Quantitative Research Methods
Survey (Descriptive)
Correlational
Causal-Comparative
Experimental
Survey (Descriptive) Research
Gatherings information about a topic from various
sources, then interpreting the findings.
 GOAL:
To describe status of a group or groups with regard to
one or more variables either at a given time point
or longitudinally over time
 Single time point
 Over time—Longitudinal / Cross-sectional
I. Direct-data Surveys
 Definition—
Involves collecting information directly from
individuals, groups, or institutions by means of
questionnaires, interviews, or observations.
 Purposes—
 1. demographic
 2. equipment
 3. performance
 4. practice
 5. opinion
I. Direct-data Surveys
 Demographic Survey
—assigns people to subgroups
based on identifying
characteristics:
Ethnic background
Religious affiliation
Socio-economic status
Gender
Age
Education
Nationality
Regional origins
 Sample research focus
Trends in the Ethnic
Mix in County
Elementary Schools
Effects of Religious
Affiliation on MoralEducation Programs
Social Class and School
Dropouts—A Statewide
Survey
I. Direct-data Surveys (cont.)
 Equipment & Supply
Surveys —
involve collecting data
about the amount and
quality of:
Instructional materials
Educational settings
 Sample research focus
Computer Availability
and Frequency of
Classroom Use in
Harford County
The Size and Growth
Rate of Morristown’s
Classroom Libraries
The Quality of Lighting
in Rural Classrooms
I. Direct-data Surveys (cont.)
 Performance Survey —
report how well individuals,
groups, or institutions carry
out their assignments
 Sample research focus
Achievement-Test
Results by School,
Grade, and Classroom
Teachers’ ClassroomEfficiency Ratings and
Merit Pay
Ranking the County’s
High-School Swimming
Classes
I. Direct-data Surveys (cont.)
 Practice-focused
 Sample research focus
Surveys—
describe and compare
ways in which instructional
functions are carried out
The Popularity of Phonics
Instruction in First-Grade
Classrooms
Types of Laboratory
Experiences in Physics
Classes—A Regional
Survey
Teachers’ Instructional
Uses of the World Wide
Web
I. Direct-data Surveys (cont.)
 Opinion Surveys—
involve gathering people’s
expressed (perceived)
attitudes about classroom
activities
 Sample research focus
Teachers’ Appraisals of the
City Schools’ Multi-Cultural
Education Curriculum
Students’ Opinions of
Their Literature
Textbooks
Parents’ Attitudes about
Homework
See example (handout)—
Survey Research: A Sample Procedure
I. Direct-data Surveys (cont.)
 Example of a Research Article—
Reading Instruction:
Perceptions of Elementary School Principals
/Gay & Airasian, p.p. 178-188 (8th edition)/
I. Example (cont.): 1. Research Concerns
 Observation1:
Success and failure of a school’s reading program depends largely upon the
quality of school principal’s knowledge of and involvement in the school
reading program.
 Observation 2:
The quality of school principals’ instructional leadership in school reading
programs is directly linked to the quality of their knowledge about reading
instruction.
 Observation 3:
Lack of systematic research in the area of concern:
3.1) Little is known about the principals’ perceptions of the
issues in reading education.
3.2) No research is done on how the principals access
information regarding issues in reading education.
I. Example (cont.)
2. Educational Problem
 Principals who lack sufficient knowledge pf reading
instruction tend to misguide teaching practices, while
failing to ground their decisions in reliable research
sources.
I. Example (cont.): 3. Research Questions
 Research Question 1:
What do practicing elementary school
principals perceive are the critical and
unresolved issues in reading education?
I. Example (cont.): 3. Research Questions
 Research Question 2:
What level of understanding do practicing
elementary principals perceive they have
of each issue?
I. Example (cont.): 3. Research Questions
 Research Question 3:
What sources do practicing elementary
principals use and find helpful to inform
themselves about current issues in
reading education?
I. Example (cont.):
4. Parts of the Instrument (Questionnaire)

Part I: Demographic Information
- School size
- Years of experience
- Types of reading approaches used in the school

Part II: Three tasks—
(1) Principals perspectives on the presence of the issue
(2) Ranking of the issues
(3) Self-rating of the principals’ understanding of each
issue (4-point scale)

