Quantitative Research and Education

¶ … Education

Ndunda (2004) defines research as the systematic use of several techniques to generate credible information regarding problems. This process helps in providing reliable and verifiable information rather than assumptions regarding the issue or problem being examined. Based on this definition, the research process can be defined as collecting and analyzing information regarding a specific issue to generate reliable information that leads to accurate conclusions. In most cases, the research process helps in generating information that can be utilized in effective decision making regarding a specific issue or problem. In the field of education, the research process involves the use of different techniques/methods to analyze an issue and provide reliable information about it.

In light of the definition of the research process, there are several steps involved with conducting research in order to generate reliable information. The first step in conducting research is identifying the issue or topic, which needs to be evaluated and answered through data collection and analysis. The second step is describing and implementing the processes for collecting information regarding the issue. During this process, the study participants or subjects are identified, data collection measures determined, and data collection process and activities identified (Ndunda, 2004). The third step is to evaluate the data using appropriate techniques identified in the previous step. The final step in conducting research is to provide the results or findings, implications, and conclusions based on data analysis.

There are different kinds of research techniques including quantitative, qualitative, mixed, and action research methodologies. Quantitative research is a research approach that focuses on studying cause-effect phenomena and investigating the relationship between variables in the issue being evaluated. This approach is objective and based on natural science methods since it involves testing hypotheses or theories through statistical data analysis procedures. The strength of this approach is its objectivity and the fact that it seeks to control the context. On the contrary, qualitative research methods focus on developing hypotheses on the issue being evaluated through interpretation of data. Unlike quantitative research methods that rely on numerical data, qualitative researches rely on words or phrases, which are examined to identify existing themes and patterns in data. The strength of this study is that it's more holistic and involves interactions between the researcher and participants (Ndunda, 2004).

Mixed research methods involve a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches (Johnson & Christensen, n.d.). Consequently, these researches adopt a multi-lens perspective in examining the issue as numerical data and words are analyzed. The strength of mixed methods researches is that they generate corroborated findings and are pragmatic. Action research is a concept that refers to a research approach that is carried out to solve an immediate issue or enhance problem-solving techniques. The strength of this approach is the fact that it entails a disciplined process and is carried out by parties that need to take action.