Lesson

Research Methods
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Enabling Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students are able to:
1. Define quantitative and
qualitative methods;
2. Determine the appropriate
method to apply in the study;
3. Differentiate the quantitative
and qualitative methods.

Let’s Try This

Instructions: Answer the following questions. Choose the letter of your best
answer. Write your answer on the space provided.
___________ 1. A student just got suspended for defiant behavior. The dean researched the
student’s background and found that they had been suspended multiple times
for similar issues in middle school. What kind of method did the dean use?
A. Experimental
B. Case study
C. Survey
D. Naturalistic observation
___________ 2. What are examples of Quantitative data?
A. Smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight.
B. Tested and measured
C. Surveys Data trackers forms such as: sales, profit, & loss reports
D. Changed/ controlled
___________ 3. What are the two main variables in an experiment?
A. Independent and dependent
B. Quantitative and Qualitative
C. Descriptive and Observations
D. Predatory and Pricing
___________ 4. Qualitative data can be observed but not.....
A. Scientific
B. Measured
C. Collected
D. Studied
___________ 5. Primary data results from gathering _________ data from first-hand
experience, from interviews and surveys, or from direct observation.
A. second-hand
B. published
C. correct
D. original

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___________ 6. People respond to a series of questions about a particular subject.
A. Naturalistic Observation Method
B. Laboratory- Observation Method
C. Survey Method
D. Experimental Method
___________ 7. A group of participants is observed over an extended period of time.
A. Testing Method
B. Case-Study Method
C. Longitudinal Method
D. Cross-Sectional Method
___________ 8. Researchers conduct in-depth investigations of individuals or small groups.
A. Testing Method
B. Case-Study Method
C. Longitudinal Method
D. Cross-Sectional Method
___________ 9. Participants are observed in a controlled setting.
A. Naturalistic Observation Method
B. Laboratory- Observation Method
C. Survey Method
D. Experimental Method
___________ 10. An example of qualitative research is when a group of teenagers are asked
about how they feel about a film
A. True
B. False

Let’s Read This

Research Methods
Research methods are the strategies, processes or techniques utilized in the collection of data or
evidence for analysis in order to uncover new information or create better understanding of a topic.

What is the difference between research design and research method?

Research design is a plan to answer the research question. A research method is a strategy used to
implement the plan. Research design and methods are different but closely related, because good
research design ensures that the data obtain will help answer the research question more
effectively.

Types of Research
1. Qualitative Research gathers data about live experiences, emotions or behaviors, and the
meanings individuals attach to them. It assists enabling researchers to gain a better
understanding of complex concepts, social interactions or cultural phenomena. This type of
research is useful in the exploration of how or why things have occurred, interpreting events
and describing actions.
2. Quantitative Research gathers numerical data which can be ranked, measured or
categorised through statistical analysis. Its assists with uncovering patterns of relationships,
and for making generalisations. This type of research is useful for finding out how many,
how much, how often, or to what extent.

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 3. Mixed Methods Research integrates both qualitative and quantitative researches. It
provides a holistic approach combining and analysing the statistical data with deeper
contextualised insights. Using mixed methods also enables triangulation, or verification, of
the data from two or more sources.

Different Types of Quantitative Research

The basic procedures of a quantitative style are:
1. Build your own observations regarding one thing that is unknown, unexplained, or totally
new. Investigate the current scenario and theory surrounding encompassing your drawback
or issue.
2. Hypothesize a proof and an explanation for the observations you had made in step one.
3. Build a prediction of outcomes supporting your hypotheses. Formulate a detailed step and
plan to test your prediction from step two.
4. Collect and process your information. If your prediction was correct, visit again to step 5. If
not, the hypothesis has been verified false. Return to step 2 to pair a brand new hypothesis
supporting your new data and knowledge collected.
5. Verify your new findings, and also make your conclusions from the same. Describe your
findings in an appropriate and acceptable form for your audience.

The following precedes the different types of Quantitative research types with the description of
each.
1. Survey Research is the most elementary tool for all sorts of quantitative research
techniques. The very most important purpose of the research is to widely explain the
characteristics of a particular group or a bunch of population. This analysis is most typically
employs by both small and large organizations for a proper understanding of their customers
and to understand the merchandise and product views.
o Multiple queries can be raised by the customers and the analysis can be done for the
same.
o Cross-sectional and longitudinal are two main kinds of surveys that can be used to
conduct the survey quantitative research analysis.
o The cross-sectional survey is conducted specifically on a target population at a given
purpose of time. These types of surveys are used to conduct research mostly in retail
stores, health care trade, etc.
o In a longitudinal survey, research is conducted at various time durations. These are
utilized in medicine and applied sciences.

2. Descriptive research seeks to explain the current status of an identified variable. The aim of
descriptive research is to explain and interpret the current status of people, settings,
conditions, or events.
o In descriptive research, the researcher does not usually begin with the hypothesis;
however, it is probably going to develop one after collecting the information.
o A systematic assortment of data needs careful selection of the units and measurement
of every variable.
o Description of the extent to which elementary teachers use math manipulatives,
description of global warming with respect to Scientists, description of different kinds of
physical activities that occur in schools, etc. are all examples of descriptive research.

3. Experimental research, as the name suggests, is usually based on one or more theories. It is
based on one or more than one theory. It is called true experimentation, uses the scientific
method to establish the cause-effect relationship among a group of variables that make up a
study. Multiple theories can be used to conduct this research. The components of the
experimental research design are prescribed below.

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 o A comparison group of participants who are randomly selected and assigned to
experimental and control groups.
o An independent variable, which can be referred to as the experimental variable that can
be applied to the experimental group.
o A dependent variable, which can be referred to as the effect or post-test variable that
can be measured in an identical manner for all groups.

