Quantitative Research

What is it? Quantitative Research is always concerned with numerical data.  

The purpose of quantitative research is to generate research study responses that can be counted, in order to project results for a larger population. It includes computational and/or mathematically based methods, in particular statistics, to analyse the data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in the research.

When is it best used? When you need to measure something and need to provide empirical data. It is best used when you want to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables and when you want to generalize results from a larger sample population. It uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research.

What does it entail? It entails collecting and analyzing data with structured methods (e.g. surveys, online polls, and observations, questionnaires, etc.). It uses larger sample sizes to generate more significant findings often representative of the total population or the population being studied. Data is generally in the form of numbers and statistics and is often presented in tables, charts, figures, or other non-textual forms.

Interchangeable terms: Quant

Use in a sentence: The researchers compared the quantitative survey results, and task completion times, to determine which features to further develop.

Related Terms: Qualitative research

Visual: No

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