Wiki Page, STEM | 12K | Research 1 | Practical Research 1: 2.3 Quantitative Research Design

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2021-09-24T13:47:00+08:00

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

Quantitative research design aims to generalize the occurrence of a phenomenon by systematically evaluating information through summarizing data or drawing conclusions from sample data into meaningful information about the objects being studied, usually in the form of numbers.

Strengths | Weaknesses
Findings can be generalized if the selection process is well-designed and the sample is representative of the study population | Related secondary data is sometimes not available or accessing available data is difficult/impossible
Relatively easy to analyze | Difficult to understand the context of a phenomenon
Data can be very consistent, precise, and reliable | Data may not be robust enough to explain complex issues

Importance of Quantitative Research

Quantitative research contributes to an area of people’s lives. Knowledge on any topic is a potential way of solving problems. It could have profound effects on various aspects of people’s lives including their health, their environment, their safety, their food supply, including any qualitative aspect of their lives. How the decision to apply quantitative research in a particular direction is made is often controlled by contrasting and sometimes conflicting forces:

1. Often reduces and restructures a complex problem to a limited number of variables

2. Tests theories or hypotheses

3. Assumes sample is representative of the population

4. The subjectivity of researcher in methodology is recognized less

5. Less detailed than qualitative data and may miss a desired response from the participants