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Methodology for quantitative research
Methodology for quantitative research
Why Quantitative Research is important
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Many describe Quantitative research method as the oldest form of social research and trusted by most researchers as they believe that anything that has been proven with the help of numbers cannot be wrong (Alston & Bowles, 2012, p. 10). Basically Quantitative method deals with numbers, the researcher 's own presence is minimal and has deductive approach. It is most commonly used when, one began with a Hypothesis and that needed to confirm or reconfirm through research. It is a type of research in which the researcher decide what to study, ask specific questions, collects quantifiable data, analysis these data and conducts the enquiry in an objective manner. Generally, quantitative research is to gather or collect information that can be inferred to large populations of …show more content…
43). Once the study has been focused, the researchers review the seminar works and current prior primary sources. According to (Tant, 2011, p. 58), ‘twelve variables that are commonly associated with social isolation in the literature which are gender, increasing age, being never married divorced or widowed, childlessness, living alone, poor health, low income, having no pets, transport problems being on a waiting list for HACC service, being of non- English speaking background and caring for someone’. Based on the research questions and review of prior resources, Hypothesis is created to predict the relationship between the studies variables. Another Hypothesis that the researcher proposed, ‘people’s level of power will significantly negatively predict their level of social isolation pre-intervention by HACC funded projects’ (Tant, 2011, p. 101).
The researcher chooses the study design and methods to test the hypothesis. Finally appropriate analytical analyses are used to analyze the data allowing the researcher to draw
Pantell, Matthew,et al. “Social Isolation: A Predictor Of Mortality Comparable To Traditional Clinical Risk Factors.” American Journal Of Public Health 103.11(2013): 2056-2062. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 April 2014.
Research can be quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research is objective and involves measuring the phenomena under investigation. Qualitative research is subjective, explores experiences and feelings, and involves the recording of phenomena that cannot easily be quantified (Toates, 2010, pp. 5-6). Both are empirical since they involve data collection (OU, n.d.).
The risk factors of isolation include health and disabilities, gender, loss of a spouse, living alone, reduced social networks, transportation issues, place of residence, and aging. Among these factors, aging has higher correlation with other factors. Given that some studies (Hall, Havens, 1999) show that the risk factors are in fact additive, meaning that the presence of more than one risk factor compounds the risk of loneliness and social isolation, the importance of emerging population aging in Canada becomes more significant.
The study follows the descriptive analytical method. It begins by an introduction forming a background to the study; followed by a summary of the plot, a literature review, a discussion and a conclusion.
Qualitative and quantitative research have many differences. Qualitative is exploratory, interpretive, subjective, descriptive, emergent, looks to produce or reach a hypothesis by what is observed, has unknown variables, is flexible, and uses personal views. Qualitative research is confirmatory, predictive, objective, deduces and test the hypothesis, has known variables, is not flexible, but is a fixed, static designed to control variables, and tries to be bias-free. Qualitative research collects data through interviews, observation, surveys, review of artifacts, and self inqu...
According to Smith (1983) quantitative research is to explain, predict and develop laws that can be universally applied and Qualitative research is the interpretation and understanding of what people give to their situation. The researchers clearly stated the purpose of their studies, aim, objectiv...
Due to an increase in UK’s ageing population the challenge faced in the society has become that of social isolation and loneliness consequently the issue addressed in the interest of wider population and communities. IRIS REF. Loneliness could be described as the feeling of loss of meaningful social relationship, while social isolation could be explained as the lack of social interaction and relationships which could be caused by deterioration of ones health (Bordi and Nicholson 2008).
