importance of quantitative research

1. IMPORTANCE OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ACROSS FIELDS
People doresearchtofindsolutions,evententativeones,toproblems,inordertoimprove orenhance
waysof doingthings,todisprove orprovide anew hypothesis,orsimplytofindanswerstoquestionsor
solutionstoproblemsindailylife.Researchfindingscanaffectpeople’slives,waysof doingthings,laws,
rulesandregulations,aswell aspolicies,amongothers.Widely,quantitativeresearchisoftenused
because of itsemphasisonproof ratherthan discovery.Inrecenttimes,researchstudiesare gainingan
unprecedentedfocusandattention.Then,onlythe facultyinhighereducationhassomuchinterestand
conduct researchers,butnoweventhe teachersinthe basiceducationare engrossedinresearchesand
devote time andeffortinconductingresearchestoimprove educational practicesthatmayleadtomore
qualitylearningof the students.Manyteachersdoactionresearchesbecause there isaseriousneedto
identifythe problemsof the deterioratingqualityof education.Bydoingso,theycan address
systematicallyandmake educational decisionsregardingthe problemsmet.Innovativeteaching
strategiesare productof research.In the natural and social sciences,quantitative researchisthe
systematic,empirical investigationof observable phenomenaviastatistical,mathematical or
computational techniques.The objective of quantitative researchistodevelopandemploy
mathematical models,theoriesand/orhypothesespertainingtophenomena.The processof
measurementiscentral toquantitativeresearchbecauseitprovidesthe fundamental connection
betweenempirical observationandmathematical expressionof quantitative relationships.Health
Sciences(Medical Technology,Dentistry,Nursing,Medicine,etc.) use quantitative researchdesignslike
descriptive,pre-experimental,quasi-experimental,true-experiment,case study,amongothers.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCH& ACCOUNTING,BUSINESSandMANAGEMENT (ABM)
Researchescanhelpdesignanewproductor service,figuringoutwhatisneededandensure the
developmentof productishighlytargetedtowardsdemand.Businessmencanalsoutilize research
resultstoguarantee sufficientdistributionof theirproductsanddecide where theyneedtoincrease
theirproductdistribution.Conductingresearchescanalsohelpa businessdetermine whethernowisthe
propertime to openanotherbranchor whetheritneedstoapplyfora new loan.It may alsohelpa small
businessdecideif aprocedure orstrategyshouldbe change to meetthe requirementsof the customer
base.Researchisimportantforany organizationtoremaininthe market.The primaryfunctionof
researchinABM isto correctlydetermine itscustomersandtheirpreferences,establishthe enterprise
inthe mostfeasible location,deliverqualitygoodsandservices,analyzewhatthe competitorsare doing
and findwaysonhow to continuouslysatisfythe growingandvariedneedsof the clients.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropologyisaresearchmethodof combiningqualitativeandquantitative researchdata.Itis
concernedwithexploringconnectionssimultaneously,amidstcultural differences,alternativesand
identity.Inthe contemporaryacademic,socio-cultural andpolitical climate theseconceptshave

2. immense symbolicovertones.Quantitativeresearchisuse inAnthropologyinmanyaspects.Like,true
experimentsmayuse instudyingpeopleprovidedthatyoufollow certainsteps(Bernard,2004).Thisis
to lookintothe Effectsof an interventioninethnicbehaviorof agroup.In here,youneedatleasttwo
groups,calledthe treatmentgroupandthe control group.On group getsthe interventionandthe other
groupdon’t.Next,individualsmaybe randomlyassigned,eithertothe interventiongrouporto the
control group to ensure that the groupsare equivalent.Then,the groupsare measuredonone ormore
dependentvariables;thisiscalledthe pre-test.Afterwhich,the interventionisintroduced.Lastly,the
dependentvariablesare measuredagain.Thisisthe posttest.True inexperimentswithpeoplein
laboratoryare also common.Laboratoryexperimentsoftenproduce resultsthatbegtobe testedinthe
natural worldby Anthropologists.AaronandMills(1959, as citedbyBernard,2004) demonstratedina
labexperimentthatpeople who gothroughsevere initiationtoagroup tendtobe more positive toward
the group thanare people whogothrougha mildinitiation.Theyreasonedthatpeople whogothrough
toughinitiationritesputalotof personal investmentsintogettingintothe group.Later,if people see
evidence thatthe groupisnot whattheythoughtitwouldbe,theyare reluctantto admitthe fact
because of the investments.InField,JanetSchofieldandhercolleaguesdida3 yearethnographicstudy
inmiddle school.Duringthe firstyear,theynoticedthatAfrican-Americanandwhilechildrenseemedto
react differentlyto“mildlyaggressive acts’ –thingslike bumpinginthe hallway,pokingone anotherin
the classroom,askingforfood,or usinganotherstudent’spencil without permission.There appearedto
be no eventof racial conflictinthe school,butduringinterviewswhile studentswere more likelyto
reportbeingintimidatedbytheirAfrican-Americanpeersthanvice versa(Sagar& Schofield,1980, as
citedbyBernard,2004)
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand COMMUNICATION Researchersare ofteninterestedinhow an
understandingof aparticularcommunicationphenomenonmightgeneralizetoa largerpopulation.For
example,researcherscanadvance questionslike“WhatEffectdo punitive behavioralcontrol statements
have on a classroom?What communicative behaviorsare associatedwithdifferentstagesinromantic
relationships?Whatcommunicative behaviorsare usedtorespondtoco-workersdisplayingemotional
stress?(Allen,Titsworth,Hunt,2009)
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand SPORTSMEDICINE
Quantitative researchisusedtoanalyze how sportsmaybe usedas an alternative wayof medicatingan
illness.Anexampleisthe researchdone byUniversityof EasternFinlandwhichinvestigatedthe
relationshipbetweenmushroomingof fastfoodchainsandobesity,aswell asthe interventionneeded
to preventchildren’sobesityfromreachingseriousproportions.The researchfocusedonthe children’s
physical activityandphysical inactivityandthe concomitantimpactonthe children’samountof adipose
tissue (fatmass) andthe endurance fitness.The studyisusedtoanalyze certainthe effectof physical
activityinweightcontrol.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand MEDICAL EDUCATION Quantitative researchinmedical education
tendsto be predominantlyobservational researchbasedonsurveysorcorrelational studies.The designs

