DESIGNING A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

DESIGNING A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

1. It is the type of research characterized by the usage of quantifiable data, that seeks to determine existing relationships between or within the variables.

2. TYPES

   • ASSOCIATIONAL
     • Determining if simultaneous relationships exist between the variables without interfering.
   • EXPERIMENTAL
     • Determine the relationships within the variables by creating an external change that will produce a measurable effect showing this relationship.

3. MATERIALS

   • HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY USE MATERIALS
     • Pilot test the materials first.
     • Use enough tokens
     • Use appropriate tasks
     • Give enough examples
     • Use precise instructions.

4. STRATEGIES

   • INTACT CLASSES
     • Organizing the groups avoiding randomization to efficiently develop the process.
   • COUNTERBALANCING
     • Assigning all the tasks but in a different order to all the participants to produce reliable and comparable data.

5. RESEARCH DESIGN TYPES

   • CORRELATIONAL
     • It is used to test relationships among variables and to make predictions as to how strongly related these are.
   • EXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL.
     • The difference between fully experimental or quasi-experimental lays in the usage of randomization and the usage of comparison groups.
       • COMPARISON GROUP DESIGN: Participants are randomly assigned to one of the group, with treatment differing between or among the groups.
       • CONTROL GROUP DESIGN: This group does not receive treatment but does participate in the pretests and postests.
     • PRETEST AND POSTTEST
       • It allows the researcher to measure either the short or long term effect of the treatment; according to the usage of delayed posttests.
     • POSTTEST ONLY
       • Posttest is focused on performance rather than development because having pretests might alert the participants of what the treatment is about beforehand.
     • REPEATED MEASURES
       • All task or treatments are given to different individuals in different orders to obtain multiple measurements from each participants.
     • FACTORIAL DESIGN
       • Factorial designs are used when there is more than one independent variable and can occur with or without randomization.
     • TIMES SERIES DESIGN
       • It is used to monitor a group previous to the pretest and to study the effects of treatment using delayed posttests.
   • ONE SHOT DESIGN
     • It is used when treatments are not a part of the research and the objective is to understand and measure the knowledge and perception the students have rather than measuring their development.