The father of quantitative analysis, Rene Descartes, thought that in order to know and understand something, you have to measure it (Kover, 2008). Quantitative research has two main types of sampling used, probabilistic and purposive. Probabilistic sampling is when there is equal chance of anyone within the studied population to be included. Purposive sampling is used when some benchmarks are used to replace the discrepancy among errors. The primary collection of data is from tests or standardized questionnaires, structured interviews, and closed-ended observational protocols. The secondary means for data collection includes official documents. In this study, the data is analyzed to test one or more expressed hypotheses. Descriptive and inferential analyses are the two types of data analysis used and advance from descriptive to inferential. The next step in the process is data interpretation, and the goal is to give meaning to the results in regards to the hypothesis the theory was derived from. Data interpretation techniques used are generalization, theory-driven, and interpretation of theory (Gelo, Braakmann, Benetka, 2008). The discussion should bring together findings and put them into context of the framework, guiding the study (Black, Gray, Airasain, Hector, Hopkins, Nenty, Ouyang, n.d.). The discussion should include an interpretation of the results; descriptions of themes, trends, and relationships; meanings of the results, and the limitations of the study. In the conclusion, one wants to end the study by providing a synopsis and final comments. It should include a summary of findings, recommendations, and future research (Black, Gray, Airasain, Hector, Hopkins, Nenty, Ouyang, n.d.). Deductive reasoning is used in studies...
On the other hand, Quantitative research refers to “variance theory” where quantity describes the research in terms of statistical relationships between different variables (Maxwell, 2013). Quantitative research answers the questions “how much” or “how many?” Quantitative research is an objective, deductive process and is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables with generalized results from a larger sample population. Much more structured than qualitative research, quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys, personal interviews and telephone interviews, polls, and systematic observations. Methods can be considered “cookie cutter” with a predetermined starting point and a fixed sequence of
James House, Ph.D., Director of the Survey Research Center and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, conducted experiments to test if there is an association between social isolation and mortality in both general populations and people with established morbidity. In his essay “Social Isolation Kills, but How and Why?” House states, “social isolation has been shown repeatedly to prospectively predict mortality. The magnitude of risk associated with social isolation is comparable with that of cigarette smoking and other major biomedical and psychosocial risk factors” (House 273). Social isolation combined with the underlying innate desire to be successful that the majority of people feel they need to fulfill can potentially pose high risks to Willy’s well-being.
Quantitative research may be seen as the less contentious of the two because it is more closely aligned with what is viewed as the classical scientific paradigm. Quantitative research involves gathering data that is absolute, for example numerical data so that it can be examined as unbiased as possible. The main idea behind quantitative research is that it is able to separate things easily so that they can be counted. The researcher generally has a clear idea of what is being measured before they start measuring it, and their study is set up with controls. Qualitative research on the other hand is a more subjective form of research, in which the research allows themselves to introduce their own bias to help form a more complete picture. Qualitative research may be necessary in situations where it is unclear of what is exactly being looked for in a study, while quantitative research generally knows exactly what it is looking for. Questionnaires and surveys are quantitative socio-legal research, because it is the collection of numerical data, or data that can be easily being turned into a numerical form. In terms of analysing quantitative data, Excel is the b...
Quantitative research is the oldest form of research; it is incredibly formal, stemming from positivism paradigm, or the outside looking in approach. The method is about trying to establish cause and affect relationships between variables. This method can be considered non biased as the researcher isn’t us...
A substantial amount of research conducted by scientists has shown that isolation is a serious risk factor towards humans. The absence of social relationships is meant to be brief; having meaningful and extended relationships is natural and healthy (http://www.beyonddifferences.org/media/uploads/teacher-docs/consequences_of_social_isolation_2015-2016.pdf). To begin, mental health can become a problematic when not stimulated appropriately. Another key point is that the human brain is not designed to endure the hardships of isolation without having stern repercussions. Inasmuch as the brain, the body is also not meant to sustain social isolation due to suffering and resulting in an overall weak system.
The nature of research instruments, the sampling plan and the type of data the research design constitutes the blueprint for the collection, the measurement and analysis of data. It aids the researcher in the allocation of his limited resources by posing crucial choices.
On the other hand, quantitative research allows you to test hypothesis derived from theories, associated with the issues being investigated. It is less flexible, as there are standardized procedures and techniques for collecting, organizing and analyzing the data (Kuada, 2012).