This document provides an overview of quantitative research methods and key aspects of survey and experimental research designs. It defines surveys and experiments, discusses probability and non-probability sampling techniques, and outlines the essential components of a methods section for survey and experimental research including sampling procedures, instrumentation, variables, data analysis, and references. Key aspects covered include survey purpose and design, population and sampling, reliability and validity of instruments, and statistical analysis plans.

1. QUANTITATIVE
METH OD S
Eda Nur ÖZCAN

2. WHAT HAVE WE DISCUSSED SO FAR?
METHODS
THE
QUESTIONS
AND
HYPOTHESES
THE
LITERATURE
REVIEW
THE PURPOSE
INTRODUCTION

3. POSTPOSITIVIST
PHILOSOPHICAL
ASSUMPTIONS
• The Determinist View and Its
Characteristics
• ”the relationships between
and among variables is
central to answering
research Qs and
hypotheses” (Creswell,
2014, p. 200).

4. WHAT ARE THE MAIN
CHARACTERISTICS OF QUANTITATIVE
METHODS?
• Highly controlled variables
• Statistical analysis
• Testing a theory/hypothesis
• Objective data
• Validity and realibility of the instruments

5. OUR FOCUS:
THE ESSENTIAL COMPOTENTS OF A
METHOD SECTION FOR A SURVEY AND
EXPERIMENT

6. HOW
WOULD YOU
DEFINE A
SURVEY?

7. A SURVEY
A method of gathering
information from a sample
of individuals (Scheuren,
2004).
According to Creswell
(2014), the design provides
numeric description of
trends, attitudes or opinions
of a population.

8. AN EXPERIMENT
To test the impact of a
treatment on an outcome
while controlling all other
factors that might affect the
outcome (Creswell, 2014).

9. A COMMON CONFUSION BECAUSE OF
INTERCHANGEBLY USAGE OF WORDS
• A questionnaire is one-purpose
data collection through a set of
questions
• A survey is data collection through
a set of questions for the purposes
of statistical analysis

10. WHY ARE
WE
CONFUSED
?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
A SURVEY
QUESTIONNARIE…

12. A SURVEY DESIGN
• Begin your method section,
• By discussing the purpose of a survey and rationale for its selection
The purpose is generally to generalize the results
and provide a reference to this purpose.
For the rationale, consider the advantages of using a
survey design; its being economic, rapid
turnaround…
The form of data collection, mail, telephone, the
Internet…
(Creswell, 2014)

13. THE
POPULATIO
N AND
SAMPLE
4 Identify whether the study involves
stratification
3 Identify the selection process;
probabality or nonprobability sampling
2 Identify whether the sampling design is
single stage or multistage/clustering
1 Identify the population, the size of this
population

14. PROBABILITY
SAMPLING
• Probability samples are
the gold standard in
sampling methodology
and also, for ensuring
generalizability of the
study results to the
target population.
(Acharya, et al., 201
1. Simple random sampling
2. Systematic random sampling
3. Stratified random sampling
4. Cluster sampling
5. Multiphase sampling
6. Multistage sampling

15. CLUSTER SAMPLING
Cluster sampling is very useful
when the population is widely
scattered, and it is impractical to
sample and select a
representative sample of all the
elements (Acharya, et al., 2013)

16. DOUBLE-STAGE AND
MULTI-STAGE CLUSTER
SAMPLING
You can then collect data
from each of these individual
units – this is known
as double-stage sampling.
You can also continue this
procedure, taking
progressively smaller and
smaller random samples,
which is usually called multi-
stage sampling.

17. NON-
PROBABLITY
SAMPLING
• Non-probability samples are
those in which the
probability that a subject
is selected is unknown
and results in selection
bias in the study.
1. Convenience/Purposive
sampling
2. Quota Sampling
3. Snowball Sampling
(Acharya, et al., 2013)

18. DISCUSSING THE SAMPLING
TECHNIQUES

19. 1. P R O B AB L I T Y O R N O N - P R O B AB L I T Y S AM P L I N G ?
2 . N AM E T H E S AM P L I N G T E C H N I Q U E
3 . H O W C AN W E T U R N T H I S C AS E I N TO
S Y S T E M AT I C S AM P L I N G ?
• Let us say there are 200 participants in a
conference, and we would like to select 50
participants by simple random sampling. The
list of all the 200 participants would be
available which constitutes the sampling
frame. The 50 participants can now be
selected by either using random number
table or by lottery method. Once a
participant has been selected, that number is
struck off from the random number table. This
method is known as sampling without
replacement. In this way 50 participants are
selected.

