Lesson 2: Importance, Kinds, and Variables of Quantitative Research

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. It is important to identify and
classify the kinds of quantitative research and its variables in the inquiry process.
Research findings can affect people’s lives, ways of doing things, laws, rules, and
regulations, as well as policies, among others. Widely, quantitative research is often
used because of its emphasis on proof rather than discovery.

Importance of Quantitative Research across Fields

Quantitative research is considered to be an objective, methodical, well-

determined scientific process of investigation. It aims to seek answers to problems
through the application of scientific methodology. It is widely used in all fields to
determine the unknown.

Business and Management

From the time industry began, advances in business were made through
extensive quantitative research done by the icons of the industry – Mary Parker Follet,
Hugo Munsterberg, and Elton Mayo of the Hawthorne Studies fame, to name a few. All
contributed to how businesses are run today. We now live in the era of big data, and
quantitative methods used by operations analysts provide solid evidence to guide
management decisions on production, distribution, accounting, marketing, and personnel
management. These methods also help managers project future business conditions,
enabling them to adjust their strategies as needed.

Marketing, Tourism and Service Industries

Market research plays a key role in determining the factors that lead to business
success. Quantitative research helps service industries by employing data capture
methods and statistical analysis. Quantitative market research is used for estimating
consumer attitudes and behaviors, market sizing, segmentation, and identifying drivers for
brand recall and product purchase decisions. Thus, the findings help in forecasting,
branding decisions, and even deciding what colors to use.

Social Sciences
In social sciences, quantitative research is widely used in the fields of psychology,
economics, sociology, community health, education, human development, gender,
communication, and political science. Economic analysts rely on complex mathematical
and statistical procedures to analyze economic phenomena, explain economic issues, as
well as predict future economic conditions. Quantitative psychologists study and develop

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 models, methods, and techniques used to measure human behavior and other attributes.
Sociologists employ quantitative research methods to focus on ways people themselves
understand and describe their social worlds. Political scientists use quantitative research to
predict and explain political phenomena and political behavior.

Medical Sciences and Allied Fields

Quantitative research is essential in Medical Sciences and its allied fields, such as
Dentistry, Nursing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Medical Technology, Pharmacy,
etc. It plays an important role in finding out which treatments are used in the best
possible ways. Research and clinical trials are an everyday part of healthcare
professionals.

Engineering and Technology

Research in engineering and technology has overwhelmingly been focused on
quantitative designs. From inventions, product designs, modeling, simulation, and even
the structural strength of beams and columns- these are all had from quantitative
research findings to meet the extremely rapid product development now being demanded
by the industry.
KINDS OF QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGNS
The 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. Furthermore, a research design constitutes the
blueprint for the selection, measurement, and analysis of data. The research problem
determines the research you should.
Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical,
mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and
surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques.
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 research designs are generally
classified into experimental and non-experimental as the following matrix below.

• True
Experimental
• Quasi

• Purpose Descriptive Predictive Explanatory

Non-
Experimental • Time Dimension Cross-sectional Retrospective Longitudinal

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 Types of Quantitative Description Sample Studies
Research

EXPERIMENTAL
✓ Rigid manipulation of The Effect of a New
variables treatment plan for breast
True Experimental
✓ Use of control, cancer
selection, and
random assignment
✓ Rigid manipulation of The use of conventional
variables versus cooperative learning
Quasi-experimental
✓ Use of control groups on students’
without academic achievement
randomization of
The effect of personalized
variables
instruction versus
✓ Intact groups or
conventional instruction on
participants are used
the computational skill
in their entirety

NON-EXPERIMENTAL – Research Purpose

✓ Describe the current A description of the tobacco
status of a variable use habits of teenagers
Descriptive
✓ Designed to provide
A description of the kinds of
systematic
physical activities occurring
information of
in nursing homes
phenomena
✓ i.e. Surveys
✓ Predict or forecast Factors affecting college
phenomena without success
Predictive
establishing cause
The relationship between
and effect
the types of activities used
✓ i.e. Correlational
in Math classrooms and
students’ academic
achievement
✓ Develop or test a The role of peers and study
theory to explain groups in students’ attitude
Explanatory
how and why it in learning and academic
operates achievement in
✓ Identify causality Mathematics
behind phenomena

