Quantitative methodology
is the dominant research framework in the social sciences. It refers to a set of strategies, techniques and assumptions used to study psychological, social and economic processes through the exploration of numeric patterns. Quantitative research gathers a range of numeric data. Some of the numeric data is intrinsically quantitative (e.g. personal income), while in other cases the numeric structure is imposed (e.g. ‘On a scale from 1 to 10, how happy did you feel last week?’).
The collection of quantitative information allows researchers to conduct simple to extremely sophisticated statistical analyses that aggregate the data (e.g. averages, percentages), show relationships among the data (e.g. ‘Students with lower grade point averages tend to score lower on a depression scale’) or compare across aggregated data (e.g. the USA has a higher gross domestic product than Spain).
Quantitative research includes methodologies such as questionnaires, structured observations or experiments and stands in contrast to qualitative research. (Qualitative research involves the collection and analysis of narratives and/or open-ended observations through methodologies such as interviews, focus groups or ethnographies -- not numerical data. You'll learn more about this in the second tutorial in this guide).
These books and others referenced in this tutorial will be included in the page "6. Additional Resources".
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation by
In an era of curricular changes, experiments, and high-stakes testing, educational measurement and evaluation are more important than ever. In addition to expected entries covering the basics of traditional theories and methods, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation also covers important sociopolitical issues and trends influencing the future of that research and practice.
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