Quantitative Research

What is quantitative
research?
 According to Mertler (2009), quantitative
research methodologies “require the collection
and analysis of numerical data (e.g. test
scores, opinion ratings, attitude scales)…and
utilize a “deductive approach (moving from a
general to a more specific manner) to
reasoning when attempting to answer research
questions” (p. 7)
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
Review of Terminology
 Hypotheses—Predicted outcome of a study

 Independent Variable—Variables that are manipulated by the researcher, the researcher

determines which subjects will receive which condition.

 Experimental or treatment group—Subjects that receive a specific treatment or intervention.

 Control Group—Subjects do not receive a new treatment or intervention

 Dependent Variable—Changes in the subject as a consequence of the independent variable

i.e. the subject’s level of stress as a result of being in a new language program.

 Extraneous Variables—Considered to be uncontrolled or unknown factors that can

potentially affect the results or response to the dependent variable.

 Mean—The arithmetic average of a set of scores

 Median—The specific score in the set of data that separates the entire distribution in equal
halves.

 Mode—The most frequently occurring score in the overall set of scores

 P-Value—Statistical measure indicating the probability of chance occurrences in the actual

study.

 Sample—A representative subset of a population

 Range—The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution of scores.

 Standard Deviation—A measure of how much the scores vary from the mean.
Research Design

Descriptive

Single Quantitativ
Subject e Research Correlational
Designs
Designs

Group
Comparison
Descriptive Research

 Descriptive research “examines the

phenomenon as it exists; there is no attempt to
artificially manipulate any conditions or
situations” (Mertler, 2009, p. 82)

 Observational research focuses on a specific

aspect of behavior

 Survey research acquires information from

individuals

 Example of survey study:

http://www.cftl.org/documents/2005/listeningfo
rweb.pdf
Correlational Design
 The second type of quantitative research
design Mertler discusses is correlational design
in which the researcher is “examin[ing]
whether and to what degree a statistical
relationship exists between two or more
variables” (p. 83).
Group Comparison Design
 “Two or more groups, which differ on some
characteristic or have somehow been exposed to
different conditions are compared on a common
measure in order to see if the differing characteristic or
condition may have resulted in different performance”
(p. 85).

 Pre-test Post-Test Control Group Design--In this type of

design two or more groups are given a pre-test, a
treatment is administered to one or more groups but
not to the control group, and a post-test is given to all
of the groups to measure a specific variable.

 Example of a randomized group study:

http://www.edweek.org/media/bilingual_pdf.pdf
One-Shot Case Study
 There is only one group of subjects (not
multiple groups) and “some sort of
experimental treatment is introduced, and,
following the passage of time, a measurement
or observation—probably a posttest of some
sort---is administered in order to determine the
effects of the treatment” (p. 87).

 Example of a single person case study:

http://www.smcm.edu/educationstudies/pdf/risi
ng-tide/volume-2/VOL2-article22.pdf
Approaches to Collecting
Data

Surveys, questionnaires,
Checklistsrating scales
Tests and Other Formal Instruments
Surveys
Example

A) What type of book do you like reading the most?

B) Mystery

C) Science Fiction

D) Non-fiction

E) Fiction

F) Other:
Surveys con’t
A couple of guiding principles…

 Avoid abbreviations and jargon

 Make your questions easy to understand

 Don’t ask too many questions in one single question

 Avoid misleading or biased question

 Here is the link to a website that offers additional

suggestions that you may find helpful:

 http://www.mad.state.mn.us/survey-guide
Likert and Likert-Type
Scales
 Example of a likert scale response

 1=strongly disagree

 2= disagree

 3 = no opinion

 4 = agree

 5= strongly agree

 Examples of likert-type responses

 “always…never,” “comfortable…not comfortable,”