3. testinterventionslike curriculum,teaching-learningprocess,orassessmentwithanexperimental group.
Eithera comparisonor controlledgrouplearnersmayallow researcherstoovercome validityconcerns
and inferpotentialcause-effectgeneralizations.Researchersare usingtocope withthe emergingtrends
inrecenttimes.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand BEHAVIORALSCIENCES
RelationshipQuestionsintoday’squantitative trendtendtoexplore how one behaviorexhibitedby
people isrelatedtoothertypesof behavior.Examplesare verballyaggressive behaviorsrelatedto
physical aggression –thatis, whenapersonhas a level of verballyaggressive behavior,doeshe orshe
tendto be physicallyaggressive?Are certainsupervisorcommunicationskillsrelatedtothe emotional
experiencesof employees?Questionsof differenceexplore how patternsof behaviororperceptions
mightdifferfromone groupor type of a persontoanother:Do people withdisabilitiesexperience
emotional labordifferentlyfromthose withoutdisabilities?Dowomenperceivetalkativeness(orlackof
it) differentlyformmen?Docommunicationstylesdifferfromone culture tothe next?(Alle,Titsworth,
Hunt,2009). Whenquantitative researchersexplore questionsof differencesorquestionsof
relationships,theydosoinan attempttouncovercertainpatternsof behavior.If the researcher
discoversthata certainrelationshipexistsinsample thatshe orhe has drawnform the population,
she/he isthenina positiontodrawgeneralizationsaboutpatternsexpectedof humanbehavior.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHIN EDUCATION
Quasi Experimentsare mostoftenusedinevaluatingsocial problems.Supposearesearcherhas
inventedatechnique forimprovingreadingcomprehensionamongthirdgraders.She/he selectstwo
thirdgrade classesina school district.One of themgetsthe interventionandthe otherdoesn’t.
Studentsare measuredbefore andafterthe interventiontosee whethertheirreadingscoresimprove.
Thisdesigncontainsmanyof the elementsof true experiment,butthe participantsare notassigned
randomlytothe treatmentandcontrol groups.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCHand PSYCHOLOGY
Mertens(2005) saysthat the dominantparadigmsthatguidedearlypsychological researchwere
positivismanditssuccessor,postpositivism.Positivismisbasedonrationalistic,empiricistphilosophy
that originatedwithAristotle,FrancisBacon,JohnLocke,AugustComte,andImmanuel Kant.the
underlyingassumptionsof positivismincludethe belief thatthe social worldcanbe studiedinthe same
wayas the natural world,thatthere isa methodforstudyingthe social worldthatisvalue-free,andthat
explanationsof acausal nature can be provided.
QUANTITATIVERESEARCH& SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY,ENGINEERING,and MATHEMATICS
Medical practitioners,forexample,conductresearchestoobtainsignificantinformationaboutdiseases
trendsand riskfactors,resultsof varioushealthinterventions,patternsof care andhealthcare costand

4. use.The differentapproachestoresearchprovide complementaryinsights.Researchershelpin
determiningthe effectivenessandevenside effectof drugsand therapiesindifferentpopulationsand
variousinstitutions.Itisalsonecessaryinevaluatingexperiencesinclinical practice inordertodevelop
mechanismsforbestpracticesandto ensure highqualitypatientcare.Researchersin these fields
ultimatelyaimforman’slongevity.Asforengineers,architects,andotherbuilders,researchhelpsin
providingdesignswhichare creativelybeautiful andatthe same time give more convenience and
efficiencyastheyutilizemoderntechnologytoadapttothe everchangingsociety.New materialsand
proceduresmaybe developedsoasto furtherstrengthenthe structural materialsthancanwithstand
variouscalamitiesanddisasters.
POST_TEST. Thisservesasyour summative test.Answerthe questionsbelow followingthe instruction
givenineachtest.
I. ESSAY.Brieflyexplainwhatisaskedbelow.A.How importantquantitative researchacrossfields?Cite
at leastfive fieldsandexplainhowquantitativeresearchisinterconnectedwithit.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
UNIT 1: NATURE OF INQUIRY and RESEARCH JAY-ARMARIOV.MARIANO
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________. II.CONCEPT
MAP. Complete the conceptmappresentedbelow.Youaddfiguressolongasyou will use your
creativityusingthe figuresgiven.Presentthe importance of quantitativeresearchtodifferentfields.
Maximize the space below.