Quantitative Research

Good quality research provides evidence that is robust, ethical, stands up to scrutiny and can be used to inform policy making. It should adhere to principles of professionalism, transparency, accountability and auditability. 

Quantitative research is the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations.

You can use quantitative research methods for descriptive, correlational or experimental research.

Quantitative research methods

Research method	How to use	Example
Experiment	Control or manipulate   variable to measure its effect on a dependent variable.	To test whether an intervention can reduce procrastination in college students, you give equal-sized groups either a procrastination intervention or a comparable task. You compare self-ratings of procrastination behaviours between the groups after the intervention.
Survey	Ask questions of a group of people in-person, over-the-phone or online.	You distribute questionnaire with rating scales to first-year international college students to investigate their experiences of culture shock.
(Systematic) observation	Identify a behavior or occurrence of interest and monitor it in its natural setting.	To study college classroom participation, you sit in on classes to observe them, counting and recording the prevalence of active and passive behaviors by students from different backgrounds.