Department of Education

PULOT NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Pulot Center, Sofronio Española, Palawan

MODULE IN PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1

QUARTER 1- WEEK 1

MODULE 1: NATURE AND INQUIRY OF RESEARCH

Lesson objectives:

1.Describe characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and kinds of quantitative research

(CS_RS12-Ia-c-1)

Characteristics of a Quantitative Research

Nowadays, individuals are naturally curious about what, how, and why things
occur. We frequently ask questions and are interested in a variety of subjects, seeking
solutions to each inquiry we pose. At this time of the pandemic, governments and
scientists worldwide are investigating and trying on ways to flatten the curve and even
eliminate the coronavirus. They look for alternative treatments in the form of
commercial medications and even herbal medicine that may be capable of
eradicating such viruses.

To understand such a phenomenon and its nature research could be of great

help. The research was coined from the word “cerchier” which means to seek and
“re” which means to repeat. (Faltado, et al., 1). It is discovering truths by examining
your chosen topics. It is a natural day-to-day activity of gathering information. It may
be in the form of quantitative or qualitative.

What is Quantitative Research Design?

It is an objective, systematic, empirical investigation of observable
phenomena using computational techniques.
It uses numbers in stating generalizations about a given problem or
inquiry in contrast.
It highlights the numerical analysis of data hoping that the number
yields unbiased results that can be generalized to some larger population
and explain a particular observation.
The research instrument in this kind of research is in the form of surveys
and closedended questionnaires.
The data is usually obtained from a large sample of the population
and is analyzed using statistical techniques ensuring that the conclusions
drawn from quantitative research are valid and are representative of the
population.
 Strengths of Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is used to examine the connection between variables.

We often research people's behavior, interests, opinions, attitudes, trends, tactics,
health, cures for certain ailments, and perspectives on a variety of topics. We learn
about conventions, views and opinions, scientific facts, and medical information
through research. Research can enlighten us on how technology may be effortlessly
integrated into the curriculum, a question frequently asked by educators and students
alike.

The main characteristics of quantitative research are:

1. OBJECTIVE. Quantitative research seeks accurate

measurement and analysis of target concepts. It is not based on
mere intuitions and guesses. Data are gathered before proposing a
conclusion or solution to a problem. It explains the causes of
phenomena through objective measurement and numerical
analysis.
2. CLEARLY DEFINED RESEARCH QUESTIONS. In quantitative
research, the researchers know in advance what they are looking
for. The research question is well-defined for which objective answers
are sought. All aspects of the study are carefully designed before
the data are gathered. It predicts and establish relationships and
generalized findings.
3. STRUCTURED RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS. Data are normally
gathered using structured using tools such as questionnaires to
collect measurable characteristics of the population like age, socio-
economic status, number of children, among others. It includes the
administration of tests and questionnaires, experimentation, survey
questionnaire, and the use of existing data sets. It also uses robust
instrumentation that is designed and structured to verify the
hypothesis set at the beginning of the inquiry process. It usually
involves an intervention and manipulation of variables.
4. NUMERICAL DATA. Data are in the form of numbers and
statistics, often organized and presented using tables, charts, graphs,
and figures that consolidate large numbers of data to show trends,
relationships, and differences among variables.
5. LARGE SAMPLE SIZE. To arrive at a more reliable data analysis,
a more normal population distribution curve is preferred. This requires
a large
sample size, depending on how the characteristics of the population
vary.
6. LOGICAL. Based on valid procedures and principles
7. EMPIRICAL. Based on direct experience or observation of the
researcher.
 8. ACCURATE. Gives correct data that is properly documented
or cited.

9. TIMELY. Fresh, new, interesting topic (considers the audience)

10. RELEVANT. Has social value
11. CLEAR. Simple, direct, concise, correct language
12. METHODOLOGICAL/SYSTEMATIC. Organized and orderly
manner.
13. CYCLICAL. Starts with a problem and ends with a problem

Advantages of quantitative research include:

1. It is objective. Since it provides numerical data, it can be easily

interpreted.
2. Quantitative research design is the most reliable and valid way of concluding
results, giving way to a new hypothesis, or to disprove it.

