FINAL (SG)_PR2 11_12_UNIT 1_LESSON 2_Types of Quantitative Research PDF

Unit 1: Nature of Quantitative Research Lesson 2: Types of Quantitative Research Contents Engage 1 Introduction 1 Objectives 2 Explore 2 Explain and Elaborate...

Unit 1: Nature of Quantitative Research Lesson 2: Types of Quantitative Research Contents Engage 1 Introduction 1 Objectives 2 Explore 2 Explain and Elaborate 5 Quantitative Research 5 Types of Quantitative Research 7 Extend 13 Activity 13 Evaluate 14 Wrap Up 16 Bibliography 17 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Engage Introduction Fig. 1. A child looking through binoculars Have you ever looked around and wondered how things, whether objects or experiences, are related to one another? What makes these relationships possible? Similarly, have you ever wondered how certain situations happen repeatedly? How can we make sense of these observations? If we would like to research on these observations, how do we proceed? The conduct of quantitative research allows for an individual to make sense of relationships between objects, observations, or experiences. This lesson is a discussion of the different types of quantitative research. Upon learning about the types of quantitative research, this lesson will highlight how these types may be applied across fields. 1 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Objectives In this lesson, you should be able to do the following: Identify the different types of quantitative research. Explain the characteristics of each type of quantitative research. Apply the type of quantitative research that is appropriate for each specific field. DepEd Competency Illustrate the importance of quantitative research across fields. (CS_RS12-Ia-c-2) Explore 10 minutes Find a partner for this activity. Think of key words that come to mind when you encounter the words survey and experiment. Write your answers on the space below. Discuss your answers with your partner using the guide questions that follow. Key words for survey Key words for experiment 2 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Guide Questions 1. As a pair, what are your similar key words for survey and experiment? List them down below. Survey Experiment 2. Choose one different key word per person for both survey and experiment. Explain in one to two sentences why you think those key words refer to survey and experiment. Different key words for survey Different key words for experiment Key word: ___________________________________ Key word: ___________________________________ Explanation: Explanation: _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Key word: ___________________________________ Key word: ___________________________________ Explanation: Explanation: _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 3 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research 3. As a pair, how would you describe a survey and an experiment based on the common key words you listed? Write your answers on the space provided below. A survey is _______________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ An experiment is _______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Explain and Elaborate Quantitative Research There are three main research designs: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs. Quantitative research is defined as “a means for testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables” according to Creswell (2009), a famous book author and researcher. In general, quantitative research focuses on the following: collection of observable and measurable data standardized data collection instruments statistical techniques in data analysis Review Quantitative research deals with empirical, observable, and measurable data that are often expressed in numbers and analyzed through statistical techniques. Correlational and Causal Research Quantitative research may either be correlational or causal. Correlational research involves identifying relationships between two variables. A correlation is “a statistical measure of association between two variables” as explained by Vanderstoep and Johnston (2009), two well-known communication and social sciences researchers. Correlational research may look at the following: 1. whether an association exists between variables 2. the magnitude of the existing association between two variables 3. the direction of the association between two variables 5 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research An example of correlational research is the relationship between hours of sleep and test scores among students. Based on the main focus points of correlational research, the following results are possible: there is no significant relationship between hours of sleep and test scores, or higher test scores are related to more hours of sleep among students. Although it is not exclusive to the field, correlational research is often used in quantitative research in the social sciences. In psychology, different types of correlational research are used to look at patterns and associations of human behavior. An example is looking at whether there is an association between the number of hours a student spends on social media and his/her academic performance. In economics, correlational research may also be used to determine what affects (or is affected by) certain economic variables. For example, we are looking at the relationship between the foreign exchange rates and the credit rating of a particular country. In politics, correlational research may also be used to study whether an association exists between different political variables. For example, looking at the relationship between the crime rate and the number of votes a politician garnered during an election. While quantitative correlational research can determine whether a relationship is significant between two variables, it does not say that one variable causes the other. This latter type of quantitative research is called causal research. A causal research looks at causes and effects. Causation refers to the claim that a change in one variable creates a change in another variable. An example of causal research is looking at the cause and effect relationship between a food ingredient and the rate of decay of a food sample. A possible research study based on this example can examine how an additional unit of the food ingredient (cause) leads to faster decay of the food sample (effect). Similar to correlational research, causal research is also applicable in different fields. Causal research is often used in studying the natural sciences, but it is not exclusive to this field. For example, in chemistry, causal research is applied in the conduct of chemical 6 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research experiments to see whether a change in the quantity of one substance affects the characteristics of another substance. Types of Quantitative Research There are two main types of quantitative research: survey research and experimental research. According to Creswell (2009), survey research “provides a quantitative or numeric description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population.” On the other hand, experimental research “tests the impact of a treatment (or an intervention) on an outcome, controlling all other factors that might influence that outcome.” Both types of quantitative research draw findings by studying a sample population. Both types of quantitative research use statistical techniques to process and analyze the information acquired from their respective data collection techniques. What is the difference between correlation and causation? Survey Research Survey research is a correlational type of quantitative research. This design makes use of a questionnaire as its main data collection tool. According to Neuman (2014), a well-known sociologist, the survey is “the most widely used social science data-gathering technique.” The contents of a questionnaire correspond to the objects or concepts whose correlations are being analyzed. Survey research has the following main components as explained by Creswell (2009) and Neuman (2014): 1. Survey design. There are two main types of survey designs: cross-sectional and longitudinal. A cross-sectional survey acquires information at one point in time. A longitudinal survey acquires information at multiple points in time to compare, contrast, and assess changes in responses. 7 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research For example, researchers from a government agency on population research are conducting a cross-sectional survey on the number of senior citizens (aged 60 years old and above) in each household within a specific area. To proceed, they will collect responses from each household at a single period of time (e.g., during the whole month of January on a given year). On the other hand, this example of a cross-sectional survey becomes a longitudinal survey when the representatives return to the households to collect the same kind of responses (number of senior citizens) every year for five years. By looking at longitudinal data, the researchers will be able to compare and contrast whether the number of senior citizens increased or decreased during the five-year period. 2. Population and sample. Survey research involves getting a sample from a population. A population is a general group of people with similar characteristics. A sample is a subgroup of the population that is chosen either randomly or purposively to participate in the survey research. For example, survey research will be conducted in a class of Senior High School students for the purpose of testing the relationship between after-school activities and student performance. The population is the whole number of Senior High School students. The sample is the chosen subgroup within the population (e.g., males only) from which responses will be collected. 3. Survey instrument. The survey instrument, otherwise known as the questionnaire, is the main data collection tool of a survey research. It contains closed-ended questions with fixed answers that will be given to the selected sample. The responses of the participants will be used in analyzing the relationships of interest. According to Neuman (2014), survey questions may belong to the following categories: Behavior - e.g., How frequently do you use social media applications? Attitudes/beliefs/opinions - e.g., What do you think about animal therapy? Characteristics - e.g., What is your highest educational attainment? 8 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Expectations - e.g., Do you plan to visit a coffee shop in the next two weeks? Self-classification - e.g., Do you consider yourself socially aware of current events and issues? Knowledge - e.g., Who is your student council batch representative? 4. Data analysis and interpretation. A data analysis and interpretation plan is also part of the survey design. The analysis may either be descriptive or inferential. A descriptive analysis provides a numerical report of the results of the survey, which may include frequencies or average scores. An inferential analysis makes comparisons among the survey results to establish and explain relationships. Remember A survey research is composed of survey design, population and sample, survey instrument, and data analysis and interpretation. Experimental Research Experimental research is a type of quantitative research aimed at causation. With the use of the cause and effect logic, an experimental research looks at whether the application of a treatment, otherwise known as an intervention, causes an effect on the sample being experimented on (Creswell, 2009; Leavy, 2017). Experimental research has the following main components as discussed by Creswell (2009), Leavy (2017), and Neuman (2014): 1. Respondents. The respondents in experimental research are called groups. Samples are selected and then differentiated into groups. There are two main subgroups in an experimental research: experimental and control groups. The experimental group is the group that receives the experimental treatment or intervention. The control group is the group that does not receive the experimental treatment or intervention. While the control group does not receive an 9 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research intervention, it is still a part of the experimental research to assess similarities or differences with the results drawn from the experimental group. 2. Variables. There are two main types of variables used in experimental research, and their interaction constitutes the cause-and-effect relationship. These two main types are the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the treatment variable. It causes and explains the effect. The independent variable may be manipulated in order to see changes in the produced effects. The dependent variable is the outcome variable. It is the effect. It is the response to the application of or changes in the independent variable. The dependent variable may reflect different outcomes depending on the conditions of the independent variable. 3. Stages of the experimental procedure. Experimental research may undergo three stages of the experimental procedure: the pretest stage, the actual intervention stage, and the posttest stage. The actual intervention stage is the execution phase of the planned experimental procedure/s. It is the phase where the interaction between the variables of the study occurs. There are two main stages of procedure in between the actual intervention: the pretest and the post-test. The pretest is the stage prior to the conduct of the experiment or the intervention. There is no interaction yet between the variables of the study. The posttest is the stage after the conduct of the experiment or the intervention. It is the stage after the interaction of the independent and dependent variables. The results of the posttest reflect whether there have been changes in the dependent variable based on the conditions of the independent variable. 4. Instrumentation and materials. Experimental research also makes use of different instruments and/or materials in the pretest, posttest, or actual intervention stages. The research instruments and materials may differ according to the nature of the experiment. Generally, an instrument in experimental research is used to record the observations at any stage of the experiment. 