The Process of

Conducting Research
Using Quantitative
and Qualitative
Approaches
Submitted by PRISCA
RAYMUNDO
 Introduction
Educational institutions must respond to the rapid changes to
knowledge-driven socioeconomic, political, and technological developments
in the twenty-first century. In the context of these changing conditions,
education is faced with the task to conduct research studies that will cover
every aspect. This will help the education-governing bodies such as
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Education
(DepEd) to reconceptualize and reengineer its mission and roles, develop
national strategies, and impose policies and practices that will coincide with
the expectations of the society.

Considering the task of understanding the society, of determining the

responsiveness of the education system to the needs of Filipinos, of improving
not only education but the country as a whole, educators and scholars have to
do research work interdependently. There is a need to produce educators who
are competent to do research work and to produce graduates who are
problem-solvers. The ability to create research questions and to design and
conduct an educational research is a challenge however; one must also strive
to develop his/her skills in understanding concepts and in evaluating research
studies conducted or published by other researchers. Our society is driven by
research thus we have to be “research-literate”.

Educational research is a process of solving problems related to

education. It is a careful and critical search for the knowledge linked to
education. It is the formal process to correct errors, manipulate and control
variables, verify and extend theories and generalities and discover new things
with an ultimate objective – to advance the welfare of the society.

This paper presents the foundation of educational research. Qualitative

and quantitative approaches in educational research are discussed in a
summarized manner. Hereafter, a body of reflection on developing qualitative
and quantitative research designs follows. Personal analyses on different
types of educational research designs are discussed. Conclusion and
recommendations are also included.

Summary
This section presents the summary of Chapter 1 in a study note manner with
the following objectives:

◆ To define and describe the importance of educational research

◆ To identify the six steps in the process of research

◆ To identify the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative

research in the six steps

◆To identify the similarities and differences between quantitative

and qualitative research

◆ To identify the type of research designs associated with quantitative

and qualitative research

◆ To discuss important ethical issues in conducting research

◆ To recognize skills needed to design and conduct research

◆ Define and describe the importance of educational research.

Definition

Research is a process in which you engage in a small set of logical steps.

Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to

increase our understanding of a topic or issue. At a general level,
research consists of three steps:

1. Pose a question.

2. Collect data to answer the question.

3. Present an answer to the question.

Importance of Educational Research

 Research Adds to Our Knowledge

o ADD INFORMATION. Adding to knowledge means that educators
undertake research to contribute to existing information about
issues.
o ANSWER QUESTIONS. Through research we develop results that
help to answer questions, and as we accumulate these results, we
gain a deeper understanding of the problems.
o FILLS GAP. A research report might provide a study that has not
been conducted and thereby fill a void in existing knowledge.
o VALIDATE. It can also provide additional results to confirm or
disconfirm results of prior studies.
o IMPROVE. It can help add to the literature about practices that
work or advance better practices that educators might try in their
educational setting.
o DISCOVER. It can provide information about people and places
that have not been previously studied.

 Research Improves Practice

 o APPLICATION. Research results can impact teacher training or any
other aspect of education. Individuals in educational settings
need to be aware of results from investigations, to know how to
read research studies, to locate useful conclusions from them, and
to apply the findings to their own unique situations.
o GROWTH. Research offers practicing educators new ideas to
consider as they go about their jobs.
o RESILIENCE. Educators can learn about new practices that have
been tried in other settings or situations.
o ASSESSMENT. Research also helps practitioners evaluate
approaches that they hope will work with individuals in
educational settings. This process involves sifting through
research to determine which results will be most useful.
o INTERDEPENDENCE. At a broader level, research helps the
practicing educator build connections with other educators who
are trying out similar ideas in different locations.

 Research Informs Policy Debates

o POLICY FOUNDATION. Research provides information to policy
makers when they research and debate educational topics.
Research offers results that can help policy makers weigh various
perspectives and informed about current debates and stances on
education.

◆ Six steps in the process of research.

1. Identifying a research problem

2. Reviewing the literature

3. Specifying a purpose for research

4. Collecting data

5. Analyzing and interpreting the data

 6. Reporting and evaluating research

◆ Identify the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research in

the six steps.

