Quantitative Research

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Recommended: the nature of qualitative research

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is based on statements such as "anything that exists exists in a certain quantity and can be measured." "While Thorndike’s statement from 1904 appears to be fairly innocent and direct, it staked an important philosophical position that has persisted in social science research throughout most to this century." (Custer, 1996, p. 3). In 1927, William F. Ogburn successfully lobbied to have Lord Kelvin’s motto: "When you cannot measure, your knowledge is meager and unsatisfactory" prominently and permanently carved onto the face of the University of Chicago’s social science research building." In this decade, however, the competing paradigms of quantitative and qualitative research have become almost working partners in educational research. Many researchers today advocate a "paradigm of choices that seeks methodological appropriateness as the primary criterion for judging methodological quality. This will allow for situational responsiveness that strict adherence to one paradigm or another will not" (Patton, 1990, p. 30).

The ideals of quantitative research call for procedures that are public, that use precise definitions, that use objectivity-seeking methods for data collection and analysis, that are replicable so that findings can be confirmed or disconfirmed, and that are systematic and cumulative—all resulting in knowledge useful for explaining, predicting, and controlling the effects of teaching on student outcomes (Gage, 1994, p. 372).

This is the basic definition of quantitative research that will be discussed in this paper. For purposes of comparison, qualitative analysis will be frequently mentioned along with quantitative analysis.

The Two Paradigms

"A quantitativ...

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...litative Research Methodologies." Journal of Industrial Teacher Education 34(2): 3-6.

Gage, N. L. (1994). "The Scientific Status of Research on Teaching." Educational Researcher 44(4): 371-383.

Hathaway, R. S. (1995). "Assumptions Underlying Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Implications for Institutional Research." Research in Higher Education 36(5): 535-562.

Hoepfl, M. C. (1997). "Choosing Qualitative Research: A Primer for Technology Education Researchers." Journal of Technology 9(1): 12-39.

Howe, K. R. (1985). "Two Dogmas of Educational Research." Educational Researcher 14(8): 10-18.

Liebscher, P. (1998). "Quantity with Quality? Teaching Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in an LIS Master's Program." Library Trends 46(4): 668-680.

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Newbury Park, CA, Sage Publications, Inc.

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