10 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research 5. Experimental procedures. Experimental procedures differ according to which group is studied and the actions done with the group(s). There are four main experimental procedures, which are as follows: A pre-experimental design studies and provides an experimental intervention to a single experimental group. It does not make use of a control group. A true experiment makes use of both experimental and control groups, whose respondents are randomly assigned. Variants of true experiments differ according to the participation of the experimental and control groups in the different stages of procedure. For example, one type of true experiment has the experimental group participating in all stages (pretest, actual intervention, and posttest). Another type of true experiment only has the control groups participating in the pretest and posttest stages but not in the actual intervention stage. A quasi-experiment uses both experimental and control groups. It differs from a true experiment in that the participants of the quasi-experiment are not randomly assigned into groups. An example of a quasi-experiment is in medical research such as the effects of a developing drug. A team gathers a number of respondents and purposively assigns them into a control group and an experimental group and engages these groups in the pretest, actual intervention, and posttest stages. A single-subject design only has a single individual as the lone respondent of the experiment. The experiment proceeds by observing the individual at different experimental stages and over time. 6. Data analysis and interpretation. Similar to survey research, the results of experimental research may be analyzed in a descriptive or inferential manner. The inferential analysis of experimental research may vary according to the appropriate statistical tests used in the study. What sets experimental research apart from survey research is the overall goal of causation and not correlation. 11 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Remember An experimental research is composed of respondents, variables, stages of the experimental procedure, instrumentation and materials, experimental procedures, and data analysis and interpretation. The two types of quantitative research, namely, survey and experimental, are applicable in various fields and disciplines, being examples of correlational and causal research. Both survey and experimental research may be used in fields, such as medicine, natural sciences, social sciences, and business. Table 1. Sample application of quantitative research to different fields of study Field of study Sample application of quantitative research Medicine Survey Patient preference for consultation schedules Experiment Effectiveness of vaccines Chemistry Survey Most common chemical substances in high school laboratory experiments Experiment Factors behind the speed of crystal formation Biology Survey Most common inherited genetic diseases among males Experiment Effects of a new brand of fertilizer on the growth of crops Psychology Survey Collection of demographic data (basic information) on experiment participants Experiment Psychological experiment on the effects of cooperation on team dynamics Politics Survey Voter preference in presidential elections Experiment Mock elections involving candidates with predetermined characteristics and effects on the number of votes won 12 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Economics Survey Level of income per household Experiment Simulation of buy-and-sell trading Culinary Arts Survey Level of satisfaction for a particular dish Experiment Impact of a particular ingredient on nutritional value Business Survey Most preferred mobile phone brands Experiment Pilot study on a new business concept Extend Activity Based on your track and strand, list down two sets of relationships between two objects and/or phenomena. Think about whether each relationship can be analyzed through a correlation or a causal relationship. Explain your answer in one to two sentences. Track and strand: 1. 2. 13 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Guide To recall, a relationship is considered correlational if it examines whether there is an association between variables and if it looks into the possible magnitude or direction of the said association. A relationship is considered as causal if changes in the variables follow the cause and effect logic. In doing the activity, you can ask yourself the following guide questions: 1. Did Object A cause the change in Object B? If yes, the relationship between Objects A and B is a causal relationship. 2. Is Object A just a factor, not the root cause, of the change in Object B? If yes, then the relationship between Objects A and B is a correlational relationship. Evaluate A. Identify the concept described below. Write your answers in the space provided. 1. This type of survey research collects responses from participants at one point in time. 2. This type of experimental research is focused on a single group. 3. In experimental research, this is given after the experimental intervention in order to assess the impact of the intervention. 14 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research B. Based on the given question samples for a survey research, identify which category each survey question belongs in. 1. Compare the longitudinal survey and cross-sectional survey in studying the behavior of senior high students who spend more than 5 hours in online gaming. 2. How can experimental research help in studying the benefit of eight hour sleep among the youth? 3. How can inferential analysis be used in studying productivity levels among employees who work four days a week? 15 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research Wrap Up ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Survey research is a correlational type of quantitative research that describes attitudes and trends through numerical data. A questionnaire is used to collect data from a sample drawn out of a general population. Experimental research is a causal type of quantitative research that examines the effect of a treatment or intervention. It analyzes the cause and effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Participants of experimental research are grouped into two groups: experimental or control, mainly differentiated according to whether they receive intervention or not. 16 Unit 1.2: Types of Quantitative Research ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Bibliography Creswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd ed. California: SAGE Publications Inc., 2009. Gray, Paul S., John B. Williamson, David A. Karp, and John R. Dalphin. The Research Imagination: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2007. Leavy, Patricia. Research Design: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods, Arts-Based, and Community-Based Participatory Research Approaches. New York: The Guilford Press. 2017. Neuman, W. Lawrence. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 7th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited., 2014. Vanderstoep, Scott W., and Deirdre D. Johnston. Research Methods for Everyday Life: Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass., 2009. 17