Week 8&9: Quantitative Research
Orientation
The other main strand of research methodology is to use quantitative research approaches to gather and interrogate data. By definition, quantitative data-gathering is about measuring the among, or quantity, of something, and has a very different approach from qualitative methods. An example may be to evaluate how many people have read a particular book, whereas a qualitative approach might analyse their opinions of the contents of the book. An example of this is approach documented as follows:
These methods can be applied individually or sequentially or might be combined in a mixed methods approach. Once again, the emphasis should be on what you select as the research question(s) that you want answered and mapping them to the most appropriate choice of research methods, then to identify an online technology that will enable you to use these methods most effectively.
On Successful Completion of this Session, Students will be Able to:
- Identify the main steps in online quantitative research
- Distinguish the relationship between theory and research in online quantitative studies
- Explore the role of concepts in online quantitative research
- Acknowledge criteria for evaluating reliability and validity of online quantitative research
- Investigate different technology tools used to collect and analyze quantitative research online
- Consider the essential issues and concepts when doing online quantitative research
Reading Resources
The following eBooks are the main reading sources for the online quantitative research method, especially it provides a deep guidance on how to do the survey online and its relevant considerations.
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- Fielding, N., Lee, R., & Blank, G. (2017). Part IV: The online survey. In The SAGE Handbook of online research methods. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781473957992
- Fielding, N., Lee, R., & Blank, G. (2017). Part V: Digital quantitative analysis. In The SAGE Handbook of online research methods. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781473957992
- Fielding, N., Lee, R., & Blank, G. (2017). Part VI: Digital text analysis. In The SAGE Handbook of online research methods. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781473957992
Supplementary Resources
The following articles are examples of online quantitative research.
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- van Deursen, A. J. (2020). Digital inequality during a pandemic: quantitative study of differences in COVID-19–related internet uses and outcomes among the general population. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e20073.
- Wong, J. G., Cheung, E. P., Chan, K. K., Ma, K. K., & Wa Tang, S. (2006). Web-based survey of depression, anxiety and stress in first-year tertiary education students in Hong Kong. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(9), 777-782.
- Maymone, M. B., Venkatesh, S., Secemsky, E., Reddy, K., & Vashi, N. A. (2018). Research techniques made simple: Web-based survey research in dermatology: Conduct and applications. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 138(7), 1456-1462.
- Maymone, M. B., Venkatesh, S., Secemsky, E., Reddy, K., & Vashi, N. A. (2018). Research techniques made simple: Web-based survey research in dermatology: Conduct and applications. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 138(7), 1456-1462.
- Zhang, X., Kuchinke, L., Woud, M. L., Velten, J., & Margraf, J. (2017). Survey method matters: Online/offline questionnaires and face-to-face or telephone interviews differ. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 172-180.
- Nwosu, A. C., Monnery, D., Reid, V. L., & Chapman, L. (2017). Use of podcast technology to facilitate education, communication and dissemination in palliative care: the development of the AmiPal podcast. BMJ supportive & palliative care, 7(2), 212-217.
- Online research: Definition, Methods, Types and Execution
Designing a Survey
Episode 6: How Do I Get People to Take My Survey?
