INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATIONS & IMMERSIONS

THE MODE OF ANSWERING RESEARCH QUESTION

There are three ways to answer research questions. Such a data collection strategy or method
might be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. In qualitative research, the end goal of the inquiry is to seek
meaning and deeper understanding of the phenomena as seen from the perspective of the participants.
Quantitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with collecting numerical data using research
tools. Then, mixed-method research focuses on the possible benefits of both qualitative and quantitative
approaches, allowing researchers to explore many points of view and find links that exist between the
various layers of our numerous research questions.

Each of the three research designs has its own distinct characteristics. No single research
approach can be considered as the best one. Qualitative, quantitative, or a mix of both approaches can be
employed depending on one’s research goal and purpose. Table 1 gives the overview of the three research
designs.

KINDS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Kinds of Quantitative Defining Features

Research

Descriptive Research It aims to define the existing condition of a classified variable.

Examples:
● A description of the youth’s perception of the 2016 elections
● A description of the tobacco use habits of teenagers
Correlational Research In this type of design, relationships between and among a number of facts
are sought and interpreted. Cause and effect is not the basis of this type of
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observational research.
Examples:
● The relationship between entrance exam results and attendance in
review centers
● The relationship between intelligence and self-esteem

Survey Research Surveys are done to gather evidence on people’s knowledge, opinions,
attitudes, and values on various issues and concern.
Examples:
● Consumers’ coping behavior
● People’s presidential bet

Casual-comparative/quasi- This design is fairly similar to true experiments, but there are a few
experimental important distinctions.
Examples:
● Gender differences in algebra achievement
● The impact of part-time job on high school students' academic
performance
Experimental Research Often called “true experimentation,” it uses the scientific method to
establish the cause-effect relationship among a group of variables that
make up a study.
Example:
● The effect of counselling and medical treatment on alcoholism
● The effect of a systematic preparation and support system on
children who were scheduled for surgery on the amount of
psychological upset and cooperation

KINDS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Kinds of
Defining features
Qualitative
Research

1. Phenomenology Both an approach to and a method of understanding the behavioral,

emotive, and social meanings of lived experiences of individuals.
Example:
● Exploring the lived experiences of women undergoing breast biopsy
or the lived experiences of family members waiting for a loved one
undergoing major surgery.

2. Ethnography Focuses on studying shared practices and belief systems (i.e., culture) of
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a group of people in their natural context over a prolonged period of time
Examples:
● Observing a group of children playing
● Observing employees in a corporate office
● Observing medical personnel in a high-volume hospital
3. Grounded Theory Refers to a set of inductive data collection and analytic methods with
the purpose of constructing theories grounded in the data themselves

Examples:

● Grounded theory is often used by the HR department. For instance,

they might study why employees are frustrated by their work.
Employees can explain what they feel is lacking. HR then gathers
this data, examines the results to discover the root cause of their
problems and presents solutions.
● Grounded theory is used by marketing departments by letting
marketing executives express their views on how to improve their
product or service in a structured way.
4. Case Study Allows the in-depth investigation of complex issues within a specific
context, based on a small geographical area or a very limited number of
individuals as the subjects of study
Example:
● A group of individuals might be watched over an extended period
of time to observe the progression of a particular disease.

5. Discourse/Conversation Study naturally occurring discourse and extract shared meanings from
Analysis such discourse.
Example:
● A speaker points out that two sentences taken together as a single
discourse can have meanings different from each one if taken
separately.
6. Narrative Analysis Focuses on the narratives (storytelling) used as source of data.
Examples:
● Stories, interviews, life histories, journals, photographs, and other
artifacts.
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Variable is an integral part of the research process. It is defined as any characteristics or
properties that can change over time in different situations. But the question is: what is the
difference between the use of variables in a quantitative and qualitative research?
In quantitative research, variables are tested and measured numerically after data
collection. It is identified prior to the beginning of the research process. It also serves as an
important key in establishing the whole investigation. Moreover, variables in quantitative
approach are used in the hypothesis testing.
Meanwhile, qualitative research does not test or identify any relationships between
variables; instead, they generate hypotheses through studying the experiences of the respondents
and exploring different social phenomena. Hence, rather than measuring the variables and
answering hypotheses, they generate them through theoretical coding. (Maldia, 2013)
But combining qualitative and quantitative methods helps in accumulating more
information using the experiences of the target population and extracting concrete measurements
in the study. To help identify the differences between the two methods, refer to the following list
of their differences:

Quantitative Qualitative Research

Research
Deductive Approach Inductive Approach
Hypothesis Testing Hypothesis Generating
Objectivity Subjectivity
Measuring variables Exploring phenomena

Types of Variables in Quantitative Research

A variable in research refers to a person, a place, a thing, a phenomenon, or

characteristics, such as weight, height, anxiety levels, income, body temperature and so on. Each
of these properties varies from one person to another and has different values along a continuum.
It could be demographic, physical, or social and include religion, income, occupation,
temperature, humidity, language, food, fashion, and so on. Some variables can be quite concrete
and clear, such as gender, birth order, types of blood group etc. while others can be considerably
more abstract and vaguer (Kaur, 2013). Below are the different types of variables in research:

1. Dependent Variable
A dependent variable relies on and can be changed by other components.
Independent variables can influence dependent variables, but dependent variables cannot
influence independent variables. When analyzing relationships between study objects,
researchers often try to determine what makes the dependent variable change and how.