Part III:
Extent of the principals’ familiarity and use of
the informational resources related to the issue
I. Example (cont.): 5. Sampling
 Stratified –
a sub-group (or strata) is represented in the
sample in the same proportion that they exist
in the population.
/Gay & Airasian, Table 4.1, p. 112/
Np=41,467
possible
population
(total target
population)
Population
Quality Educational
data (QED) of
elementary public
school principals in the
US, 1989-1990 school
year
Sampling FrameA record of population
Ns=1,261
study
population
Stratified
Random
Sampling
I. Example (cont.): 5. Sampling
 Stratified Random Sampling
Quality Educational Data (QED) of
elementary public school principals in the US, 1989-1990
school year.
Ns=1,261—study population
Np=41,467—possible population (total target population)
Stratas:
(a) School Size (1-299; 300-599; 600-899;…)
(b) School Type (Elementary K-3; Elementary K-6)
I. Example (end): 5. Sampling
 Why Stratified Random Sampling?
Stratas:
(a) School Size (1-299; 300-599; 600-899;…)
(b) School Type (Elementary K-3; Elementary K-6)
…
to increase the precision of the
variable estimates.
II. Literature-review Surveys
 Definition—
an amalgamation of diverse research
reports bearing on a particular question.
Sometimes the data needed in research on classroom
issues are not gathered by directly surveying people
or institutions but, instead, are gathered by reviewing
the literature that bears on the research question and
by summarizing the findings.
II. Literature-review Surveys (cont.)
Aims:
 Revealing diversity –
 in ways of teaching morality in elementary schools
 In policies
 In systems for reporting students’ progress
 Illustrating applications
 Why a self-discovery science approach may or may not work with
primary pupils?
 Under which circumstances is the ‘natural phonics’ program
appropriate?
 High school biology field trips—why or why not?
 Synthesizing knowledge (meta-analysis)
II. Literature-review Surveys (cont.)

Synthesizing knowledge (meta-analysis)
(a) Delineate the domain to be studied
classroom discipline
reading readiness
computer literacy
(b) Use the chosen expression to direct the search of the
literature
(c) Identify themes and trends that are prominent in the
books and articles that are found
(d) Writing a summary of the outcomes of analysis
Correlational Research
 GOAL:
To examine whether there are
relationships between variables when
experimental research is not possible
E.g., is there a correlation between
student motivation and self-efficacy?
Predictive Studies
 Predictive studies:
scores on one variable (a predictor) can be used to
predict scores on some other variable (criterion)
 Still correlational in nature but the researcher assumes
that one precedes the other
E.g., can SAT scores predict 1st year college GPA?
Can measures of occupational stress and
resilience in teachers predict turnover?
Size and Direction
 Correlation coefficient ranges from
–1.0 to +1.0
 Coefficients of approximately 0
indicates there is no relationship
between the variables
 Significance of the finding will depend on
magnitude (size) of the coefficient and
the number of people in the study
Graphs of Correlational
Relationships
Y
Y
Y
X
Positive
X
Negative
X
No relationship
Correlational Research
(cont.)
 Advantage: Can investigate relationships among
large number of variables in a single study
 Disadvantage: Can not infer cause and effect
May obtain supirious correlations – the
apparent correlation is actually caused by
other unmeasured variables that are
associated with the variables we have
correlated in systematic ways
E.g., increase in shoe size from ages 1-12 is
positively correlated with growth in vocabulary
Causal-Comparative Research
 GOAL: Study cause and effect
Discovery of possible causes for a pattern of behavior by
comparing participants with whom this pattern is present
to participants with whom it is absent (or present to a
lesser degree).
 Comparing two groups of individuals drawn from the
same population that are different on a critical variable
but are otherwise comparable
E.g., compare students with emotional disturbance
to students without emotional disturbance who are
drawn from the same population to identify possible
causes of emotional disturbance.
Experimental Research
 The only design that can result in
relatively definitive statements about
causal relationships between variables:
“One variable (independent variable)
causes another (dependent variable).
e.g., differential educational programming (IV)
results in better reading comprehension in
elementary Latino students (DV)