Numbers are all around us and drive our daily lives. At work and in our personal lives, we make judgments based on numbers. For example, a company may use sales figures to determine if it is succeeding or failing, and a group of friends planning a trip may use ticket costs to determine where to go.

Numbers are equally as essential in the social realm. They assist in determining what actions are required, as well as the effectiveness of ongoing projects. But how do social-service groups get the numbers they need?

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What Exactly Is Quantitative Research Methodology?

Let’s start with an explanation of what quantitative research is. Quantitative research is the process of gathering and evaluating numerical data. It may be used to spot trends and averages, make forecasts, verify causal relationships, and extrapolate results to bigger populations.

The approaches for collecting qualitative and quantitative data are completely different. Non-numerical data is collected and processed in the case of qualitative data (e.g. text, video, or audio).

Biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology, economics, and marketing are just a few of the social and natural disciplines that use quantitative research methods.

What Are the Methods for Collecting Quantitative Data?

We’ll look at the quantitative data collecting research instruments in this part. A large sample size is frequently required for quantitative research methodologies. This is due to the fact that the results of your research will be representative of a larger group.

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In quantitative research, there are a variety of data collection methods to choose from, including:

1. Experiments
2. Controlled observations
3. Face-to-face interviews
4. Polls
5. Longitudinal studies
6. Telephone interviews
7. Surveys: paper, kiosk, mobile, questionnaires

Your participants’ responses may be influenced by the quantitative data collection methods you choose. Experiment participants, for example, are unlikely to make the same decisions as they would in a social situation. Participants’ responses to stimuli are context-dependent, which implies they may react to any of these quantitative research methods differently.

When does quantitative research come in handy?

Quantitative research methods aim to collect numerical data from a small group of people and then generalize the results to a wider group of people in order to explain a phenomenon. When researchers need objective, conclusive conclusions, they usually turn to quantitative research.

A chocolate company, for example, would conduct a poll of a sample of their target demographic (teenagers in the United States) to see if they enjoy the taste of the chocolate. This survey’s findings would disclose how all teenagers in the United States feel about chocolate.

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Similarly, a group working to raise a village’s literacy rate may track how many individuals attended their program, how many dropped out, and how each person’s literacy score changed before and after the program. They can use these measures to assess their program’s overall success.

Unlike evaluation research, qualitative research is rarely utilized to explore an issue or scope out a problem in the early stages of a project. In the advanced stages of a research study, it is typically utilized to answer unambiguous, pre-defined questions.

What is the best way to plan a quantitative research project?

• Determine the research issue. For instance, how well do government schools in New Delhi ensure that students complete their education?
• Make a list of the research questions that must be answered in order to solve the research challenge. What percentage of pupils in New Delhi‘s government schools drop out, for example?
• Examine the existing literature on the study problem and questions to make sure there aren’t any overlaps. You can trust the findings if someone else has already answered this question.
• Make a research strategy. This comprises determining the target population, sample size, and data gathering method, as well as doing data analysis, compiling recommendations, and reaching a conclusion.

What are some of the benefits of using quantitative research methods?

• Quantitative research methodologies provide a rather definite response to the research questions.
• The results are usually reliable when data is collected and evaluated using a consistent, established approach.
• The results can be extrapolated to an entire target population with statistically meaningful sample sizes.
• The outcomes of samples must be carefully constructed and chosen if they are to be generalized. Learn how to select the most appropriate sample method for your survey.

What are some of the drawbacks of quantitative research?

• Doesn’t take into account people’s opinions or impressions of the thing you’re analyzing.
• It does not delve into the “why” and “how” of a phenomenon.