Characteristics of Quantitative Methods - Term Paper Example

Characteristics of Quantitative Methods Introduction Research is a key and inevitable activity in sociology because sociology is all about the study of the origin and evolution social behavior of individual or groups. Research in social science is divided into two categories which is quantitative and qualitative research. Each of these methods is as important as the other in providing data that can be analyzed into information and finally knowledge or intelligence on social patterns. Qualitative research emphasizes more on the quality of information and nature of reality provided by the subject of study. It is used to study the perceptions and individual insight of on certain topics or issues. Researchers using this method strive to understand the underlying reason and motivation for a particular behavioral observation. It is used to uncover trends in thoughts and opinions on specific topics (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). On the other hand, quantitative research is all about collection of numerous measurable data from a sample population, quantifying and analyzing it to find a co-relationship between the variables then generalizing it on the entire population (Babbie, 2010). Data may be collected through polls, questionnaires and surveys from a subset of the target group that represents population in be studies. At times the data collected can be so big so as to create generalization in the population to avoid bias in the results. This paper will focus on discussing the characteristics of a quantitative research and its importance in relation to analyzing and deducing conclusion in social behavior. Three quantitative researches done before on social behaviors will be used to provide affirm the characteristics pointed out. Characteristics Data is collected and analyzed in form of numbers and statistics The main characteristic of quantitative research is the fact that the data collected is in form of numbers and statistics. Unlike qualitative research where individual or group opinions and perspective matter, the researcher seeks to find the relationship of one variable to another by subjecting tests on a sample population of the intended target and gather data in numbers that help find the relationship. By providing the sample population with the same kind of test with a closed set of answers, the researcher is able to determine the number of people answered in a particular way. In all the three research studies used as examples, the data collected in form of number of participant, events or incidences with a particular commonality. In the research by Yip, Keenan and Page (2011), the number of participants is provided as 693 and it goes on to give the percentage of male participant as 237 (34.2%) and women participants as 455 (65.7%). The use of numbers and statistics has also been repeated to explain the main topic of research. In the research on crimes in Wales, data is also represented in form of number after a research was done. The report provided actual figures in robberies drop of 12% to 59,427 offences in 2013 compared with the previous year at 67,447 offences. Uses structured research instrument Data collection and analysis for quantitative research is done using structured instruments which are similar in format but differ on the type data being collected. Instruments to collect data include questionnaires, surveys or equipments that can be conducted on the sample population. The collected data can then be subjected to more tools to compute numerical data provide statistical data that can be conveyed in terms of pie charts, graphs and statistics. The layout of the tools and instruments remains and can work as effectively on one research to the next with few modifications fitting the data to be collected. In the research done by Yip, Keenan and Page (2011), the research instrument used to collect information was a questionnaire that was provided to a variety of participants while some were interviewed. In a different study by Stutzer and Frey (2004), the data used was not directly collected by the researchers by was obtained from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (GSOEP) which had been previously collected in different surveys that occurred between the period of year 1984 to 2000. In the research report on crime in Wales, data was also collected from a survey where 50,000 homes were asked to participate. Has a clearly defined design The researcher has to clearly design all aspects of the research before data is collected. This will determine the kind of data that should be collected and how it will be analyzed. Unlike qualitative research which is process oriented with a natural and flexible approach, quantitative research is more outcome oriented with an experimental setting; it is done in a highly controlled setting where the finding or conclusions are deduced from the results of the experiment (Vogt, 2005). Deviations from the initial design means that data collected and analyzed can be rendered inconclusive or inaccurate. In some quantitative studies, a control group which is not subjected to some social experiment is used to calibrate the measurements of the experiment. In the research on marriages and happiness by Stutzer and Frey (2004), a clear research design was used which included using all samples available in the research design which was done using a longitudinal survey. The aspect of time also shows that the research design was highly controlled on the happenings of a given time. The research on religion also took a similar approach where the group of participants was carefully selected to ensure diversification. The research crime was more time bound and the research revolved around occurrence of incidences within the year. Quantitative research is deductive Data collected in a quantitative research is mostly used to draw up a conclusion based on patterns and trends that emerge between variables. Since the research is objective and supported by facts and numbers, the researcher or people analyzing the data are left with the task of deducing conclusions based on reason and logic. If the conclusion is biased or is not supported by the facts and statistics obtained during data collection, then the research is flawed and inaccurate. The data may also be interpreted differently by different people who analyze and draw conclusions on it. Upon collection and analysis of data, Yip, Keenan and Page (2011) provided a conclusion of the research by giving their reflections on the meaning of religious faith and sexuality as viewed by different participants assigned to groups. They gave their deduction based on young adults, religious leaders and professionals and lastly secular practitioners such as sexual health professionals, youth workers and counselors. In the other studies, i.e. the marriage and happiness study and the crime survey report, conclusions have been provided based on the patterns found in the data that was collected. The crime survey indicated that there was a decrease in the number of crimes on some domain such as arson, violence against other individual and an increase in other domains such as shoplifting and robbery. The research is objective Researchers using quantitative research normally have a clear research question with which they require an objective answer. This means that the results of the finding are based on facts without influence from any form of feelings or bias. This is in contrary to qualitative research why personal perspectives and opinions are sort which may be influenced by ones feeling towards the research topic (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). This characteristic is attainable by the fact that quantitative research is all about numbers and statistics. In all the three studies used as an example, the researchers use facts and statistics to provide the results and conclusion. The crime survey is a good example showing how numbers in incidents have been used to determine if there is an increase or decrease in crime and what type of crime is prevalent. The study on marriages and happiness used the statistics from surveys done in the 17 years past year from time of research and the conclusions were based the data. Generalization Quantitative strives for generalization. A research is used to generalize a concept that can be used for future predictions (Vogt, 2005). The generalization also helps in understanding concepts or patterns and explains some aspects observed in real life cases. Given the size sample population, which is always smaller that the actual target group, it is clear that the conclusions deduced based on the sample group are applied to the entire population in study. In the study on marriage and happiness and religious faith and sexuality, the researchers used the results to generalize conclusions to the entire population. There is use of percentages based on sample population that has been used to describe the entire population. The participants of the religious faith and sexuality researched were diverse enough to ensure that it reflects a normal cultural setting. Bibliography Babbie, E R. (2010) The Practice of Social Research. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage. Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. (2000) Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc Stutzer, A. and Frey B.S. (2006) Does marriage make people happy, or do happy people get married? The Journal of Socio-Economics 35 p.326–347 Available from: http://www.bsfrey.ch/articles/434_06.pdf [Accessed: 17th Oct 2014] Vogt, W. P. (2005). Dictionary of statistics & methodology: A nontechnical guide for the social sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Yip, A. K. T., Keenan, M. and Page, S. (2011) Religion, Youth and Sexuality: Selected Key Findings from a Multi-faith Exploration. Nottingham: University of Nottingham. Available from: www.nottingham.ac.uk/sociology/pdfs/rys-research-report.pdf [Accessed: 17th Oct 2014]. Read More