№ 4(106) апрель, 2023 г.

DOI - 10.32743/UniPsy.2023.106.4.15254

A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SURVEY METHOD

FROM QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS

Yavuz Ercan Gul

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, assoc. prof.
Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Letters,
Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University,
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek
E-mail: yavuz.gul@manas.edu.kg, ydidim@gmail.com

ТЕОРЕТИЧЕСКИЙ ВЗГЛЯД НА МЕТОД ОПРОСА ИЗ МЕТОДОВ

КОЛИЧЕСТВЕННЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ

Явуз Эрджан Гуль

д-р пед. наук, доцент,
Департамент педагогических наук, факультет литературы,
Кыргызско-Турецкий Университет «Манас»,
Республика Кыргызстан, г. Бишкек
E-mail: yavuz.gul@manas.edu.kg, ydidim@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
This research was conducted to contribute to a better understanding of the survey method. The reason for this research
is some conceptual disagreements in the literature on survey research. In this context, the study includes issues such
as the approach on which the survey method is based, what survey research is, how the data are collected in this method
and how the sampling technique is used. The study was conducted based on document analysis method within the scope
of qualitative approach. The literature on the survey method was reviewed and the publications on this subject were
examined. As a result, it was understood that survey research is conducted to describe the characteristics of the population
with data taken from a sample representing a certain population. In this method, which is frequently used in quantitative
approach, the findings have the feature of being generalizable. Because survey research, which is based on the description
of the characteristics of the population through the sample, tries to reach generalizable information instead of in-depth
information. This feature of survey research does not allow the establishment of cause-effect relationships or the development
of theories. In quantitative survey method, data are generally collected through scales and questionnaires. It can be said
that data collection techniques in this method are more economical and easier compared to data collection techniques in
other methods. The quantitative survey method is carried out in two ways depending on the time interval: cross-sectional
and longitudinal.
АННОТАЦИЯ
Данное исследование было проведено с целью внести вклад в лучшее понимание метода опроса. Причиной
данного исследования являются некоторые концептуальные разногласия в литературе по исследованию опросов.
В связи с этим в исследование включены такие вопросы, как на каком подходе основан метод опроса, что такое
опросное исследование, как собираются данные при этом методе и как осуществляется техника выборки.
Исследование проводилось на основе метода анализа документов в рамках качественного подхода. В ходе иссле-
дования был проведен обзор литературы по методу опроса и изучены публикации по данной теме. В результате
было выяснено, что опросное исследование проводится для описания характеристик населения с помощью данных,
взятых из определенной выборки, представляющей конкретную совокупность. В этом методе, который часто
используется в количественном подходе, выводы имеют свойство быть обобщающими. Поскольку опросное
исследование, основанное на описании характеристик населения через выборку, пытается достичь обобщающей
информации, а не углубленной. Эта особенность опросных исследований не позволяет установить причинно-
следственные связи или разработать теории. При количественном методе исследования данные обычно собираются
с помощью шкал и анкет. Можно сказать, что методы сбора данных в этом методе более экономичны и просты
по сравнению с методами сбора данных в других методах. Количественный метод исследования проводится
двумя способами в зависимости от временного интервала: поперечным и продольным.

Keywords: quantitative Approach, Survey Method, Population, Sampling, Data Collection.

Ключевые слова: количественный подход, метод обследования, население, выборка, сбор данных.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________
Библиографическое описание: Yavuz E.G. A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SURVEY METHOD FROM
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS // Universum: психология и образование : электрон. научн. журн. 2023.
4(106). URL: https://7universum.com/ru/psy/archive/item/15254
№ 4(106)
Introduction
Quantitative research is a kind of research that fo-
cuses on solving problems using numbers. It's based on
testing a theory or hypothesis, and it uses statistical tech-
niques to measure how well it's working [1]. According
to Creswell [2], Quantitative research is a way of col-
lecting data through experiments and measurement
tools. Some studies rely on qualitative research, but
there are continuing debates about which method is bet-
ter [3].
There is a lot of disagreement among researchers
about how to study literature, and this has led to a dispute
about how to view literature. The root cause of this war is
the different beliefs held by the two approaches to philoso-
phy. The quantitative approach believes in the objectivity
and clarity of reality, while the qualitative approach
stresses the subjectivity and therefore the uncertainty of
reality. This is why the positivists have chosen the quan-
titative approach while the naturalists have chosen the
qualitative approach. Epistemological orientations, or ways
of looking at knowledge, can have different impacts on
the way research is conducted. Quantitative researchers
tend to be objectivists and positivists, which means that
they focus on using measurable data to make conclusions.
Qualitative researchers, on the other hand, are subjectivists
and anti-positivists, which means that they focus on using
their own thoughts and observations to make conclu-
sions [4, 5]. Applied scientists have learned that it is
important to use both approaches when working on pro-
jects. While some scientists believe that art and science
cannot be combined [6], others argue that the most im-
portant thing is finding a solution to the problem. This
group of scientists, known as pragmatists, believe that
both art and science can be used to help reach that goal [7].
There is some confusion about research methods,
with some people using the term "survey" to mean both
quantitative and qualitative research. But in quantitative
research, surveys usually follow a trend of being quan-
titative [8]. Survey research is used to learn more about
how different groups of people think, act, and feel [9].
Survey research is a type of research that uses statistical
data to study a group of people, in this case, all of the
people in the population. This type of research is based
on the idea that if you can generalize the characteristics
of the sample (the people involved in the study) to the
whole population, then your survey research is valid.
This is because surveys are designed to be as general as
possible, in contrast to research that focuses on specific
cases or individual experiences.
The lack of a complete consensus on the survey
method in the literature made it necessary to define the
survey method in detail. The conduct of this study also
stemmed from this necessity. In this study, which is
based on the question "What is the survey method?", the
definition of the survey method, data collection and
sampling techniques in this method are given and the ap-
plication of the survey method is explained.
Survey method
The quantitative survey method is used to collect
information from a sample of people, which can then
be used to generalize information about the population
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as a whole. According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary
[9], Surveys are ways of learning about people's opin-
ions, behaviors, and so on. Sometimes, people may be
asked to answer questions about themselves. This infor-
mation is then used to understand people better. Accord-
ing to Merriam-Webster Dictionary [10], survey is a
way to collect data from a group of people in order to
learn more about their behavior, needs, or opinions. It
also means to look at something in detail and think about
it carefully.
In survey research, we use sampling techniques to
collect data from a group of people. This allows us to get
a snapshot of what is happening in that group. We also
use data collection tools to help us collect this infor-
mation. And finally, we use data analysis techniques to
figure out what these data mean [11]. Questionnaires are
used to answer questions and solve problems, assess
needs, set goals, determine whether goals have been
achieved, form the basis for future comparisons, analyze
and explain trends over time, and what generally exists,
in what amount and at what level [12]. According to
Kraemer [13], quantitative survey research has the fol-
lowing three characteristics: (1) A survey is a way to
gather data about a group of people. This data can tell
you things like how many people there are, what their
ages are, and what kinds of things they like. (2) Quanti-
tative surveys involve collecting data from people,
which means that the results can be subjective. (3) Quan-
titative survey research involves selecting a small num-
ber of people from the larger population to study. This
helps to provide information that can be used to gener-
alize to the larger population.
Quantitative surveys involve collecting lots of data
from a lot of people. This information is used to learn
more about a specific thing, like what percentage of peo-
ple have a certain characteristic. Quantitative survey
methods are best used for research questions that are
based on individual opinions. Questionnaires are a good
way to collect data if the answers to the questions can
tell us something about the levels of variables. In re-
search like this, the researchers ask lots of questions
about many different things all at the same time, meas-
ure lots of different things, and see if any of their hy-
potheses about the things being studied are true [14].
Researchers study different variables in order to see
if there is a relationship between them. They create a
model to explain what is likely to happen between the
variables, and then ask people about their thoughts, feel-
ings, and opinions.
Sampling in Quantitative Survey
This type of research needs a large enough sample
size to accurately represent people who are important to
the study's purpose. To get a good idea of how people
feel (e.g., lecturers who are subjected to mobbing), a
sample of people is chosen. This sample is smaller than
the population (e.g., those who receive psychological
support after being subjected to mobbing), but it is still
a good idea to estimate how people in the whole popu-
lation feel. By taking a large number of people in the
study, it is more likely that the results of the study reflect
the entire population. This is because the people in the
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study share many of the same characteristics as the pop-
ulation as a whole. To conduct a study, you'll need to
know the characteristics of the population you're study-
ing well and take a random sample of that population in
which everyone has an equal chance of being included.
Quantitative research uses a different sampling method
than qualitative research. Quantitative research ran-
domly samples people or things, while qualitative re-
search purposefully selects people or things to study.
The sample group should be composed of individu-
als who represent the target population in terms of gen-
der, age, and socio-economic characteristics. For
example, Kutlay [15] studied how often English instruc-
tors at a university's School of Foreign Languages do re-
search. The researcher studied a sample of English
language instructors in Turkey and found that some of
them may have similar characteristics to those who
teach in Turkey as a whole. However, the results of this
study are only as good as the sample is similar to the
population as a whole.
Different methods may be used to select a sample
from a population, depending on the size and makeup of
the group, the environment where the sampling is taking
place, and the cost. Sample sizes vary, but they should
be as large as possible to be as accurate as possible.
Sometimes it's not possible to know the exact population
size, but the sample should be as close to the actual pop-
ulation as possible. Attewell and Rule [16] say that in
some cases it is possible to estimate the population based
on what is known about the group in question. This is
called theoretical sampling, and it is important that the
researcher identifies individuals who match the charac-
teristics of the group they are studying.
Data Collection Techniques
in Quantitative Research
Quantitative survey methods involve using ques-
tionnaires and scales to collect data. Questionnaires and
scales are often used in social science research to meas-
ure people's behavior [17]. Questionnaires are a type of
survey that can be used in social science research to
gather the views of a particular group of people. They
can be done on a street corner, or at the exit of a super-
market. Questionnaires can be very simple or they can
be part of a more rigorous study. Market research is a
type of survey that is used to learn about people's opin-
ions on products and services. Political surveys and
opinion polls are also types of surveys.
Questionnaires have been used for a long time to
collect opinions from people, but they are also being
used to collect data from sample groups in a careful and
scientific way. Researchers use tested strategies to make
sure the questionnaires are valid and reliable. The forms
can be used by the researcher himself/herself or by an
expert. When you use a measurement tool, you will often
find a set of statements that reflect the purpose of the
research. These statements will tell you things like what
the tool is measuring, how it was measured, and who was
involved in the measurement. In addition to the items in
the measurement tool, the demographic characteristics
of the sample group can also be included in the research
[18].
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апрель, 2023 г.
The researcher has explained the purpose of the
study to you in the introduction. You can now answer
the questions honestly, based on what you know. A
measurement tool can be given to the research partici-
pant in either paper or electronic form. There are differ-
ent ways to do things, and some ways are better than
others. You can either prefer one way or several ways
can be used together. In this study, you can choose how
you want to participate [19]. This way of doing research
means that people in the population can participate in the
study as much as they want. If someone doesn't have a
computer or the internet, they won't be left out. Some
surveys can be administered by the person doing the sur-
vey themselves, or by sending the survey out over the
internet [20]. This is a cheaper way to get a large sample
group, since it doesn't involve hiring a professional.
Strengths of the Quantitative Survey Method
Compared to other data collection tools, Question-
naires and scales are simple ways to gather data about
people. The census is a way to collect information about
the characteristics, actions, and opinions of a large pop-
ulation of people [21]. Quantitative survey techniques
allow you to collect more information about the sample
group than just the characteristics you would like to
measure [22]. Quantitative survey methods can help re-
searchers measure attitudes and opinions that are diffi-
cult to measure with observational methods. Briefly, the
following can be listed as the strengths of the quantita-
tive survey method: (1) Quantitative surveys allow you
to collect a lot of information from a lot of people. (2)
Survey techniques are very flexible, so they can be com-
bined with other methods to get more accurate results.
(3) If the sample chosen is representative of the popula-
tion as a whole, the data collection tool is likely to be
accurate and reliable. (4) Quantitative survey techniques
are cheaper and faster than other data collection meth-
ods. (5) Quantitative survey techniques allow research-
ers to collect information about people's attitudes using
numbers.
Weaknesses of the Quantitative Survey Method
Quantitative survey research is used to learn more
about a particular topic. There is a chance that the data
from a large group of people may not accurately repre-
sent the views of the individual participants, or that the
researcher may have chosen the questions in the meas-
urement tool in a way that favors their own views. In
addition, some of the data collected from quantitative
survey-based research cannot be used to test hypotheses
or develop theories [23]. Survey methods can't provide
precise measurements, but they can give estimates for a
particular group of people.
The quantitative survey method is a way of describing
the current situation of a problem. This feature helps pre-
dict what might happen in the future. However, it doesn't
always work out perfectly, because there is no one-to-one
correspondence between what is happening now and what
should happen. Not all survey results are equal. Some are
better than others, and you shouldn't use the best one to
decide what to do. Quantitative surveys can't tell us which
factors are causing people's behavior or attitudes [24].
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Quantitative survey methods are not the best way to
study things like events and phenomena. They can't cap-
ture all the details, so they may not be very accurate. In
addition, the accuracy of the results from a quantitative
survey is not always certain. Some people might give
wrong answers on tests to hide their less-than-perfect
qualities. Since people's answers can vary based on
things like their mood and environment, sometimes re-
spondents might give different answers to a question at
another time. The weaknesses of quantitative survey
techniques can be briefly listed as follows: (1) Do the
sample numbers accurately represent all the people in
the population? (2) Quantitative surveys only measure
how many people answered a question, without consid-
ering how good the information is. (3) Quantitative sur-
veys can sometimes have errors and biases.
Research Process in Quantitative Survey
The survey method involves taking different steps
to gather information. To study a topic, you need to
choose one. After that, you need to figure out what you
want to know by asking a question. Finally, you need to
find a way to measure what you want to know by using
a sample. After reviewing the literature, a research tool
is developed to test the hypothesis. Then, data are col-
lected using this tool. After the data have been collected,
the researchers analyze them to see if they support the
research question. They also collect information about
the people involved, such as their age and sex. This in-
formation about the people in your community can help
us learn more about them. The stages of the quantitative
survey method can be listed as follows: (1) To accu-
rately measure what people think and feel, we need to
know what we're trying to study. This is called the pur-
pose of the survey. (2) Looking at some studies that were
conducted using the survey method can help the re-
searcher understand the topic better. (3) Choosing the
right survey design is important if you want to get accu-
rate results from your study. (4) To collect data, we need
a sample. This means we'll pick a group of people and
study them. To choose the right group, we need to think
about the selection frame. This is the group from which
we'll choose our sample. (5) Sometimes people collect
data by using different kinds of instruments. (6) We will
апрель, 2023 г.
need to collect some data to help us understand what is
happening. (7) The data is being analyzed to see what
can be learned from it. (8) In order to publish the results
of your research, you will need to prepare an easy-to-
read report.
Conclusion
The survey method is a way to collect information
about a lot of people, which can help us learn more about
what they think and feel. The survey method is a re-
search method that is used to collect data that is not as
detailed as data that is collected using other methods.
This makes the survey method easier to understand and
use, which is why it is often used in quantitative re-
search. Relational research is a type of research where
scientists study relationships between different things.
For example, they might study how people interact with
each other, or how different groups of people interact.
Survey research is a type of research where scientists ask
a lot of people a lot of questions. In the survey method,
researchers collect information about a specific group of
people. This is different from correlational research,
which investigates the relationship between two or more
variables.
Surveys are used to collect data about different
things, such as how many people own a car or how often
they vote. Cross-sectional surveys take data at a single
time and look at what kinds of things are happening
among the people in the sample. Longitudinal surveys
look at how people's behavior changes over time, and
they use the same sample of people at different points in
time. A study in which the same people are studied over
time is called a cohort study. Questionnaires and scales
are used to collect data in surveys. Survey research is
based on the idea that data from a sample of people can
be generalized to a wider population. Questionnaires
and scales are different from other types of data because
they can produce information that is generally applica-
ble. Survey research is good at collecting data that is
broadly representative of the population, but it can't al-
ways determine why things happen or provide detailed
information.

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