3. The use of statistical techniques facilitates sophisticated analyses and allows

you to comprehend a huge number of vital characteristics of data.
4. The numerical data can be analyzed quickly and easily. By employing
statistically valid random models, findings can be generalized to the population
about which information is necessary.
5. Quantitative studies are replicable. Standardized approaches allow the study

to be replicated in different areas or over time with the formulation of

comparable findings.
6. It uses robust instrumentation, which may yield results that can be generalized
to a larger population and other research settings.
7.It allows for greater accuracy data because variables are isolated,
manipulated, and rigorously controlled.
8. Results can be replicated, analyzed, and compared with similar studies due
to the use of robust instrumentation.
9. Personal bias is avoided because quantitative data are arrived using
established procedures.
 Weaknesses of a Quantitative Research
The disadvantages of quantitative research are as follows:
1. Quantitative research requires a large number of respondents. It assumed
that the larger the sample is, the more statistically accurate the findings are.
2. It is costly. Since there are more respondents compared to qualitative
research, the expenses will be greater in reaching out to these people and
reproducing questionnaires.
3. Numerical data do not provide detailed accounts of the phenomenon and
do not capture accounts of human participation.
4. Much information is difficult to gather using structured research instruments,
specifically on sensitive issues like pre-marital sex, domestic violence, among
others. Preselected options in a questionnaire do not necessarily reflect how
participants truly feel about the question being asked.
5. If not done seriously and correctly, data from the questionnaires may be
incomplete and inaccurate. Researchers must be on the lookout for
respondents who are just guessing in answering the instrument.

Kinds of Quantitative Research

Research Design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the
different components of the study coherently and logically, thereby ensuring you
will effectively address the research problem. Further, a research design constitutes
the blueprint for the selection, measurement, and analysis of data. The research
problem determines the research design you should use.
The kind of research is dependent on the researcher’s aim in conducting the study
and the extent to which the findings will be used.
Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and statistical,
mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls,
questionnaires, and surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using
computational techniques.
Figure 1. Quantitative Research Design
Source: Prieto, Naval and Carey (2017) (
www.genesep.edu/esham/educ.604/research.pdf)

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN

✓ Adheres strictly to the procedures of the scientific method.
✓ It allows the researcher to control the situation.
✓ It allows the researcher to answer the question, “What causes
something to occur?”
✓ It allows the researcher to identify the cause and effect
relationship between variables and to distinguish the placebo effects
from the treatment effect.
✓ Supports the ability to limit alternative explanations and to
infer direct relationships in the study

a. TRUE-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN – controls for both time-related and

group related threats. There are two features mark true-experiment; two or
more differently treated groups and random assignment to these groups.
These features require the researchers to have control over the
experimental treatment and the power to place subjects in groups. It offers
the highest internal validity of all the designs.

See these sample studies!

• The Effect Virgin Coconut Oil to corona virus

 • Effect of Manihot esculenta (cassava) in Reducing Blood
sugar among those Diagnosed with Diabetes

b. QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN – The word "quasi" means partial, half,

or pseudo. The researcher can collect more data, either by scheduling
more observations or finding more existing measures. Participants are not
randomly assigned.

1. Non-equivalent control group design – refers to the chance failure of

random assignment to equalize the conditions by converting a true
experiment into this kind of design, for purposes of analysis.

2. Interrupted Time Series Design – employs multiple measures before

and after the experimental intervention. It differs from the single-group
pre-experiment that has only one pre-test and one post-test. Users of this
design assume that the time threats such as history or maturation appear
as regular changes in the measures before the intervention.

See these sample studies!

➢ The use of traditional versus cooperative learning groups on

student’s academic performance
➢ The effect of localized module in mathematics to the student’s
computational skill

c. PRE-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN – in pre-experimental research

design, either a group or various dependent groups are observed for the
effect of the application of an independent variable which is presumed to
cause change. It is the simplest form of experimental research design and
is treated with no control group. apply with the experimental design with
the least internal validity.

The pre-experimental research design is further divided into three types:

• One-shot Case Study Research Design. In this type of experimental

study, only one dependent group or variable is considered. The study is
carried out after some treatment which was presumed to cause change,
making it a posttest study.

