budget)
In-person: generally occur in group settings; highest response
rate; a researcher administers the survey
Online: via e-mail or Web-based software (e.g., Survey
Monkey); self-administered; allow the inclusion of geographically
dispersed respondents
Mail: self-administered; low response rate; appropriate when
respondents are geographically dispersed and do not have online
access (e.g., older respondents not active online); include a SASE
Telephone: administered by a researcher; low response rate;
appropriate when respondents are geographically dispersed and
not accessible online
10. Data Analysis
Prepare the data: enter it into a spreadsheet or
statistical software program
Note response bias in survey research (the
effect of nonresponses on the results) (Creswell,
2014; Fowler, 2009)
11. Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive statistics: describe and summarize the data (Babbie,
2013; Fallon, 2016).
Frequencies: Count the number of occurrences of a category;
reported as percentages.
Measures of central tendency: Use a single value to represent
the sample.
Mean: the average
Median: the “middle” value
Mode: the most frequent value in the sample
Measures of dispersion: illustrate how spread out the individual
scores are and how they differ from each other.
The standard deviation: the most commonly used measure of dispersion
lets you see “how individual scores relate to all scores within the
distribution” (Fallon, 2016, p. 18).
12. Validity and Reliability
Validity: the extent to which a measure is
actually tapping what we think it is tapping.
Reliability: the consistency of results (the
results are dependable).
13. Two Major Categories of
Validity
Internal validity: centers on “factors that
affect the internal links between the independent
and dependent variables that support alternative
explanations for variations in the dependent
variable” (Adler & Clark, 2011, p. 188).
External validity: centers on whether we have
generalized to populations beyond those that are
supported by our test.
14. Types of Reliability
Interitem reliability: the use of multiple questions or
indicators intended to measure a single variable (Fallon,
2016). Reliability tests commonly used to check the internal
consistency of scales in survey research are Cronbach’s
alpha and factor analysis.
Test–retest reliability: testing the measure twice with
the same subjects to see if the results are consistent (Fallon,
2016).
Interrater reliability: combats against the effect of the
particular researcher/observer on the results.
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For next class:
• Reading (facilitation)
• Article review assignment
• Come prepared to discuss
interviews
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