Quantitative Research Design
and Methods
Unit Two
Key Concepts &Terms in Quantitative
Research
Dr. Malakeh Z. Malak
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
• A study or an investigation or research project
When researchers address a problem or answer
a question through disciplined research.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
• Roles on a Research Project
People who provide the information
Subjects or study participants : the people being
studied.
•Respondents: people who provide information by
answering questions, e.g., by filling out a questionnaire.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
• Roles on a Research Project
The person who conducts or undertakes the study
Researcher or investigator or Scientist.
The person directing the investigation is referred to as
the project director or principal investigator (PI).
Two or three researchers collaborating equally are co-
investigators.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
When specialized expertise is needed on a short-
term basis(e.g., for statistical analysis), projects may
involve one or more consultants.
When financial assistance is obtained to pay for
research costs, the organization providing the money is
the funder or sponsor.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
Reviewers are sometimes called on to critique
various aspects of a study and offer feedback. If these
people are at a similar level of experience as the
researchers, they may be called peer reviewers.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
Collaborative research involving a team of nurses
with both clinical and methodologic expertise is
increasingly common in addressing problems of
clinical relevance.
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1. The Faces and Places of Research
•Research Settings
The specific places where the information is gathered.
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2- THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A STUDY
•Phenomena, Concepts, and Constructs
•That which is being investigated
• Concepts, constructs, variables
•A Concept, or a construct refers to an abstraction or
mental representation inferred from situations or
behaviors.
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•Theories and Conceptual Models
System of organizing concepts
• Theory, theoretical framework, conceptual framework,
conceptual model.
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• Variables
•are the central building blocks of quantitative studies.
• There are different types of variables,
1. Dependent versus Independent variables
• Dependent variables: presumed effect or outcome or
result
• Independent: cause
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• Variables
Examples
• Does smoking cause lung cancer?
• The Jordanian female teachers who engage in
osteoporosis education program demonstrate high
levels about preventive practices of osteoporosis
than those who do not engage.
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• Variables
2- Continuous, Discrete, and Categorical Variables
Continuous variable can assume an infinite number of
values between two points. For example, consider the
continuous variable weight: between 1 and 2 pounds, the
number of values is limitless: 1.005, 1.7, 1.33333, and so
on.
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• Variables
2- Continuous, Discrete, and Categorical Variables
Discrete variable is one that has a finite number of
values between any two points, representing discrete
quantities. For example, if people were asked how many
children they had, they might answer 0, 1, 2, 3, or more.
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• Variables
2- Continuous, Discrete, and Categorical Variables
Categorical variables. Variables that take on only a
handful of discrete nonquantitative values
Example is blood type (A, B, AB, and O).
When categorical variables take on only two values,
they are sometimes referred to as dichotomous
variables. Some examples of dichotomous variables are
pregnant/not pregnant.
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Definitions of Concepts and Variables
• Conceptual definition: the abstract or theoretic
meaning of the concepts being studied. Concept of
Blood Pressure.
• Operational definition: how the variables will be
observed and measured.
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•Data
•Information gathered or obtained in a study
•Data (numeric values)
BOX 2.1 Example of Quantitative Data
Question: Thinking about the past week, how depressed would
you say you have been on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “not
at all” and 10 means “the most possible?”
Data: 9 (Subject 1)
0 (Subject 2)
4 (Subject 3)
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•Relationships or Patterns of Association
•A bond or connection between two or more
phenomena or concepts.
• Relationships (cause and effect, functional or
associative). Quantitative researchers focus on the
relationship between the independent variables and
dependent variables
•
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A bias
is an influence that produces a distortion in the
study results. Bias can result from a number of
factors, including the following: Study participants’
candor, Subjectivity of the researcher, Sample
characteristics, Faulty methods of data collection,
Faulty study design.
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Research Control
Research control is used to hold constant outside
influences on the dependent variable so that the
relationship between the independent and
dependent variables can be better understood.
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Randomness
For a quantitative researcher, a powerful tool to
eliminate bias concerns randomness—having certain
features of the study established by chance
rather than by design or personal preference.
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Generalizability and Transferability
Is the criterion used in a quantitative study to assess
the extent to which the findings can be applied to
other groups and settings?
A similar concept in qualitative studies is
transferability, the extent to which qualitative findings
can be transferred to other settings.
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• Replications
Attempts to validate the findings from one study in an
independent inquiry, are a crucial form of
triangulation.
Replication research is essential for the development
of nursing science and evidence-based practice.
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•Rigor
• Is the striving for excellence in research and involves
discipline, scrupulous adherence to detail, and strict
accuracy.
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Overview of the Research Process in
Quantitative Studies
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Types of Quantitative Research
1- Experimental (controlled trial): a researcher
actively introduces an intervention or treatment.
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Types of Quantitative Research
2- Non-experimental (observational):
a researcher is bystander. He/she collects data
without introducing treatments or making changes.
Types of non-experimental:
• Descriptive research
• Correlational research
• Quasi-experimental
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Steps in Quantitative Research
1. Phases & Steps in Quantitative Research
Phases in Quantitative Research
1- The conceptual phase
2- The design and planning phase
3- The empirical phase
4- The analytic phase
5- The dissemination phase
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1- The conceptual phase
Steps:
1- Defining and delimiting the problem (formulating a
research problem and purpose)
2- Reviewing the related literature
3- Undertaking clinical fieldwork
4- Defining the framework/ developing conceptual
definitions
5- Formulating hypotheses
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2- The design and planning phase
Steps:
1- Selecting a research design
2- Developing intervention protocols
3- Identifying the population
4- Designing the sampling plan
5- Specifying methods to measure research variables
6- Developing methods to safeguard subjects
7- Finalizing the research plan
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3- The empirical phase
Steps:
1- Collecting the data
2- Preparing the data for analysis
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4- The analytic phase
Steps:
1- Analysing the data
2- Interpreting the results
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5- The dissemination phase
Steps:
1- Communicating the findings
2- Utilizing the findings in practice
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