One of the most common classic models for carrying out certain types of research is quantitative.
Below we will take a tour of this concept, first to learn about its main qualities and uses, and then to delve into a list with different quantitative research examples that will complement this previous theoretical introduction.
Although the main objective of this article is to be able to review a list of examples of quantitative research, it is necessary to have a theoretical base that allows us to delve into this field. Therefore, we will dedicate this first part to reviewing the most important data in this regard.
Quantitative research is a way of doing science through empirical studies whose data is collected using numerical tools That is, the phenomena observed by the researcher can be quantified and recorded, either in a statistical, computational or general mathematical way.
The fundamental difference with qualitative research, as we will discover later when reviewing the list of examples of quantitative research, is that in the latter you can assign a number, a value, to the condition studied, and discover if it increases or decreases when it is analyzed. exposes the subject to a specific stimulus.
With the data collected from the selected population sample, the researcher will be able to extrapolate the conclusions to the entire population, provided that a sufficiently representative sample has been selected and all the study variables have been controlled. This type of research is objective and aims to verify the validity of previous hypotheses
Types of quantitative research
Likewise, before moving on to the examples of quantitative research, we must know the typologies of this type of work. We will review them below.
1. Descriptive research
We can find several ways to do quantitative research. The first of them is the descriptive one, the simplest but also the most essential, since refers to the researcher’s prior observation of the phenomenon and about which he has already established the first hypotheses to try to explain what he has recorded.
A more elaborate form is what we find with analytical research. In this case, An element that is key to the study is introduced: the comparison between the study group and the control group that is, between a group that is subjected to a certain stimulus, and a group that is not subjected to it, in order to verify what changes are due to said element.
3. Experimental research
In the previous case, it is important to keep in mind that the researcher does not apply any stimulus, he simply limits himself to observing the group that is already receiving it. If, deliberately, the researcher applied certain conditions to a group of people and compared it with another group, the control, we would be talking about experimental research We will see some cases in the list of examples of quantitative research.
4. Quasi-experimental research
The last type is quasi-experimental research, and is halfway between analytical and experimental. In this case, The selection of participants in the groups is not random, but individuals are deliberately selected to try to balance the conditions of both groups.
Different examples of quantitative research
After establishing a knowledge base about this topic, it is time to delve into the examples of quantitative research, with which we will acquire a complete perspective of this type of studies. Below we will see some of the most representative ones.
1. Pharmacological tests
One of the easiest ways to visualize the concept at hand is to think about studies to verify the effectiveness of a certain drug, something that is done continuously but is perhaps more visible in recent times due to the bombardment of information related to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19. The tests that are done to test possible vaccines are one of the examples of quantitative research.
In this case, Two groups are created, one experimental, to which the potential vaccine is applied and another control, which only receives a placebo After some time, the infection rates experienced by both groups are compared and it is concluded that the difference in favor of the experimental group is the effectiveness rate of the vaccine in question. Among the types that we saw before, this would be an example of experimental research.
If, on the other hand, we want to visualize a case of descriptive research, we could think about the work that zoologists do when they find a new species. They record all the measurements of the individual found to establish what the average characteristics of that animal are. The difference with the previous example is that in this case, the researcher limits himself to describing what he is seeing, without influencing the subject at all.
This would be another example of quantitative research that helps us better understand what types of studies we can find.
3. Satisfaction surveys
Another typical case in which anyone may have participated at some time is the well-known satisfaction surveys. Many companies and organizations contact the users of their products or services after consuming them, to propose some brief questions aimed at giving a numerical value to their satisfaction. It may be through a phone call, automated or not, through email or through other methods.
It is a method used constantly, as it allows companies to obtain very valuable statistical information at a reduced cost, which helps them improve the quality of their services. Therefore, it is one of the clearest and most abundant examples of quantitative research that we find in our daily lives.
4. Audience measurement
Also in the commercial field, another of the most common techniques is the measurement of the audiences of the published audiovisual content, or what is the same, the impact of these These studies can be adapted to the medium in which the campaign in question was launched. For example, in the most traditional ones, such as television or radio, audience measurements are carried out.
In the most modern platforms, such as publications on social networks, the impact is measured through different factors, such as the views received, the number of interactions (“likes” or equivalent, comments, times it has been shared). , etc.) or the number of clicks on the hyperlink.
All this data is quantified mathematically and allows the researcher to carry out a detailed analysis of the level of success of the campaign It would, therefore, be one of the examples of quantitative research that we should take into account the most due to its usefulness and frequency of use.
Of course, we cannot forget about psychological experiments as another example of quantitative research. We find countless of them, and from many different categories. Most of these studies are experimental, that is, with a group that will be affected by a variable introduced by the researcher, and in comparison with a control group, which will not be subjected to said change.
Thanks to these works, experimental psychology has managed to accumulate great knowledge about the functioning of the human mind establishing associations about the responses that individuals tend to emit when faced with a specific stimulus and under certain conditions.
6. General statistics
National organizations, such as the National Institute of Statistics, in the case of Spain, are dedicated to carrying out an enormous amount of quantitative research work. Thanks to these registries, other researchers can benefit from the enormous collection of data and analyze it based on the studies they are carrying out This type of databases offer information about a multitude of variables that affect the population of a territory.
We can segment this population based on variables such as sex, age, the region in which they live, the level of training achieved, the labor sector in which they are included, and many others. You can also consult statistics about birth rates, mortality, crime, and other different issues. These data are public, so anyone can take advantage of them to carry out studies and generate new knowledge.
This would be the last of the different examples of quantitative research that we have been able to review, which have helped us to complement that first theoretical introduction with which the article began, so that we can now have the complete perspective of the implications of this form. to do science.
