The purpose of this chapter is to provide the researcher the ability to understand quantitative methodology in a concise and easy-to-understand way. The chapter will include the history of quantitative research along with use and purpose. The chapter will explore different components of quantitative inquiry and design including variables and descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple statistical analyses will also be detailed including linear regression, multiple regression, chi-square, Pearson correlation, and t-test. The chapter will include additional information on different types of quantitative instruments.
TopIntroduction
When young students begin elementary school or even preschool one of their first exposures is to learn ABCs, and most students learn these important building blocks even before they ever enter a classroom. Another important step that usually comes after or sometimes before is recognizing the differences between letters and numbers. Some students are more enthused about learning numbers rather than learning letters. This is where the history of quantitative methods begins. Some researchers feel that numbers are not as significant as words in qualitative studies. However, numbers can be used to make many observations about sets of data, including descriptions, relationships and patterns within data sets.
In this chapter, the author will discuss the definition of quantitative research, along with its purpose and historical context. The purpose of this chapter is not to be comprehensive, and some of the topics discussed can be somewhat abstract. However, the goal of this chapter is to make the concepts as simple to understand as possible. Many concepts will surround the pieces of the quantitative research study which will include the difference between variables, descriptive and inferential statistics, and instruments used to measure and determine results.
Purpose and Use of Quantitative Research
Quantitative research uses the scientific method as the basis for exploring and confirming information. There are multiple approaches to using the scientific method within the research context. However, most of these methods use hypothesis testing to predict the outcome of a research study (Johnston & Christensen, 2012). Variables are used to develop these hypotheses, and sometimes theories are tested as part of the quantitative research process (Creswell, 2003). One important distinction between quantitative research methods and qualitative research methods is that researchers who use quantitative methods understand and value the testing of proper beliefs or context of experience (Zyphur & Pierides, 2020).
Historically, there has been a long debate over the use of quantitative vs. qualitative research methods. For many years, most people supported one or the other, but many researchers now advocate for mixed methods (Johnson & Christensen, 2012). Bloomberg and Volpe (2016) described quantitative research as the ability to quantify, determine relationships among variables, and understand cause-effect situations. Quantitative research is unbiased, and the evidence determines the validity of the hypothesis. The overarching goal of quantitative research is determining a consensus concerning a solution to a problem (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2016). Creswell (2003) defined quantitative methods as “processes of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and writing the results of a study” (p. xxiv). Quantitative research also provides researchers with explanations, evaluative data, and descriptions of the subject matter or variables (Check & Schutt, 2012). Researchers who use quantitative designs typically focus on validity of instruments, objectivity, and adjust for specific bias or inferences of data (Zyphur & Pierides, 2020). Two quantitative designs are used in most quantitative research studies. These designs include the survey design and the experiment design (Creswell, 2003).