CHAPTER 3

LESSON 1 CHOOSING APPROPRIATE QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

The 3 traditional categories of research designs are

1) Exploratory- often used to establish an initial understanding and background info about a research study of interest, often,
with very few or no earlier related studies found relevant to the research study. (informal)
2) Descriptive- used to gather information on current situations and conditions. It helps provide answers to the questions of
who, what, when, where and the how of a particular research study.
2.1) Survey- usually used in securing opinions and trends through the use of questionnaires and interviews.
2.2) Correlation Research- used for research studies aimed to determine the existence of relationship between two or more
variables and to determine the degree of relationship.
2.3) Evaluation Research- is conducted to elicit useful feedback from a variety of respondents from various fields to aid in
decision making or policy formulation
2.3.1) Formative evaluation- used to determine the quality of implementation of a project , the efficiency and
effectiveness of a program , assessment of a program, assessment of organizational processes such as procedures,
policies, guidelines, human resource development and the like.
EXAMPLES OF FORMATIVE EVALUATION
1. Needs assessment- evaluates the need for the program or project
2. Process Evaluation- evaluates the process of implementationof a program
3. Implementation Evaluation- evaluates the efficiency or effectiveness of a project or program.
4. Program Monitoring- evaluates the performance and implementation of an unfinished program.
2.3.2) Summative Evaluation- done after the implementation of the program. It examines the outcomes of the
program.
3) Causal Research Design- used to measure the impact that an independent variable ( causing effect) has on another
variable( being affected). A valid conclusion may be derived when n association between the independent variable and
dependent variable is obtained.
POINTS OF EXPLORATORY DESCRIPTIVE CAUSAL RESEARCH
COMPARISON RESEARCH RESEARCH
RESEARCH Unstructured and Formal and Highly structured
APPROACH flexible Structured
DEGREE OF Not well- defined Variables and
PROBLEM Variables are defined relationships are
IDENTIFICATION defined
WHEN TO USE? Initial Research Often a follow-up to Late stage of
exploratory research decision- making
GOALS AND Provides insights on a Describe situations Explains the cause
OBJECTIVES problem and effect relationship
between variables
Small non- Large representative Large representative
SAMPLE SIZE representative sample sample sample
TYPE OF Research questions Hypothesis is Hypothesis is
HYPOTHESIS only nondirectional directional
DATA Data may not be
MANAGEMENT statistically Data are statistically Data are statistically
AND measurable measurable measurable
MEASUREMENTS

Directional hypothesis are those where one can predict the direction (effect of one variable on the other as
'Positive' or 'Negative')
Example: Twelve Graders perform better than Eleven Graders ( 'better than' shows the direction predicted )

Non Directional hypothesis are those where one does not predict the kind of effect but can state a relationship
between variable 1 and variable 2.

Example: There will be a difference in the performance of Grades eleven and twelve students. (Not defining what
kind of difference)
 Lesson 2 DESCRIBING SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING PROCEDURES
SAMPLING is securing some of the elements of a population. An ELEMENT is a member of a population who can provide
information for the population. A POPULATION consists of the total elements about which you can make inferences based
on the data gathered from a sample size.
Sample size determination
A sample (n) is a selection of respondents for a research study to represent the total population (N).
The following are some reasons for the use of samples:
1. A sample saves time compared to doing a complete census which requires more time.
2. A sample saves money because it is less costly than conducting a complete census.
3. A sample allows more particular attention to be given to a number of elements than when doing a census.
4. There is a greater error in reporting results of a census caused by inexperienced interviewers. There is less sampling
error in a survey.
5. Some research studies in the industry may only be performed on a sample of items. For example, testing the length of
time a battery will last.
The following are the steps involved in developing a sampling plan:

1. Identify the parameters to be measured, the range of possible values and the
required resolution.
2. Design a sampling scheme that details how and when samples will be taken
3. Select sample sizes
4. Design data storage formats
5. Assign roles and responsibilities

 For a quantitative analysis, the samples composition must accurately represent the target population, a requirement that necessitates a
careful sampling plan.
 For example, if we know that the underlying population is normally distributed then if we have some estimate of the variability of the
population such as the sample variance s2 , then the formula for the sample size is:
𝑵
n= 𝟐 where N is the population and e is error balance ( 0.05)
𝟏+𝑵𝒆

 Margin of error is the allowable error margin in research. A confidence interval of 95% gives a margin of error of 5%; a 98%
gives a margin of error of 2%; a 99% confidence interval gives a 1% margin of error.
 NOTE: see the slides
ASSIGNMENT: Bring a copy of your questionnaire

LESSON 3: DESIGNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND ESTABLISHING VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY