Quantitative Research and University Retention

Quantitative Research3

Research Design4

Experimental Research4

Non-experimental Research5

Quasi-Experimental Research6

Introduction7

Literature review8

University retention activities8

Why students leave the university9

Effects of retention activities10

Research Methodology11

Type of research11

Approach of research12

Data collection12

Research hypothesis12

Discussion and Findings13

Conclusion13

Recommendations13

How we used the non-experimental research14

Appendices17

Quantitative Research and University Retention

Quantitative Research

In the educational research, there are methods which are commonly used vis-à-vis qualitative and quantitative method. In the qualitative method, the words are used to prove the research questions. On the other hand is the quantitative research in which numbers are used to prove the hypothesis. The data collection in the quantitative method is carried out through the primary and secondary method. In the quantitative method, there are different techniques for the collection of primary data. The primary data is the one which is previously not used by any other researcher. It collected through questionnaires, interviews and observation. On the contrary, there are different techniques for the collection of secondary data. The secondary data is one which is previously collected by any researcher, department or organization to present his view. This type of data saves the time, cost and energy. This data is available in books, articles, journals, government departments and newspapers.

The researchers are collecting quantitative data after creating hypothesis. This makes the direction clear and narrow down the work. At the end, there is large data which is further process through different statistical models. Today, there is the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software which calculates some 3000 models within a second. The results are then measured to find the relationships between/among the variables. Usually, there are six steps in the quantitative research.

Step 1: Developing hypotheses, models and theories to start the work.

Step 2: Developing methods and instruments to measures the data.

Step 3: Manipulation of variables and experimental control.

Step 4: Collection of data

Step 5: Analyzing and then modeling the data.

Step 6: Evaluating results of data.

Advantages of Quantitative research (Q.R)

The first greatest advantage of Q.R is the sampling which gives the direction of whole population.

The data is numerical which is easy to understand, analyze, and interpret.

The Q.R is the verifiable and reliable.

Research Design

According to some authors, research design is the heart of research. The main reason is that it is the research design which gives us procedures and methodology. In conducting research, it defines the study type, formulation of hypothesis, techniques for data collection and data analysis. The Q.R contains three well defined designs namely experimental, non-experimental and quasi-experimental. In this section, the major focus will be on these three designs.

Experimental Research

The experimental research is one in which experimenter has control over the process of research (Oklahoma State University 1997). It is somewhat artificial rather than natural. Like the research is conducted in the laboratory. The people are invited and then asked to perform any particular task. The philosophy behind the experimental research is that it finds out the cause-effect relationship. This cause-effect relation is extracted from the dependent and independent variables. Independent variable in the hypothesis is the cause which then shows effects in the dependent ...