Quantitative Research
Qualitative research may be further
classified as either experimental on non experimental.
1. Experimental research.
Experimental research involves a
study of the effect of the systematic manipulation of one variable on another variable.
The manipulated variable is called the experimental treatment or independent variable.
The observed and measured variable is called dependent variable. In experiment,
you seek to control all other variables that might influence the dependent
variable so that alternative explanations of finding can be eliminated. To have
a true experiment, subject must be randomly assigned to the experimental
treatments. Sometimes, however, researcher cannot randomly assign subjects to
experimental treatment of study.
2. Non experimental research
In non experimental research
qualitative research, the research identifies variables and may kook for
relationship among them, but does not manipulate the variable. Major forms of
non experimental research are ex post facto, correlation and survey research.
a. Ex post facto also called comparative research is similar to an
experiment, except the researcher does not manipulate the independent variable,
which has already occurred in the natural course of events. The researcher then
compress group differing on the independent variable to determine its effect on
the dependent variable. For example, to answer the question “Do first grade
children from single parent homes have more difficulty in school than children
from two-parent homes?” would require the ex post facto method. The
experimenter could not manipulate the backgrounds of the children by making
some one-parent families and others two-parent families, but instead would
identify the children from two-parent homes.
b. Correlation research
It seeks to examine the strength and
direction is expressed s numeric index. Examples of correlational research questions
are “Is there a relationship between the quality of writing samples produced by
incoming college fresh men and their performance during the freshmen year?” and
“what are the relationship among certain non-cognitive variable such as
academic self-concept motivation and motivation and leadership and college
freshmen’s academic achievement?”
c. Survey research
Uses instrument such as questioners
and interviews to gather information from group to subject. Surveys permit the researcher
to summarize the characteristic of different of different group or measure
their attitudes and opinion toward some issue. Researcher in education and the
social sciences use surveys widely.