20. HOW WOULD
YOU NAME
THE
SAMPLING
TECHNIQUE
?
• In a study on a sample engaging in
high- risk behaviour or substance
abuse, a person who is engaging
in a high-risk behaviour may
name other persons involved in
similar high-risk behaviour
practices, and this continues further
till adequate number of respondents
are completed.

21. CRESWELL
(2014)
SUGGESTS
RANDOM
SAMPLING

22. (Fowler, 2009, p. 49)

23. INSTRUMENTATION
• Name the survey instrument used to
collect data
• Discuss if it is designed, modified or
intact instrument
• To use an existing instrument,
describe the validity scores

24. WHAT ARE
THREE
FORMS OF
VALIDITY?
Content validity
Predictive or
Concurrent validity
Construct validity

25. VALIDITY IN
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
• Construct validity is an overriding
objective in validity
• Establishing the validity of scores
in a survey helps to identify
whether an instrument might be
good one to use in survey
research.

26. INSTRUMENTATION
• Mention whether past use of intrument demostrate reliability
• Look for whether authors report measures of internal consistency
and test-retest correlations
• Also determine whether there was consistency in test
administration and scoring
• When one modifies an instrument or combines instruments in
a study, the original validity and reliability may not hold for the
new instrument!

27. INSTRUMENTATION
• Include sample items from the instrument so that readers can see
the actual items used (you can do this in an appendix)
• Mention type of scales (Continuous or categorical scales)
• Discuss plans for pilot testing (include the number of people)
• Indicate the major content sections in the instrument
• The cover letter
• The items (demograhics, attitudinal, behavioral, factual items)
• Closing instructions

28. VARIABLES
IN THE
STUDY
• IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU RELATE
VARIABLES TO THE SPECIFIC
RESEARCH QUESTIONS OR
HYPOTHESES ON THE INSTRUMENT

29. DATA ANALYSIS
AND
INTERPRETATION
Report information
about the number
of members of the
sample who did
and did not return
the survey
Discuss the
method by which
response bias
will be
determined.

30. WHAT IS RESPONSE BIAS?

31. THE EFFECT OF NONRESPONSES ON
SURVEY ESTIMATES
• https://chattermill.com/blog/response-bias/
9+ Tips for Identifying and Avoiding Response Bias in Surveys
Wave analysis can be an option.

32. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
• Provide a descriptive analysis of data for all independent and
dependent variables.
• Means
• Standard deviation
• Range of scores for variables
Some research can be limited stops here 

33. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
• If you proceed beyond descriptive approaches, identify the
statistical procedure (factor analysis, cronbach alpha statistic etc.)
• Identify the statistics and the statistical computer program for the
major inferential questions.
• Choose the specific statistical procedure based on your research
question.
• As the final step, present the results in tables or figures.

35. ARTICLES

36. REFERENCES
• Acharya, A. S., Prakash, A., Saxena, P., & Nigam, A. (2013). Sampling: Why and
how of it. Indian Journal of Medical Specialties, 4(2), 330-333.
• Creswell, J. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches. 4th Edition. Sage Publications: CA
• Scheuren, F. (2004, June). What is a Survey?. Alexandria: American Statistical
Association.
• Doğan, G., & Mirici, İ. H. (2017). EFL instructors' perception and practices on learner
autonomy in some Turkish universities. Journal of Language and Linguistic
Studies, 13(1), 166-193.
• Önalan, O. (2005). EFL teachers' perceptions of the place of Culture in ELT: A survey
study at four univiersities in Ankara/Turkey. Journal of Language and Linguistic
Studies, 1(2).
• Basaran, S., & Cabaroglu, N. (2014). Language Learning Podcasts and Learners'
Belief Change. TESL-EJ, 17(4), n4.