Quantitative
Research
MICHAEL P. TUMILAP, PhD
Sources:
Vanderstoep, S. & Johnston, D. (2009)
Tabachnick, B. & Fidell, L. (2007)
Neuman, L. (2007)
Outline Presentation:
◼ Characteristics of a Quantitative Research
◼ Variables
◼ Measurement and Data Collection
◼ Research Methods
◼ Quantitative Research Designs
Quantitative Research
◼ aninquiry into a social or human
problem based on testing a theory
composed of variables, measured
with numbers, and analyzed with
statistical procedures, in order to
determine whether the predictive
generalizations of the theory hold
true. Creswell, J . (1994)
Characteristics:
Scientific Method
Most Common
Research Objectives
Focus
Nature of
Observation
Nature of Reality
Form of Data
Collection
Nature of Data
Data Analysis
Results
Form of Final Report
Variable
◼ The basic building block of quantitative
research.
◼ Any trait or attribute that vary from person
to person or case to case.
Types of Variable According to
the NATURE:
1. Discrete Variable - It has a relatively fixed
set of separate values or variable
attributes and contains distinct
categories.
Examples:
✓ Sex (male or female)
✓ Religion (Christian, Islam)
✓ Marital status (single, married, divorced,
widowed)
✓ Districts in Davao City (District 1, District 2,
District 3)
2. Continuous Variable – have an infinite
number of values or attributes that flow
along a continuum
Examples:
✓ Temperature
✓ Age
✓ Income
✓ crime rate
Tell whether the variable below is
Discrete or Continuous.
1. SHS Population - Continuous
2. SHS Subjects - Discrete
3. Ice Cream Flavor - Discrete
4. Height - Continuous
5. T-shirt size - Discrete
6. COVID-19 Cases - Continuous
7. Hours of Study - Continuous
8. Color Wheel - Discrete
9. Shoe Size - Continuous
10. Farmer’s Income - Continuous
Types of Variable According to the
ROLE:
1. Independent Variables – are variables
that are systematically controlled by the
researcher to determine the variable’s
effect on the outcome.
➢ Also known as predictor or exogenous
variable.
2. Dependent Variable –is the outcome
measure in which researchers are
interested.
➢ Also known as criterion or
endogenous variable.
Types
of Independent Variable
Active Independent Variable. It is an
independent variable that the researcher
manipulates the condition or value of the
independent variable. It is the one that is
designed, imposed, controlled by the
investigators.
Sample Scenario
You are studying whether teaching style
(technology integration) will influence
students’ performance in the class. Teaching
style (technology integration) is the
independent variable, and you run an
experiment with an experimental group (with
technology integration) and a control group
(without technology integration). You are
manipulating the teaching style, so it is an
active independent variable.
Assigned Independent Variable. It is an
independent variable where the researcher
has no control over how the variable
appears for each subject.
Example: students’ gender, strand and or grade
level. Meaning, the researcher has no
control over which of the participants in the
study are male/female, STEM/
ABM/HUMMS or 11/12. Other examples of
assigned independent variable include
religion, civil status, education level many
others.
3. Mediating Variable– is a variable that
occur between two other variables,
help to delineate the process through
which variable affects one another.
➢ Also known as Intervening Variable.
4. Moderator Variables –a variable that
delineates how a relationship of
interest changes under different
conditions or circumstances
5. Extraneous Variable – is a variable that
may compete with the independent
variable in explaining the outcome.
➢ Also known as Confounding Variable.
Part 1. Tell whether the variable
below is Discrete or Continuous.
1. Car Brands
2. Number of Traffic Lights
3. Basketball scores
4. Duration of a phone call
5. Hair Color
6. Speed of a vehicle
7. Blood Type
8. Education Level
9. Length of a road
10. Tribe
Part 2. Each item has a set of variables.
Draw a framework to show how
the variables are connected and
label them (5 pts. each item)
1. Obesity 2. Child’s Death
Amount of Calories Unemployment
Gender Malnutrition
Part 3
Based on the research
scenario, create a framework
showing the variables (5 points
each item).
1. The teacher wants to determine
if family support would increase
the academic participation of
the senior high school students.
He wants to further investigate if
types of school (public and
private) can affect the
relationship of the two variables.
2. The Department of Health
would like to determine if
awareness campaign would
affect the COVID-19 belief
towards vaccination
acceptability of the people in
Davao City.
Qualities of Variables
Exhaustive -- Should include all possible
answerable responses. (Schooling: No
Schooling, Elementary, Middle, HS, College,
Graduate)
Mutually exclusive -- No respondent should
be able to have two attributes
simultaneously (e.g. Female Male ).
TYPES OF DATA
(LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT)
1. Nominal scale– it is used to categorize,
label, classify, name or identify
variables. It classifies groups or types.
➢A simple categorical variable is binary or
dichotomous (1/0 or yes/no). For example,
did a councilwomen vote for the ordinance
change or not?
➢When used as an independent variable, it is
often referred to as a “dummy” variable.
➢When used as a dependent variable, the
outcome of some phenomenon is either
present or not.
2. Ordinal Scale– this level of
measurement enables one to make
ordinal judgment.
➢Any variable where the levels can be ranked,
however we cannot measure the distance
between each rank.
➢Hence, we cannot say that someone is
twice as educated as someone else.
➢Some examples are order of finish position
in a marathon, rank in class, level of job
satisfaction.
➢Can also be used as a dependent
variable.
3. Interval Scale– this level of
measurement is similar to ordinal scale
in that both reflect increases in quantity.
However, the quantity between the different
responses of the variable is the same.
➢ This level of measurement has the
characteristics of rank order and equal
intervals. In other words, it is a combination
of increasing order and equal spacing.
4. Ratio Scale– this level of measurement
sets apart from ordinal and interval scale
by having an additional property of an
absolute lower value that corresponds to
the absence of the measure.
➢ Ratio data have an absolute zero and
allows numerical vales to be placed in
ratios.
Rule: YOU CAN SCALE
DOWN, BUT YOU CAN’T
SCALE UP
◼ Interval/ Ratio to Nominal
◼ Interval/ Ratio to Ordinal
◼ Ordinal to Nominal
