Quantitative research is a type of social science research that measures and captures data in order to make conclusions about the subjects. There are many different types of quantitative research, but here are the seven most common:
- Observation
- Survey or interview
- Experimental design
- Archival data
- Statistical analysis
- Focus group
- Correlational design.
Observation
Observation is a type of quantitative research that captures data through direct, in-person observations. It typically takes place at a specific location or event, and can be used for anything from counting the number of people in a certain area to observing how many people are walking by your store.
Survey or interview
A survey or interview is a type of quantitative research that captures data by asking questions. The researcher will then analyze the data to answer the question posed in the inquiry.
For example, you may want to conduct a survey to evaluate your customer satisfaction. You can create a questionnaire with relevant questions to ask customers and then analyze their responses.
The other type of qualitative research is an interview. An interview typically has two people: the interviewer and the person being interviewed. The interviewer asks questions while the person being interviewed answers them.
This is an effective method for gathering opinions because it allows you to gather unfiltered information from someone's perspective.
Experimental design
An experimental design is a type of quantitative research that attempts to manipulate variables in order to test hypotheses.
It is the only form of quantitative research that can prove causation.
To create an experimental design, you need to have at least two groups or "treatments". One group will receive the treatment, while the other will not. The groups are randomly assigned so that there are no pre-existing factors between them, and all individuals within each group are similar enough in order to eliminate any possible bias.
The experimenter then manipulates the independent variable in order to see how it affects the dependent variable. The researcher observes and records any changes in behavior or performance occurring after the independent variable has been manipulated.
Experimental designs are used when you want to make causal statements about your data, for example: "watching TV causes aggression."
Archival data
Archival data is a type of quantitative research that collects information from past events. Archival data is used to explore past events, but it's also important for many other types of research.
These types of data can be gathered in different ways, including:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Histories
- Narratives
- Biographies
- Newspapers and magazines.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis is the quantitative research type that uses numerical data to make an argument. There are many different types of statistical analyses, but here are the three most common:
- Exploratory data analysis
- Confirmatory data analysis
- Regression analysis.
Focus Group
A focus group is a quantitative research technique that consists of a group of people who are together to discuss one or more topics. The discussion topic may be related to the participants' personal experiences, or it could be about specific products or brands.
Focus groups are used in marketing to get feedback from potential customers about what they do and don't like about certain products, for example. They're also used in political campaigns to get feedback from potential voters on how they feel about the candidate's platform.
There are many other applications for focus groups, but these two are the most common. However, it should be noted that there are some drawbacks to conducting focus groups.
One of the main drawbacks is that not all people will have an opportunity to participate in one. This can lead to bias in your data if you don't have a diverse group of participants with different backgrounds and opinions because you'll only have their opinions represented in your research results.
Correlational design.
Correlational design is a type of quantitative research that measures relationships between two or more variables.
For example, in order to determine if increased marketing leads to an increase in sales, you would conduct a study and measure the marketing spend and sales revenue for your company. You would then want to find out if there was a relationship between the two.
Also Check: Various Types of Research
If the marketing budget went up by 10% and sales revenue went up by 5%, you would know that there is a positive correlation (positive because both numbers are going up). If the marketing budget went up by 10% and sales revenue went down by 5%, you would know that there is a negative correlation (negative because they are going in opposite directions).