• One-group Pretest-posttest Research Design. This research design

combines both posttest and pretest study by carrying out a test on a
single group before the treatment is administered and after the
treatment is administered. With the former being administered at the
beginning of treatment and later at the end.
 • Static-group Comparison. In a static-group comparison study, 2 or
more groups are placed under observation, where only one of the
groups is subjected to some treatment while the other groups are held
static. All the groups are post-tested, and the observed differences
between the groups are assumed to be a result of the treatment.

NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN

✓ Does not use treatment or intervention.
✓ The researcher observes the phenomena as they occur naturally and
no external variables are introduced.
✓ The variables are not deliberately manipulated nor is the setting
controlled.
✓ Researchers collect data without making changes or introducing
treatments.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
This design is concerned with describing the nature, characteristics, and
components of the population or a phenomenon. It designed to give answers to
the questions of who, what, when, where, and how which was linked with a
research problem. Noticed that, descriptive research does not answer the question
“why” because it does not seek to explain why certain things happen. It is applied
only to describe what exists and not to gather information about a current status
of a certain phenomenon (Anastas, 1999 as cited in Salkind and Rasmussen, 2007,
251-254). This design attempts to find general attributes of the presently existing
situation and determine the frequency with which it occurs.
It is considered descriptive if the researchers answer “YES” to the following
questions:
✓ Is the research primarily describing the phenomenon?
✓ Were the researchers documenting the characteristics of the
phenomenon?

NOTE:

Descriptive Research maybe used, if for example:

• You want to know hour many hours Senior High School students spent
in social media.
• The number of malnourished students who failed in the achievement
test.
• How healthy is the food served during recess in the public schools?
Remember!

This research type cannot be applied to discover a definitive answer or to

disprove hypothesis” because it usually uses “observational methods as opposed
to qualitative methods.”
(Anastas, 1999 as cited in Salkind and Rasmussen, 2007, 251-254)

a. Survey
– a research design used when the researcher intends to provide a quantitative or
numeric description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a
sample of that population (Creswell, 2003).

EXAMPLE:
- Senior High School students survey on determining customers’
satisfaction.
- The student’s attitudes toward or opinion s regarding student services
like the canteen, clinic, security, guidance and counseling service and
the like.

b. Correlational – It is a systematic investigation of the nature of relationships or

associations between and among variables without necessarily investigating
causal reasons underlying them.

EXAMPLE:
- If the pre-board examination results can be used to predict
performance in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET, then
the higher the pre-board result, the higher most likely the score in
the LET.
- If the reading comprehension skills of the Senior High School
students has a relationship to their mathematical skills

c. Ex-Post Facto Research Design

– These are non-experimental designs that are used to investigate causal
relationships. They examine whether one or more pre-existing conditions could
have caused subsequent differences in groups of subjects.

EXAMPLE:
- What is the effect of homeschooling to the academic performance of
the students?
d. Comparative Design
– involves comparing and contrasting two or more samples of study subjects on
one or more variables, often a single point of time. Specifically, this design is used
to compare two distinct groups based on selected attributes such as knowledge
level, perceptions, and attitudes, physical or psychological symptoms.

EXAMPLE:
- A comparative study on Health problems among rural and urban locals
of Palawan

e. Evaluative Research
– seeks to assess or judge in some way providing information about something
other than might be gleaned in mere observation or investigation of relationship.

EXAMPLE:
- Where the MPS of the students’ grade in a subject is used to assess the
effectiveness of teaching

f. Methodological
– in this approach, the implementation of a variety of methodologies forms a
critical part of achieving the goal of developing a scale-matched approach,
where data from different disciplines can be integrated.

TAKE NOTE!
This decision tree would help you decide the kind of research you are going to
pursue.

Source: http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763780586/80586_CH03_Keele.pdf
 Importance of Quantitative Research
Across Field

People research to find solutions, even tentative ones, to problems, to

improve or enhance ways of doing things, to disprove or provide a new hypothesis,
or simply to find answers to questions or solutions to problems in daily life.

Quantitative Research in the Field of Accountancy Business and

Management
➢ The researchers can help design a new product or service, figuring
out what is needed and ensure that the development of a product
highly targeted towards demand.
➢ Correctly determine its customers and their preferences, establish the
enterprise is the most feasible location, deliver quality goods and
services, analyze what the competitors are doing and find ways on how
to continuously satisfy the growing and varied needs of the clients.
Quantitative Research in the Field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics (STEM)
➢ Helps in determining the effectiveness and even side effect of drugs
and therapies in different populations.
➢ It is necessary in evaluating experiences in clinical practice to
develop mechanisms for best practices and to ensure high-quality
patient care.
➢ As for the engineers, architects, and other builders, research helps in
providing designs that are creatively beautiful and at the same time give
more convenience and efficiency as they utilize modern technology to
adapt to the ever-changing society.
➢ New materials and procedures may be developed so as further
strengthen the structural materials that can withstand various calamities
and disasters.

Quantitative Research in the Field of Humanities and Social Sciences

➢ This research aims to provide solutions to social problems directly felt
by people.
➢ Researchers in this field deal more with societal behaviors and social
issues such as stress, worker ethics, organizational commitment,
leadership style, child labor, teenage pregnancy, human trafficking,
drug addiction, and other forms of criminality.
➢ Social science researches lead to the understanding of social
interactions that may lead to the formulation of new theories and
practices that contribute to societal development and welfare.
ASSESSEMENT:

A. Directions: Identify what type of research is being described on the given

statements. Write your answer on the space provided before each number
(descriptive research, correlational research, causal-comparative/quasi
research, or experimental)

______________1. Association between birth order and social skills

______________2. Relationship between the severity of autism and others’ helping
behaviors (the more severe the autism the more or less others
help you)?
______________3. Identify the effects of preschool attendance towards the
motivation of first grade pupils.
______________4. Participants was divided into groups. The treatment group
receives a special reading program. Participants in the
control group do not receive the treatment. Reading ability
is assessed.
______________5. Examining the academic achievement of two groups, one that
goes to tutoring and one that doesn't. Here the groups
already existed, they either attended tutoring or not and were
placed in groups based on this pre-existing condition.
______________6. The effects of academic counseling on the academic
achievement of children from divorced vs. non-divorced
families.
______________7. Does a low student-teacher ratio cause higher student
achievement?
______________8. Given the spectrum of disorders within autism, what is the range
of functioning?
______________9. How does self-esteem differ among adolescents who differ in the
timing of their puberty?
______________10. A study on the preference of the youth on cosmetics,
particularly the kinds of cosmetics they buy.
B.

Directions: For questions 1–10, write A – for Experimental and B – for Non Experimental.
Indicate also the kind of quantitative research design you will use given the following
research problems or studies by using the codes given below

CODES:

A – Descriptive Research Design

B – True Experimental Research Design

C – Quasi-Experimental Research Design

D – Pre-Experimental Research Design

_______1. The number of hours spent by senior high school students on social media.

_______2. The food preference of the athletes of Narra National High School.

_______3. The Impact of blended learning to the academic performance of the

students

_______4. The effects of tutorial to the academic performance of the pupil in

Mathematics

_______5. The anti-bacterial and collagenous potential of Poikilospermum suaveolens

(Blume) merr as moisturizing gel

_______6. Food safety and handling practices of street food vendors

_______7. The impact of microscale lending investors to the economic growth of the
Municipality of Narra

_______8. The number of students who have at least one hour a day study habit

_______9 The factors affecting the academic performance of the students in science.

______10. The number of students who read a story a day.

C. Directions: Listed are different topics that can be used to design research that is
useful to our daily life. Choose the letter of the field that the listed topics belong.
Choose the letter of your answer and write them on a separate sheet.

a. Business c. Education e. Politics

b. Health d. Communication

1. Vegetarianism
2. Online Learning
3. Internet Connectivity
 4. Stock Market
5. Potential Presidential Candidates
6. Yoga
7. Learning Delivery Mode
8. Election Preparations
9. E-loading Business
10. Political Dynasty

D.Directions: Complete the following sentence in three to five sentences.

1.Research is important to GAS students because

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2.Research is important to TVL students because

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________