QUANTITATIVE STUDY

This research approach is an objective, formal, systematic process which numerical

data are used to quantify or measure phenomena and produce findings. It
describes, tests and examines cause effect relationships (Bums & Grove 1987),
using a deductive process of knowledge attainment.

PROS

Quantitative research demands random selection of the sample from

the study population and the random assignment of the sample to
the various study groups (Du 1985). Statistical sampling relies on
the study sample to develop general laws which can be generalized
to the larger population. The advantage of results obtained from
random sampling is that the findings have most likelihood of being
generalized.

Example:

1. This cross sectional study was conducted at Sungai Long campus of

University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). The campus includes Faculty of
Medicine & Health Sciences (FMHS) and Faculty of Accountancy &
Management (FAM). The questionnaire was administered to students enrolled
in FMHS and FAM of UTAR, Malaysia. Our research study received ethical
approval from UTAR Scientific and Ethical Review Committee. Participation
was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from each participant. All
the study participants were assured full confidentiality of the data collected.
The students were sampled by using convenience sampling method and we
administered a self-reported questionnaire. (Title Association of Dietary
Habits and Body Mass Index among University Students in Malaysia:
A Cross-Sectional Study by Nizar Abdul Majeed Kutty, Tin Yen Ru, Vincent
Hwang Qi Chiang, Wee Ying Zhi, year 2005).

2. A convenience sample of undergraduate students enrolled in the general

health class, Health and Human Behaviors, and those over the age of 18
years completed the assessment instrument (n=444). Health and Human
Behaviors is a course housed within the Department of Health, Human
Performance, and Recreation Department within the School of Education at
Baylor University. According to university records, a total of 606 students
were enrolled in HED 1145 during fall 2012, the semester data for this
research was collected.(Title A Theory-Based Investigation of Weight
 Change and Nutrition Behaviors among College Students by Kimber J.
Dillon, B.S.Ed.,year 2012)

3. This cross-sectional study was carried out from April to June 2010 at Istanbul
University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty. Nine hundred ninety five consecutive
medical students of the total student population in faculty had accepted to
enroll in the study. Students were given questionnaires and called to bring
them when completed. The students were grouped into two categories: 1.
preclinical (first 3 years of education) and 2. clinical (last 3 years of
education) term.(Title The Relationship between Medical Education
and Eating Habits Along with Mental Condition in Medical Students
by Yasin Ylmaz, Ece Vural, Dilara Ece Toprak, Elif Grdeniz, Elif Dede, M.
idem Oba, Hande Saygl, Murat Eml,year 2010)

4. The quantitative studies included pre-post interventions, comparing

outcomes before and after the intervention. Two studies used repeated
measures collecting follow-up data 3 to 4 months after the intervention
ended, and one study was longitudinal (White et al., 2009).

In quantitative research the investigator maintain a detached,

objective view in order to understand the facts (Duffy 1986). The use
of some methods may require no direct contact with subjects at all,
as in postal questionnaire surveys.

Examples:
1. The students were asked to fill the Eating Habits Questionnaire, Beck
Depression Inventory, and Physical Activity Inquiry, along with the General
Health State Inquiry. The Eating Habits Questionnaire consisted of 29
questions prepared by the researchers using the literature concerning diet
and eating and drinking habits, as was compatible with Turkish culture and
norms. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) consists of 21 questions and
assesses self-reported depressive symptoms.( Title The Relationship
between Medical Education and Eating Habits Along with Mental
Condition in Medical Students by Yasin Ylmaz, Ece Vural, Dilara Ece
Toprak, Elif Grdeniz, Elif Dede, M. idem Oba, Hande Saygl, Murat
Eml,year 2010)
 The research processes used in the quantitative approach include
descriptive, correlational, quasi-experimental and experimental
research (Cormack 1991) The strengths of such methods are that
both true experiments and quasi-experimental provide sufficient
information about the relationship between the variables under
investigation to enable prediction and control over future outcomes.
This is achieved by the ability of the researcher to manipulate an
independent variable m order to study its effects on the dependent
variable.

Examples:
What are the perceived social and physical environment factors and
associated self-efficacy levels for weight and nutrition behaviors among
college students?

1. Although these studies did not examine the differences across the
class years or by gender, these studies revealed that social norms and
environmental factors were positively associated with the nutrition
behaviors of college students. Social support and available resources
within their environment(fruits, vegetables, positive reinforcing factors,
etc.) increased the students likelihood to adopt healthy nutrition
behaviors (Ball et al., 2010; Strong et al., 2008)

2. Previous studies have confirmed that psychosocial and environmental

factors are contributing factors of the nutrition behaviors and weight
change among college students (Ha & Caine-Bish, 2009; Brunt &
Rhee,2008; Moczulski et al., 2007; Strong et al., 2008; LaCaille et al.,
2011).

3. Social environment has also been reported to have the greatest effect
on healthy eating
behaviors of college students (Sands et al., 1998).
 In this study, we have two objectives. First of all, we aimed to screen general health
states and eating and physical activity habits of medical students according to body
mass index and depression level. Secondly, we searched the effect of medical
education on eating and physical activity habits by dividing the students into two
groups: preclinical and clinical term.