Example: 
 A grade on an exam is an example of a dependent variable because it depends on
factors such as how much sleep you got and how long you studied. 
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 Another example, the time you spent studying (dependent) can affect the grade on
your test (independent) but the grade on your test does not affect the time you
spent studying. 

2. Independent Variable
An independent variable is a singular characteristic that the other variables in your
experiment cannot change. Age is an example of an independent variable. Where
someone lives, what they eat or how much they exercise is not going to change their age.
Independent variables can, however, change other variables. 

Example:

 A student is interested in determining the effects of exposure to different colored

lights (e.g., yellow, green, and red) on the growth of the plants. The independent
variable is exposure to different colored lights because this is the variable being
manipulated. Plant growth is the dependent variable because this changes as a
result of manipulating the independent variable. Figure 1.1 shows the relationship
of the two variables in the example.

Other Examples:

Case #1: A scientist studies the impact of a drug on cancer. The independent variables are
the administration of the drug—the dosage and the timing. The dependent variable is the
impact the drug has on cancer.

Case #2: A scientist studies the impact of withholding affection on rats. The independent
variable is the amount of affection. The dependent variable is the reaction of the rats.

Case #3: A scientist studies how many days’ people can eat soup until they get sick. The
independent variable is the number of days of consuming soup. The dependent variable is
the onset of illness.
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Other Types of Variables in Research

1. Control Variable
Control or controlling variables are characteristics that are constant and do not
change during a study. They have no effect on other variables. Researchers might
intentionally keep a control variable the same throughout an experiment to prevent bias.

Example: In an experiment about plant development, control variables might include the
amounts of fertilizer and water each plant gets. These amounts are always the same so
that they do not affect the plants' growth.

2. Intervening Variable
An intervening variable, sometimes called a mediator variable, is a theoretical
variable the researcher uses to explain a cause or connection between other study
variables—usually dependent and independent ones. They are associations instead of
observations.

Example: If wealth is the independent variable, and a long-life span is a dependent

variable, the researcher might hypothesize that access to quality healthcare is the
intervening variable that links wealth and life span.

3. Moderating Variable
A moderating or moderator variable changes the relationship between
dependent and independent variables by strengthening or weakening the intervening
variable's effect.

Example: In a study on the relationship between economic status (independent variable)

and how frequently people get physical exams from a doctor (dependent variable), age is
a moderating variable. That relationship might be weaker in younger individuals and
stronger in older individuals.

4. Extraneous Variable
Extraneous variables are factors that affect the dependent variable but that the
researcher did not originally consider when designing the experiment. These unwanted
variables can unintentionally change a study's results or how a researcher interprets those
results.

Example: A study assessing whether private tutoring or online courses are more effective
at improving students' Spanish test scores; extraneous variables that might
unintentionally influence the outcome include parental support, prior knowledge of a
foreign language or socioeconomic status.

5. Quantitative Variables
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Quantitative variables are any data sets that involve numbers or amounts.
Examples might include height, distance, or number of items. Researchers can further
categorize quantitative variables into two types:

a) Discrete: Any numerical variables you can realistically count, such as the

coins in your wallet or the money in your savings account.

Examples: The number of puppies that a mother dog can have is always a whole
number. It could be four or five but never a 5.5 puppy.

b) Continuous: Numerical variables that you could never finish counting, such

as time. It also a variable that can assume a continuous scale rather than
distinct points on a scale.

Examples: The time it takes for a swimmer to complete one lap in an Olympic-
size swimming
pool could be 43 seconds or 43.55 seconds.

6. Qualitative Variables
Qualitative, or categorical variables are non-numerical values or groupings.
Examples might include eye or hair color. Researchers can further categorize qualitative
variables into three types:

a) Binary: Variables with only two categories, such as male or female, red, or

blue.
b) Nominal: Variables you can organize in more than two categories that do not
follow a particular order. Take, for example, housing types: single-family
home, condominium, tiny home.
c) Ordinal: Variables you can organize in more than two categories that follow a
particular order. Take, for example, levels of satisfaction: Unsatisfied, neutral,
satisfied.

7. Confounding Variables
A confounding variable is one you did not account for that can disguise another
variable's effects. Confounding variables can invalidate your experiment results by
making them biased or suggesting a relationship between variables exists when it does
not.

Example: If you study the relationship between exercise level (independent variable) and
body mass index (dependent variable) but do not consider age's effect on these factors, it
becomes a confounding variable that changes your results.

8. Composite Variables
A composite variable is two or more variables combined to make a more
complex variable.
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Example: Overall health is an example of a composite variable if you use other
variables, such as weight, blood pressure, and chronic pain, to determine overall health in
your experiment.