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 NON-EXPERIMENTAL – Time Dimension
✓ Data collected at a Graduating students’
single point in time beliefs, perceptions, and
Cross-sectional
✓ Comparisons are experiences on their K to 12
made across schooling
variables of interest
✓ Comparisons are The possible causes of lung
made between cancer and related
Retrospective
estimated data from respiratory disorders of
the past and data smokers
sets from the present
✓ Data is collected at A prospective longitudinal
the present study of the correlation and
Longitudinal
✓ Data collection will consequences of early
be done again at a grade retention
future time
✓ Data sets are
compared to each
other

THE VARIABLES IN RESEARCH and ITS USES

When conducting research, it is important to identify and measure the variables
being studied.
Variables are properties or characteristics of some event, object, or person that
can be assigned with different values or amounts. In research, a variable refers to
“characteristics that have two or more mutually exclusive values or properties” (Sevilla
and Other, 1988). Bernard (1994) defines a variable as something that can take more
than one value, and values can be words or numbers.
A variable specifically refers to characteristics or attributes of an individual or an
organization that can be measured or observed, and that varies among the people or
organization being studied (Creswell, 2002).

TYPES OF VARIABLES
A. Role taken by the Variable
1. INDEPENDENT VARIABLES – Those that probably cause, influence, or affect
outcomes. They are invariably called treatment, manipulated, antecedent or predictor

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 variables. This is the cause variable or the one responsible for the conditions that act on
something else to bring about changes.
Situation: A study is on the relationship of study habits and academic
performance of UNO-R senior high school students. STUDY HABITS is the independent
variable because it influenced the outcome or the performance of the students.
Examples: kind of diet –with or without supplement, amount of fertilizer,
exposure to sunlight, dose of a medicine

2. DEPENDENT VARIABLES – those that depend on the independent variables;

they are the outcomes or results of the influence of the independent variable. That is why
it is also called outcome variable.
Situation: A study is on the relationship of study habits and academic
performance of UNO-R senior high school students. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE is the
dependent variable because it is depending on the study habits of the students; if the
students change their study habit the academic performance also change.
Examples: motor skills and memory tests of rats, growth of plants, response
time to medication

3. INTERVENING OR MEDLING VARIABLES – Variables that “stand between”

the independent and dependent variables, and they show the effects of the independent
variable on the dependent variable. It is also called a “facilitating variable”, “moderator” or
a “control variable”
Examples:
* In the study on “Knowledge of the Dangers of Smoking, attitudes towards Life,
and Smoking Habits of Young Professionals”, the intervening variable is ‘attitude towards
life’. A person’s attitude may increase or decrease the influence of ‘knowledge on the
dangers of smoking (independent variable) on ‘smoking habits’ (dependent variable).
Thus, knowing the dangers of smoking, one may shun smoking. One may argue, however,
that the knowledge about the dangers of smoking may not necessarily prevent a person
from smoking if he does not mind dying early as long as he/she enjoys life.

*Even if farm production is good, if the attitude towards payment is negative,

loan repayment would be low, whereas, if the attitude towards repayment is positive or
favorable, loan repayment would be high.

4. CONTROL VARIABLES – Special types of independent variables that are

measured in the study because they potentially influence the dependent variable.
Researchers use statistical procedures (e.g. analysis of covariance) to control these
variables. They may be demographic or personal variables that need to be “controlled”
so that the true influence of the independent variable on the dependent variable can be
determined.
Examples: income level, gender, educational level, location, ethnicity, race,
family size.

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 5. ANTECEDENT VARIABLES – Variables that are found before (ante) the
independent variable. These are expected to influence the independent variable/s.
Example: in the study entitled “Extent of Exposure to Print Media and Reading
ability of Senior High school students,” the main concern is the relationship between
students ‘extent of exposure to print media’ (independent variable) and their ‘reading
ability’ (dependent variable. The students’ exposure to print media, however, may
depend on their sex, residence, and their parents’ education (antecedent
variables)

B. Value on a Scale and corresponding Levels of Measurement

1. CONTINUOUS VARIABLES – A variable that can take an infinite number on the
value that can occur within the population. Its values can be divided into
fractions. Examples of this type of variable include age, height, and temperature.