4.Although it might be concluded from this study that medical education

affects eating and physical activity habits necessarily, the general
pictures show that medical students have unfavorable eating and physical
activity habits. Consistent with previous findings, depression level and sed-
entary lifestyle are too high among medical students.( Title The
Relationship between Medical Education and Eating Habits Along
with Mental Condition in Medical Students by Yasin Ylmaz, Ece Vural,
Dilara Ece Toprak, Elif Grdeniz, Elif Dede, M. idem Oba, Hande Saygl,
Murat Eml,year 2010)

The data collected in quantitative research are, as mentioned, hard and

numerical .The strength of producing numbers as data is that this
demonstrates an ordered system. Such an approach could be viewed as
being necessary for an organization.

Examples:

1. Such an approach could be viewed as being necessary m an organization as

big as the NHS, for as Spencer (1983) suggests, preparing an off-duty rota for
5000 employees needs quantitative methods and a computer.

Quantitative research is considered more reliable than qualitative

investigation .This is because a quantitative approach aims to control or
eliminate extraneous variables within the internal structure of the study, and
the data produced can also be assessed by standardized testing
Examples:
1. This quantitative strength can be seen in the comparative analysis of
patients' and nurses' perceptions about nursing activities m a postpartum
unit, conducted hy Morales-Maim (1989)

The final activity for which quantitative research is especially suited is the
testing of hypotheses. We might want to explain something, for example
whether there is a relationship between students achievement and their self-
esteem and social background.
cons

A limitation of the present study was the relatively small sample of students.
The low return rate during senior year (204 of 764 students who were
assessed as freshmen) may have been attributable to the seniors off-campus
living arrangements and competing time demands (eg, final exams, job
interviews).

Examples:

1. With the result that many studies use more easily obtained opportunistic
samples (Duffy 1985). This inhibits the possibilities of generalization,
especially if the sample is too small. This is demonstrated in the study by
Gould (1985) who investigated nurses knowledge of isolation procedures
 within a specific health distinct The study makes interesting comments.
But it is not possible to generalize from its findings as the sample is too
small.

The ethical weakness of quantitative research concerns the formulation of

hypotheses.
Example:
1. Eventual findings of the research do not support this Dewis (1989) used a
qualitative approach her study of adolescents and young adults with
spinal cord abnormalities, because of the absence of specific previous
research and the ethical dilemma of formulating a hypothesis on
assumptions The quantitative approach, for this reason alone, proved
valuable for this particular nursing study

That quantitative methods treat people merely as a source of data

Example:

1. Spencer (1983) argues that little is derived from such an induct researcher-
subject relationship especially the health care setting. His major criticism is
that the detached approach treats the participants as though they are objects
and, as such, places hospitals on par with car repair garages Cormack (1991)
also emphasizes the weaknesses of such an approach. She argues that the
research participants are usually kept in the dark about the study, and are
often left untouched by the research itself but are expected to transfer the
findings into practice.

Poor researcher-subject relationship in quantitative research

Example:

1. This strength can also be argued to be the weakness of the quantitative

method, especially where nursing research is concerned. The methodology
dismisses the experiences of the individual as unimportant, which is,
demonstrated m the Bockmon & Rieman study (1987), and regards human
beings as merely reacting and responding to the environment (Cormack
1991) This causes difficulties m nursing research, because nursing uses an
hosstic view of people and their environment and, according to Bnones &
Cecchini (1991), quantitative methods do not permit this approach.
CONCLUSION

Although quantitative and qualitative methods are different, one approach is not
superior to the other, both have recognized strengths and weaknesses and are used
ideally m combination. It can therefore be argued that there is no one best method
of developing knowledge and that exclusively valuing one method restricts the
ability to progress beyond its inherent boundaries. Recognizing the tension between
researchers about quantitative and qualitative research, and attempting to
understand it, may serve to create relevant and distinctive modes of enquiry

Quantitative or qualitative research for nursing it may also help the implication
rather than the division of nursing scholars. From examining research in nursing,
qualitative approaches appear to be invaluable for the exploration of subjective
experiences of patients and nurses, while quantitative methods facilitate the
development of quantifiable information

References

Atwood J R (1985) Advancing nursmg science quantitative

approaches Western Journal of Nursing Research 6(3) Suppl,

9-15

Banich G (1981) Moral tales parents' stones of encounters with

the health profession Sociology of Health and Illness 3(3),

275-296

Benohel JQ (1985) Advancing nursing science qualitative

approaches Western Journal of Nursing Research 6(3) Suppl,

1-8

Bockmon D F & Rieman D J (1987) Qualitative versus quanUtatlve

nursing research Holistic Nursing Practice 2(1), 71-75

References

Best, J.W. and Kahn, J.V., Research in Education, New York: PrenticeHall,

1993.

Bogdan, R.C. and Biklen, S.K., Qualitative Research, Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 1992.