4. Correlational research is used to establish a relationship between two close entities and to
determine how one impacts the other. For this, a researcher needs at least two separate
groups. This type of research will recognize trends and patterns in data, but it does not go so
far in its analysis to observe the different patterns.
o Correlational research sometimes considered a type of descriptive research as no
variables are manipulated in the study.
o Cause and effect are not the basis of this type of observational research.
o Examples of Correlational research include the relationships between the types of
activities of mathematics classrooms and the achievement of students, the relationship
between diet and anxiety.

5. Casual-Comparative research is employed to conclude the cause-effect equation between

two or more variables, where one variable depends on the opposite experimental variable.
An independent variable is not manipulated by the experimenter, and the effect of the
independent variable is on the dependent variable are measured.
o This sort of analysis is not restricted to the applied mathematics of two variables but
extends to analyzing different variables and groups.
o Casual-Comparative research is a method that works on the process of comparison.
o Once analysis and conclusions are made, deciding about the causes should be done
fastidiously, as other different variables, each far-famed and unknown, might still have
an effect on the result.
o Examples of this type of research include the effect of preschool attendance on social
maturity at the end of the first grade, the impact of drugs on a teenager.

Quantitative research analysis templates are objective, elaborate, and conjointly

investigational. It is easier to know the various types of quantitative research designs if you consider
how the researcher designs and styles for the management of the variables within the investigation
process. The fundamental procedure of a quantitative design is to hypothesize a proof for those
observations.

Different Types of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is the process of acquiring data by studying subjects in their natural
habitat. The focus is on understanding the why and how of human behaviour in situations, and is
defined as a scientific research method to obtain non-numerical data.

Qualitative research is subjective in nature:

o Methods are designed to understand the lives of participants.
o The process is maintained on neutral lines without placing judgement on individual
responses.
o Focus areas are cultures, societies and individuals.

1. Ethnography, one of the most popular methods of qualitative research, involves the
researcher embedding himself or herself into the daily life and routine of the subject or
subjects. Either as an active participant or an observer, the researcher experiences their

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 customs, traditions, mannerisms, and reactions to situations etc. first hand, sometimes
for years. Geographical constraints could be a hindrance for the researcher.

2. In the Narrative method of qualitative research, the researcher gathers data or facts from
one or two subjects through interviews, documents etc. over a period of time. Based on a
theme, these are then pieced together (not necessarily in the same sequence) to derive
answers and suggestions.

3. The Phenomenology qualitative research method is used to study an event or activity as

it happens, from various angles. Using interviews, videos, on-site visits etc., one can add
on to existing information using perspectives and insights from the participants
themselves about the activity or event. It is primarily an experience or perception based
research method.

4. Grounded theory starts with a question or collection of data. Through systematic data
collection and analysis, repetitive ideas or elements are coded, and codes are grouped or
categorised. New theories may be formed based on these categories.

5. The case study method is used to gather in-depth and detailed information about a
subject, which could be any entity, organisation, event or something larger like a country.
The nature of this qualitative research method can be explanatory or exploratory.

With open-ended questions, qualitative research methods produce results that are descriptive
and inferences that are useful in breaking down complex problems into simpler components. The
onus is on the researcher – he or she can change the course of the research based on the
responses from or observations of the subjects.

The differences between quantitative and qualitative research

Quantitative and qualitative research use different research methods to collect and analyze
data, and they allow you to answer different kinds of research questions.

Qualitative vs. quantitative research

Quantitative research Qualitative Research
Focuses on testing theories and hypotheses Focuses on exploring ideas and formulating a theory
or hypothesis
Analyzed through math and statistical Analyzed by summarizing, categorizing and
analysis interpreting
Mainly expressed in numbers, graphs and Mainly expressed in words
tables
Requires many respondents Requires few respondents
Closed (multiple choice) questions Open-ended questions
Key terms: testing, measurement, objectivity, Key terms: understanding, context, complexity,
replicability subjectivity

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 Task 1.1 To be submitted
Determining the appropriate methods

Instructions:
1. Read the list of research titles and decide whether quantitative or qualitative is appropriate.
2. Write your answer on the space.

____________1. Challenges of second language teachers’ professional identity construction:

Voices from Afghanistan
___________ 2. Self-concept, motivation, expectations, and socioeconomic level as predictors
of academic performance in mathematics
___________ 3. Academic and social motivational influences on students' academic
performance
___________ 4. Women and agriculture in rural Kenya: role in agricultural production

___________ 5. Enhancing the role of women in crop production: A case study of Igbo women
in Nigeria
___________ 6. Congruence of Human Core Faculties: An Inquiry on the Lived Philosophies of
LGU Officials
___________ 7. Apprehension in language learning anxiety as significant correlate of oral
performance in English of college freshmen
___________ 8. First-year students’ communication apprehension in learning French as foreign
language
___________ 9. Maintenance, Improvement, and Supervision of Parks and Playgrounds: An
Evaluative Study
___________ 10. The Story of Pilandok: A Post-Colonial Reading Of Trickster Tales

References
1. Sauro, J. (2015). Five types of qualitative methods. Retrieved from Measuring U website:
https://measuringu. com/qual-methods.
2. Leonard, K., & Seidel, M. (2019). Six types of qualitative research. Jacob Ammentorp
Lund/iStock/Getty Images.
3. Pedamkar, P. (2021). Types of quantitative research. Retrieved
https://www.educba.com/types-of-quantitative-research/ on March 26, 2021.
4. Vashishtha, H. (2020). 5 types of qualitative research methods. Retrieved from
http://sixthfactor.com/2019/04/29/5-types-qualitative-research-methods/