Quantitative Research

Non-Experimental ---SURVEY
Experimental
CAUSE AND EFFECT
PRE-TEST/POST-TEST
LABORATORY
Quantitative Research
Survey- quantitative or numeric description of
some part of a population
A “sample” via questionnaire (if people are
involved)
Results enables researcher to generalize the
findings from a sample of responses.
Experimental- TESTS cause and effect
relationships between groups.
Researcher manipulates one or more independent
variables
Determines if manipulations cause an outcome
 Quan tita tive
Meth ods

Non
Non- pro babl ity
Experi mental Experi mental

Sam plin g
Prob abil ity
Provid es Sel ection, Rand om
nu meric as sign ment se lection
Size of Sub jects an d nu mber of
de scri ptio n of Conven ience
sa mple su bjects
Survey so me p art o f Sam ple
th e po pula tion Rand om
Sam plin g

colle cte d at In depe nden t

cross on e po int in Va riabl es
Survey se cti onal ti me
Desi gn
Depe nden t

colle cte d over

lo ngitudin al a perio d of di scu ss
ti me Describe ma teria ls
In strum enta tion in strum ent/s us ed to
an d ma teria ls to be used in create
expe rimen t tre atme nt
Describe the
condi tion s
Pop ulation po pula tion
an d Sam ple

si ngle sta ge Overall

Describe the
sa mpli ng Desi gn Provid e
Desi gn di scu ssio n di agram to
Desi gn il lustrate
mu ltis tage res earch
Spe cific use de sign
of
In depe nden t
varia bles
Wh at s urvey Sel f de sign ed
in strum ent
us ed?
Va lidi ty
mo difi ed

In strum enta tion Ste p-by-ste p

Reli abil ity Procedu re
In tact ap proach

Pil ot Study/
te stin g

Describe Describe
de scri ptive in feren tial
Sta tistica l statis tics
An alysis statis tics
calculated us ed to te st
hypo thes is

Va riabl es i n
Stu dy

Data Ana lysis

Social Science (Sample) Surveys
When we “survey” something, we
inspect it in detail
A “social survey”, therefore, is an
inspection of a particular society or part
of society and a collection of facts about
that society, institution or group
Social Surveys: History

Two developments in the early 20th century paved the way

for modern social science surveys:
Ideas underlying random sampling, used first in
agriculture, were applied to the collection of social facts
Techniques of structured interviewing, standardized
question wording
Social Surveys: 1930s-1940s

The 1930s: advent of modern survey research in the

U.S.(Gallup and Roper polls)
The Depression: Federal government sponsored research into
unemployment.
World War II: surveys were widely used to study war bond
purchases, troop morale, attitudes toward integration.
Social Surveys: 1960s-1970s

Several developments contributed to widespread use of

survey data:
development of high-speed computers for processing data
widespread ownership of phones made interviewing
easier
Results: business and government decisions increasingly
based on surveys
Survey Design
Provides a quantitative or numeric
description of some fraction of the
population - the sample- through the
data collection process of asking questions of
people.
…..always “people”?
Typical Components of a Survey
Method Plan
Design
Population and Sample
Instrumentation
Variables in the Study
Data Analysis
Survey Design
Begin by reviewing the purpose of a survey
and the rationale for its selection
What is the purpose of survey research?
Indicate why a survey is the preferred type of data
collection.
Indicate whether the survey is cross-sectional
(collected at one point in time) or longitudinal(
collected over a period of time)
Specify the form of data collection - mail,
interview, and provide a rationale for the
procedure (cost, availablility, convenience)
Population and Sample
Specify the characteristics of the population
and sampling procedure.
Describe the population in the study
Identify whether the sampling design for this
population is single stage or multistage.
• Single - research has access to names in the population
and can sample directly
• Multistage - researcher first samples groups (clusters)
obtains names of individuals within each group (cluster)
and then samples within the cluster.
Populuation and Sample (cont)
Identify how indiviuals will be selected
Random, judgemental, snowball
Discuss whether this sample was
stratified….procedures for selecting the
sample……number of people in the
sample and how this number was
determined…etc…etc…etc….
Instrumentation
Identify the survey instrument used
Self designed??? Modified??? Intact???
Validity and Reliability -
Include sample items so readers can
see actual items used (appendix)
Pilot testing or field testing procedures
Steps used in administering
Surveys and Questionnaires
 The design of surveys and questionnaires
 How to frame questions
 Kinds of scales: Likert, Semantic Differential
etc.
 Analyzing survey data: which items are
useful, Item Response Theory
 Forming a scale to measure an attribute, e.g.,
satisfaction. Reliability, validity of scale
Variables
Identify the INDEPENDENT variables
Also called treatment conditions or factors
These are under the control of the
researcher and typically are manipulated in
an experiment
Independent variables lead to changes in
the dependent variable.
Dependent Variables
Identify the dependent variable or
variables to be used in the study
The dependent variable is the response
or the criterion variable presumed to be
CAUSED or influenced by the
independent treatment conditions.
Data Analysis
Present data analysis in a series of
steps
Step 1; step 2; step 3, etc.