Continuous variables can be further categorized as:

a. INTERVAL VARIABLES – It has values that lie along an evenly dispersed

range of numbers. It is a measurement where the difference between the two
values does have meaning.
Examples: temperature, a person’s net worth (how much money you have
when you subtract your debt from your assets), time as read on a 12-hour
clock, IQ scores, age, etc.
(In temperature, this may illustrate as the difference between a temperature
of 60 degrees and 50 degrees is the same as the difference between 30
degrees and 20 degrees. The interval between values makes sense and can be
interpreted.)

b. RATIO VARIABLES – It has values that lie along an evenly dispersed range
of numbers when there is absolute zero. It possesses the properties of interval
variable, nominal, ordinal, and has a clear definition of zero, indicating that
there is none of that variable.
Examples: height, weight, and distance, work experience, etc
(Most scores stemming from response to survey items are ratio-level values
because they typically cannot go below zero. Temperature measured in
degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit is not a ratio variable because 0 under
these temperatures scales does not mean any temperature at all.)

2. DISCRETE VARIABLES – This is also known as a categorical or classificatory

variable. This is any variable that has a limited number of distinct values and
which cannot be divided into fractions like sex, blood group, and the number of
children in a family.

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 Discrete variables may also be categorized into:

a. NOMINAL VARIABLE – It represents categories that cannot be ordered in

any particular way. It is a variable with no quantitative value. It has two or
more categories but does not imply an ordering of cases.
Examples: eye color, business type, religion, biological sex, political
affiliation, basketball fan affiliation, etc.
(A sub-type of nominal scale with only two categories just like sex is known
as dichotomous.)

b. ORDINAL VARIABLE – It represents categories that can be ordered from

greatest to smallest. This variable has two or more categories that can be
ranked.
Examples: education level, income brackets, social class, typhoon signal etc.
(An illustration of this is, if you asked people if they liked listening to music
while studying and they could answer either “NOT VERY MUCH”, “MUCH”,
“VERY MUCH” then you have an ordinal variable. While you can rank them, we
cannot place a value to them. In this type, distances between attributes do
not have any meaning.
For example, you used educational attainment as a variable on the survey,
you might code elementary school graduates = 1, high graduates = 2, college
undergraduate = 3, and college graduate = 4. In this measure, a higher
number means greater education. Even though we can rank these from lowest
to highest, the spacing between the values may not be the same across the
levels of the variables. The distance between 3 and 4 is not the same as the
distance between 1 and 2
SUMMARY/KEYPOINTS:

✓ Quantitative research is considered to be objective, methodical, well-determined scientific

process of investigation. Its aim is to seek answers to problems through the application of
scientific methodology. It is widely used in all fields in order to determine the unknown.
✓ Research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose in order to integrate the different
components of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby ensuring you will effectively
address the research problem.
✓ It is important to identify the types of quantitative research design and classify the variables in
the inquiry process.
✓ Experimental research designs are classified as true experimental and quasi-experimental.
✓ Non-experimental research designs are organized according to research purpose (descriptive,
predictive, explanatory) and time dimension (cross-sectional, retrospective, longitudinal).
✓ Variables are classified into roles, value on a scale and the levels of measurement.
✓ The roles taken by a variable is classified into independent and dependent variables.
✓ Variables are also categorized according to their value on a scale (continuous and discrete
and according to the levels of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio).

Ms. Therese Amor G. Panzo, LPT | UNO-RECOLETOS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

 References:

David, F. (2002). Understanding and Doing Research: A Handbook for Beginners.

Panorama, Printing.Inc.
Pulmones, R. (2016). Quantitative Research. Phoenix Publishing House.
San Miguel, J.G. (2018). STEP by STEP Practical Research 2 for Senior High
School. San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite.

Ms. Therese Amor G. Panzo, LPT | UNO-RECOLETOS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL