TYPES OF

QUANTITATIVE
RESEARCH
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.
There are four main types of Quantitative research:
1. DESCRIPTIVE
2. CORRELATIONAL
3. CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE/QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL
4. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
 DESCRIPTIVE
• Descriptive research can be quantitative as it gathers
quantifiable data to statistically analyze a population sample.
These numbers can show patterns, connections, and trends
over time and can be discovered using surveys, polls, and
experiments.
 CORRELATIONAL
• Correlational research is a type of non-experimental research
method in which a researcher measures two variables and
understands and assesses the statistical relationship between
them with no influence from any extraneous variable.

For example, being educated might negatively correlate with the

crime rate when an increase in one variable leads to a decrease in
another and vice versa.
 CAUSAL-COMPARATIVE/QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL

• The causal-comparative research method is used to identify a

cause and effect relatonship between two variables, where one
variable is dependent and another is independent. It has aspects
in common with experimentation but cannot be considered a
true experiment.

For example, to find out the difference in wages between men and
women.
 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

• Experimental research is a study conducted with a scientific

approach using two sets of variables. The first set acts as a
constant, which you use to measure the differences of the
second set.

• A simple example of an experimental design is a clinical trial,

where research participants are placed into control and
treatment groups in order to determine the degree to which
an intervention in the treatment group is effective.