This document provides an overview of common types of quantitative research methods, including descriptive research, correlational research, causal-comparative (ex post facto) research, and experimental research. Descriptive research aims to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon. Correlational research examines relationships between variables without determining cause. Causal-comparative research investigates possible cause-and-effect relationships by observing existing conditions and searching for plausible causal factors. Experimental research tests hypotheses by manipulating independent variables and measuring effects on dependent variables in a controlled environment.

1. QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH
I203 Social and Organizational Issues of Information

2. Questionnaires,
Surveys
Experiments and
Experimental
Designs
Common Types of Quantitative Research
Methods (Methods of Research)
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3. Descriptive Research
 Defining Features
 Aims to define the existing condition of a classified
variable.
 Designed to give “answers to the questions of who,
what, when, where, and how which are linked with a
research problem.”
 It is applied only to describe what exists and to gather
information about the current status of a certain
phenomenon. (Anastas, 1999 as cited in Salkind and
Rasmussen, 2007, pp. 251-254).
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4. Examples
 A description of how senior high school
students celebrate their birthdays.
 A description of how parents feel about the K
to 12 Curriculum.
 A description of the youth’s perception of the
2016 elections.
 A description of the attitudes of the women’s
groups towards men’s playing internet games.
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5. CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
 Defining Features
 It tries to define the degree of relationship between two or
more variables using statistical data.
 It seeks to interpret the relationships between and among
a number of facts.
 Distinguishes tendencies and patterns in data, but it does
not go so far in its analysis to prove causes for these
observed patterns.
 The data, relationships, and distributions variables are
identified only in a natural setting and not in a manipulated
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6. CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH
 To find if the data has an observable
relationship that can be further specified in
terms of magnitude and/or an increase or
decrease.
 Correlation indicates the strength and direction
of a linear relationship between variables.

7. Correlation and Significance
 Is there a
relationship between
two variables/data?
 What is the direction
of the relationship?
 What is the
magnitude?
 These relationships
may show any
tendency for the
variables to vary
consistently.
 Pearson’s product
moment coefficient
correlation: -1.0 to
+1.0

8. Examples
 The relationship between successful career
and educational attainment.
 The relationship between high grades and
having tutors.
 The relationship between the entrance exam
results and attendance in review centers.
 The relationship between smoking and
tuberculosis.
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9. EX POST FACTO
‘from what is done afterwards’
CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE
QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL

10. CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE
RESEARCH
 Defining Features
 It endeavors to ascertain cause-effect relationships among
variables.
 It seeks to interpret the relationships between and among
a number of facts.
 Distinguishes tendencies and patterns in data, but it does
not go so far in its analysis to prove causes for these
observed patterns.
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11.  Studies that investigate possible cause and
effect relationships by observing an existing
condition or state of affairs and searching back
in time for plausible causal factors.

12. Characteristics of Ex Post Facto
 Researcher takes the effect/dependent
variable and examines it retrospectively
 Establishes causes, relationships or
associations and their meanings.
 Researcher has little to no control over
independent variables.
 Flexible by nature.

13. Examples:
 The effect of studying in Catholic schools on the moral
value system of those who graduate from these
schools
 The effect of exercising regularly to body fitness
 The effect of gender on college course choices
 The effect of good family upbringing to good
performance in class
 The effect of belonging to Christian Living organization
on a students religiosity

14. Experiments
14
Little Albert
Milgram’s Authority Experiment

15. Experimental Research Design
 Experimental research in psychology applies
the scientific method to achieve the four goals
of psychology: describing, explaining,
predicting, and controlling behavior and mental
processes.
 A psychologist can use experimental research
to test a specific hypothesis by measuring and
manipulating variables. By creating a controlled
environment, researchers can test the effects
of an independent variable on a dependent
variable or variables. 15

16. True Randomized Experimental
Design
 (1) Independent Variables are manipulated
 (usually by experimenter, sometimes by context)
 (2) Participants must be assigned randomly to
various conditions or groups
 When this condition is not met, it is a quasi-
experimental design
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17. Examples:
 A psychologist may be interested in the impact
of video game violence on children's
aggression.
 The psychologist randomly assigns some
children to play a violent video game for 1 hour
and other children to play a non-violent video
game for 1 hour.
 Then the psychologist observes the children
socialize afterwards to determine if the children
in the "violentvideogame“
condition behave more aggressively than the
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18.  . In example, the independent variable is video
game group. Our independent variable has
two levels: violent video games and non-
violent video games. The dependent variable
is the thing that we want to measure—in this
case, aggressive behavior.

19. Examples:
 Effects of receiving a cookie as a reward
(independent variable) on time taken to
complete task (dependent variable).
 Participants who received a cookie took much
less time to complete the task than participants
who did not receive a cookie.
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20. THANK
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