“excellent….poor,” etc.
Checklists
Additional Resources about
Quantitative Research Methods
 Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods

approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 Flick, U. (2011). Introducing research methodology: A beginner’s guide to doing a

research project. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 Kaplan, D. (2004). The sage handbook of quantitative methodology for the social sciences.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 
Analyzing Quantitative Data
Descriptive Statistics vs.
Inferential Statistics
According to Mertler (2009),
“Descriptive statistics are simple
mathematical procedures that serve to
simplify, summarize, and organize
relatively large amounts of numerical
data (p. 146).”
The purpose of inferential statistics is to
“determine how likely a given statistical
result is for an entire population based
on a smaller subset, or sample, of that
population” (p. 150).
Methods of Reporting
Descriptive Statistics
Taylor-Powell (1996) states that there are
several methods that help you to report raw
data to the reader:

 Numerical counts or frequencies

 Percentages

 Measures of central tendency (mean, mode,

median)

 Measure of variability (range)

Numerical Counts or
Frequencies
Numerical counts or frequencies will tell the
reader how many times something occurred, or
other pertinent information.

Examples:
 A total of 12 managers in 3 business units were
given the software training.
 Two out of 12 participants elected not to answer
the last survey question.
 The participants ranged in yrs. experience from
3-20 years.
 Two of the participants spoke Mandarin, and
remaining 10 spoke Spanish.
Percentages
Examples:
 Sixty percent of the participants reported that they
understood the business
 Eighty percent of the participants indicated that their
managers gave them feedback
 Only twenty percent of the participants reported that
they had support materials in their departments.
 Only thirty percent of the western business unit
participants reported having access to the software,
whereas, seventy-five percent of the eastern business
units reported having access.
 Forty percent of the Supply chain mgrs. felt comfortable
explaining the strategy; whereas sixty percent of the
marketing manager reported that they felt comfortable
explaining it.
Percentages con’t
 You can use percentages to show frequency of
responses.

 Use a combination of visual aids and words to

tell a story about your quantitative data.

 Do you understand the corporate strategy?

Measures of Central Tendency
 According to Taylor Powell (1996), measures of
central tendency such as the mean, the mode,
and the median are used to “characterize what is
typical for the group.” Each of these units will tell
slightly different information about the group.

 The mean is also called the “average” it is used

frequently in reporting data.
Calculating the Mean: Likert
Survey Example
 If you wanted to figure out the mean for all of the
responses to determine what the average score or
response was, you multiply the total # of answers
by the assigned value (1-4) add up the sum of those
numbers and divide by the number of participants
(100).

Adapted from Taylor-Powell (1996)

Mode and Median
 The mode is “the most commonly occurring answer
or value” (Taylor-Powell, 1996).

 The median is the “midpoint (or middle value) where

half of the cases fall below and half fall above the
value
Tool for Calculating Mean,
Median, and Mode
 A website called Calculator Soup will calculate
the mean, median, and mode for you

http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/statisti
cs/mean-median-mode.php
 
Measures of Variability-Range
 Sometimes, looking at just the mean, median, or
mode will not give you a complete picture of the
“variability expressed the responses” (Taylor
Powell, 1996, p. 6).

 The range “compares the highest and lowest

value to indicate the spread of responses or
scores. It is often used in conjunction with the
mean to show the range of values represented in
the single mean score” (p. 4).

 For example, “the managers in the marketing

unit score an average of 85 on their engagement
surveys with scores ranging from 70-90.”
Guidelines for Reporting Results
1. Use numbers for any value equal to or greater than 10, write out
numbers less than 10, except if you’re mentioning it at the
beginning of a sentence, use words, not numbers

2. Use numbers to specify dates, age, or time

3. Use numbers to report how many participants were in the study,

grade level, and to report scores or ratings.

4. Present numerical data in descending order from greatest to

least

5. Report the total number involved before presenting numbers for

specific categories of information. i.e. Out of 30 responses, 20
students indicated a preference to speak their native language, 3
students indicated a preference to speak English, and 2 students
did not respond to this question.

6. Use a mix of visual aids and words to present your numerical

results.

7. Additional guidelines about using and labeling tables and figures

is offered on Purdue OWL’s website:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/20/
Works Cited
 Calculator Soup:
http://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/stat
istics/mean-median- mode.php
 Mertler, C. A. (2009). Action research:
Teachers as researchers in the classroom (2nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

 Taylor-Powell, E. (1996). Analyzing

quantitative data. Retrieved from:
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/G365
8-6.pdf