Quantitative Research
Non-Experimental ---SURVEY
Experimental
CAUSE AND EFFECT
PRE-TEST/POST-TEST
LABORATORY
Quantitative Research
Survey- quantitative or numeric description of
some part of a population
A “sample” via questionnaire (if people are
involved)
Results enables researcher to generalize the
findings from a sample of responses.
Experimental- TESTS cause and effect
relationships between groups.
Researcher manipulates one or more independent
variables
Determines if manipulations cause an outcome
Quan tita tive
Meth ods
Non
pro babl ity
NonExperi mental
Experi mental
Sam plin g
Prob abil ity
Survey
Survey
Desi gn
Provid es
nu meric
de scri ptio n of
so me p art o f
th e po pula tion
cross
se cti onal
Size of
sa mple
Sub jects
Sel ection,
as sign ment
an d nu mber of
su bjects
Rand om
se lection
Conven ience
Sam ple
Rand om
Sam plin g
colle cte d at
on e po int in
ti me
In depe nden t
Va riabl es
Depe nden t
lo ngitudin al
colle cte d over
a perio d of
ti me
Pop ulation
an d Sam ple
Describe the
po pula tion
Describe the
sa mpli ng
Desi gn
si ngle sta ge
Overall
Desi gn
di scu ssio n
Desi gn
mu ltis tage
Spe cific use
of
In depe nden t
varia bles
Wh at s urvey
in strum ent
us ed?
di scu ss
ma teria ls
us ed to
create
tre atme nt
condi tion s
Describe
in strum ent/s
to be used in
expe rimen t
In strum enta tion
an d ma teria ls
Provid e
di agram to
il lustrate
res earch
de sign
Sel f de sign ed
mo difi ed
Va lidi ty
In strum enta tion
In tact
Reli abil ity
Ste p-by-ste p
ap proach
Procedu re
Pil ot Study/
te stin g
Sta tistica l
An alysis
Va riabl es i n
Stu dy
Data Ana lysis
Describe
de scri ptive
statis tics
calculated
Describe
in feren tial
statis tics
us ed to te st
hypo thes is
Social Science (Sample) Surveys
When we “survey” something, we
inspect it in detail
A “social survey”, therefore, is an
inspection of a particular society or part
of society and a collection of facts about
that society, institution or group
Social Surveys: History
Two developments in the early 20th century paved the way
for modern social science surveys:
Ideas underlying random sampling, used first in
agriculture, were applied to the collection of social facts
Techniques of structured interviewing, standardized
question wording
Social Surveys: 1930s-1940s
The 1930s: advent of modern survey research in the
U.S.(Gallup and Roper polls)
The Depression: Federal government sponsored research into
unemployment.
World War II: surveys were widely used to study war bond
purchases, troop morale, attitudes toward integration.
Social Surveys: 1960s-1970s
Several developments contributed to widespread use of
survey data:
development of high-speed computers for processing data
widespread ownership of phones made interviewing
easier
Results: business and government decisions increasingly
based on surveys
Survey Design
Provides a quantitative or numeric
description of some fraction of the
population - the sample- through the
data collection process of asking questions of
people.
…..always “people”?
Typical Components of a Survey
Method Plan
Design
Population and Sample
Instrumentation
Variables in the Study
Data Analysis
Survey Design
Begin by reviewing the purpose of a survey
and the rationale for its selection
What is the purpose of survey research?
Indicate why a survey is the preferred type of data
collection.
Indicate whether the survey is cross-sectional
(collected at one point in time) or longitudinal(
collected over a period of time)
Specify the form of data collection - mail,
interview, and provide a rationale for the
procedure (cost, availablility, convenience)
Population and Sample
Specify the characteristics of the population
and sampling procedure.
Describe the population in the study
Identify whether the sampling design for this
population is single stage or multistage.
• Single - research has access to names in the population
and can sample directly
• Multistage - researcher first samples groups (clusters)
obtains names of individuals within each group (cluster)
and then samples within the cluster.
Populuation and Sample (cont)
Identify how indiviuals will be selected
Random, judgemental, snowball
Discuss whether this sample was
stratified….procedures for selecting the
sample……number of people in the
sample and how this number was
determined…etc…etc…etc….
Instrumentation
Identify the survey instrument used
Self designed??? Modified??? Intact???
Validity and Reliability Include sample items so readers can
see actual items used (appendix)
Pilot testing or field testing procedures
Steps used in administering
Surveys and Questionnaires

The design of surveys and questionnaires

How to frame questions

Kinds of scales: Likert, Semantic Differential
etc.

Analyzing survey data: which items are
useful, Item Response Theory

Forming a scale to measure an attribute, e.g.,
satisfaction. Reliability, validity of scale
Variables
Identify the INDEPENDENT variables
Also called treatment conditions or factors
These are under the control of the
researcher and typically are manipulated in
an experiment
Independent variables lead to changes in
the dependent variable.
Dependent Variables
Identify the dependent variable or
variables to be used in the study
The dependent variable is the response
or the criterion variable presumed to be
CAUSED or influenced by the
independent treatment conditions.
Data Analysis
Present data analysis in a series of
steps
Step 1; step 2; step 3, etc.