This document discusses quantitative research design. It defines research design as the conceptual structure and plan for conducting research, including assumptions, strategies, data collection and analysis. Quantitative research is objective and systematic, utilizing numerical data to study social problems. It tests hypotheses deductively and looks for cause-and-effect relationships between variables. Quantitative research is rooted in postpositivism and employs experimental or survey strategies to quantify trends, attitudes or relationships, allowing results to generalize to populations. Methods involve predetermined questions, performance/attitude measurement, and statistical analysis and interpretation to test theories.

1. Quantitative Research Design
EDU 521: Research Methods in Education
By
Prabin Shakya, PhD Fellow
School of Education
Kathmandu University
8 April 2013
1

2. Organization of Presentation
• Meaning of research design
• Components of research design
• Meaning of quantitative research
• Characteristics of quantitative research
• Basic principles of quantitative research design
• Philosophical worldview of quantitative research
• Strategy of inquiry in quantitative research
• Research methods in quantitative research
• Types of quantitative research
• Review of Thesis
2

3. Meaning of Research Design
• Conceptual structure; blue print for the collection, measurement
and analysis of data (Kothari, 1999).
• Plan and procedure for conducting research that spans the
decisions from broad assumption to detailed methods of data
collection and analysis (Creswell, 2011).
• For me..whole package of assumptions (philosophical
worldviews), strategy of inquiry, date collection, data analysis
and interpretation of findings.
3

4. Components of research design
A framework for research design- interconnection of worldviews, strategies of inquiry and research methods (adapted from Creswell, 2011; pp5)
Research design
Qualitative
Quantitative
Mixed
Philosophical world view
Post positivist
Constructivism
Advocacy/participatory
Pragmatic
Strategy of inquiry
Qualitative e.g. ethnography
Quantitative e.g. experimental
Mixed e.g sequential
Research methods
Questions: open or closed
Data collection : numeric or text or pictorial
Data analysis
Data interpretation
Validation
4

5. Meaning of Quantitative Research
• A formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical
data are utilized to obtain information about the world (Burns
& Grove, as cited by Cormack, 1991, p. 140)
• An inquiry of social or human problem based on testing a
theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and
analyzed with statistical procedures, in order to determine
whether the predictive generalizations of the theory hold true
(Creswell, 1994)
5

6. Characteristics of Quantitative Research
• Quantitative research is about quantifying the relationships
between variables, cause and effect relationships
• We measure them, and
• construct statistical models to explain what we observed
• The researcher knows in advance what he or she is looking for
• All aspects of study are carefully designed before data collection
• Test hypothesis/theory and establish new theory-deductive
• Goal: Prediction, control, confirmation, test hypotheses
6

7. Quantitative research design is rooted in
• Postpositivistic approach
• Scientific and quantitative strategy of inquiry
• Use of quantifiable data, measures and statistical tools
• Test hypothesis and interpretate cause-and-effect relationships
Basic Principles of Quantitative Research Design
7

8. Quantitative researchers test objective hypothesis/theories deductively
Researcher tests or verifies a theory
Researcher tests hypotheses or
research questions from the theory
Researcher defines and operationalizes
variables derived from the theory
Researcher measures or observes variables using an
instrument to obtain scores
8

9. Philosophical worldview of quantitative research
• Use postpositivist philosophical worldview
• Knowledge is conjectural- absolute truth can never be found
• Research is the process of making claims
• Quantify relationships between variables
• Supports or refutes hypothesis
• Shape new knowledge based on collective date and evidences
9

10. Strategy of Inquiry in Quantitative Research
• Provides specific direction for procedures in research design
• Approaches to inquiry (Creswell, 2011)
• Research methodologies (Mertens, 1998 cited in Creswell, 2011)
•Employs two strategies of inquiry
• Experimental research
• Determine if a specific treatment influences an outcome
• Controlled empirical test of a hypothesis
• Survey research
• Quantitative description of trends, attitude or opinions with
intent of generalizing from sample to population (Babbie,
1990 cited in Creswell, 2011)
10

11. Research methods in quantitative research
• Questions: predetermined and instrument based
• Data collection: performance, attitude, observation and census
• Data analysis: statistical analysis
 Descriptive statistics
 Inferential statistics: test of significance e.g t test , ANOVA
• Data interpretation: statistical interpretation
11

12. • Validity - Are we measuring what we want to measur?
• Objectivity - Researchers stand outside the phenomena they
study. Data collected are free from bias.
• Reliability - If something was measured again using the same
instrument, would it produce the same or nearly the same
results?
• Accuracy – Are the methods adequate to answer our questions?
reveal credible information? convey important information?
• Precision – How much trustable, how confident is the result.
All measures should fulfill….
12

13. • Descriptive research
• Correlation research
• Evaluative
• Meta Analysis
• Causal-comparative research
• Experimental Research
• True experiments
• Quasi-experiment
• Single subject experiment
• Ex post facto experiment
Types of quantitative research
13

14. References
Creswll, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and
mixed methods approachs (3rd ed.). India: Sage Publication
Cormack, D. (1991). Team spirit motivation and commitment team
leadership and membership, team evaluation. Grand Rapids, MI:
Pyranee Books.
Creswell, J. W. (2004). Educational research: Planning, conducting,
and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (2nd
ed.). Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Kothari, C.R. (1999). Research Methodology: Methods and techniques
(2nd ed.).India: Wishwo Prakashan
14