Quantitative Research Definition

Quantitative research is defined as social research that employs empirical methods and empirical statements. An empirical statement can be understood as a descriptive statement about what “is” the case in the “real world” rather than what “ought” to be the case. Typically, empirical statements are expressed in numerical terms. Another factor in quantitative research is that it is empirical evaluations that are applied. Empirical evaluations are defined as a form that seeks to determine the degree to which a specific program or policy empirically fulfils or does not fulfil a particular standard or norm.

To have a clear understanding, another exhaustive definition is taken: “Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical,

This can be done by designing research instruments which are aimed specifically at converting phenomena that don't naturally exist in quantitative form into quantitative data, which then can be analysed statistically. For example attitudes and beliefs of people always appear as a qualitative data. Considering a question on students' attitudes to their school and their teachers, these attitudes obviously do not naturally exist in quantitative form. However, to ascertain the same, a questionnaire can be developed, that asks pupils to rate a number of statements on a scale from 0 to 5 or as either agree strongly, agree, disagree or disagree strongly, and give the answers a number (e.g. 1 for disagree strongly, 4 for agree strongly). Thus the data is now converted into quantitative data on pupil attitudes to school. In the same way, data can be collected on a wide number of phenomena, and make them quantitative through data collection instruments like questionnaires or

• Project can be used to generalize concepts more widely, predict future results, or investigate causal relationships.

• The overarching aim of a quantitative research study is to classify features, count them, and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed.

METHODOLOGY OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

The overall structure for a quantitative design is based in the scientific method. It basically uses deductive reasoning, where the researcher is to form a hypothesis, collect the data in an investigation of the problem, and then to use the data from the investigation, after analysis is made and conclusions are shared, to prove the hypotheses to be not false or false. Thus the basic procedure of a quantitative design is:

1. Make the observations about something that is unknown, unexplained, or new. Investigate current theory surrounding the problem or issue.

2. Hypothesize an explanation for those observations.

3. Make a prediction of outcomes based on the already made hypotheses. Formulate a plan to test that prediction.

4. Collect and process the data acquired by any methods. If the prediction was correct, final step can be