In quantitative research the major characteristics are:

1. Describing a research problem through a description of trends or a

need for an explanation of the relationship among variables

2. Providing a major role for the literature through suggesting the

research questions to be asked and justifying the research problem
and creating a need for the direction (purpose statement and
research questions or hypotheses) of the study

3. Creating purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses that

are specific, narrow, measurable, and observable

4. Collecting numeric data from a large number of people using

instruments with preset questions and responses

5. Analyzing trends, comparing groups, or relating variables using

statistical analysis, and interpreting results by comparing them
with prior predictions and past research

6. Writing the research report using standard, fixed structures and

evaluation criteria, and taking an objective, unbiased approach

In qualitative research, we see different major characteristics at each stage

of the research process:

1. Exploring a problem and developing a detailed understanding of a

central phenomenon

2. Having the literature review play a minor role but justify the
problem
 3. Stating the purpose and research questions in a general and broad
way so as to the participants’ experiences

4. Collecting data based on words from a small number of individuals

so that the participants’ views are obtained

5. Analyzing the data for description and themes using text analysis
and interpreting the larger meaning of the findings

6. Writing the report using flexible, emerging structures and

evaluative criteria, and including the researchers’ subjective
reflexivity and bias

◆Similarities and Differences between Quantitative

and Qualitative Research

Similarities

 Both forms of research follow the six steps in the process of

research.
 Both quantitative and qualitative data collection may employ
similar approaches, such as interviews or observations.

Table 1. The Differences between Quantitative

and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

ON RESEARCH research problem the research problem
PROBLEM section is used to direct discussion is typically
the types of questions or used to establish the
hypotheses asked in the importance of the
study central idea

ON DATA COLLECTION use more closed-ended qualitative approaches

approaches in which the use more open-ended
 researcher identifies set approaches in which the
response categories inquirer asks general
(e.g., strongly agree, questions of
strongly disagree, and so participants, and the
forth) participants shape the
response possibilities
ON DATA ANALYSIS the investigator relies on statistics are not used to
statistical analysis analyze the data;
(mathematical analysis) instead, the inquirer
of the data, which is analyzes words (e.g.,
typically in numeric transcriptions from
form interviews) or images
(e.g., photographs)
ON REPORT WRITING following the typical some of the sections
introduction, literature may be missing and the
review, methods, results, format may be more of a
and conclusion sections literary opening, an
unfolding story, the use
of extensive quotes from
participants, and
personal reflections
from the researcher.

Three important factors to know when to use a quantitative or a qualitative

approach

1. Match your approach to your research problem.

For quantitative research - problems best suited are those

in which trends or explanations need to be made.
For qualitative research - the problems need to be explored
to obtain a deep understanding.

2. The approach needs to fit the audience(s) for the research

report.
 Educators write for several audiences, such as policy
makers, faculty and graduate committees, editors and
review boards, evaluators of grant proposals, and
individuals in schools or educational settings.

3. Relate your approach to your personal experience and training.

For quantitative researcher - A quantitative researcher

typically has taken some courses or training in
measurement, statistics, and quantitative data collection,
such as experiments, correlational designs, or survey
techniques.

For qualitative researcher - Qualitative researchers need

experience in field studies in which they practice gathering
information in a setting and learning the skills of observing
or interviewing individuals.

◆ Identify the type of research designs associated with quantitative and

qualitative research.

Research designs are the specific procedures involved in the research process:
data collection, data analysis, and report writing.

1. Experimental Designs

 Seek to test whether an educational practice or idea makes a

difference for individuals.
 Experimental designs (also called intervention studies or group
comparison studies) are procedures in quantitative research in
which the investigator determines whether an activity or
materials make a difference in results for participants.
 Assess by giving one group one set of activities (called an
intervention) and withholding the set from another group.
2. Correlational Designs

 Focuses more on examining the association or relation of one or

more variables than in testing the impact of activities or materials.
 Correlational designs are procedures in quantitative research in
which investigators measure the degree of association (or
relation) between two or more variables using the statistical
procedure of correlational analysis.
 To accomplish this, study a single group of individuals rather than
two or more groups as in an experiment.

3. Survey Designs

 Used when you seek to describe trends in a large population of

individuals.
 Survey designs are procedures in quantitative research in which
you administer a survey or questionnaire to a small group of
people (called the sample) to identify trends in attitudes,
opinions, behaviors, or characteristics of a large group of people
(called the population).

4. Grounded Theory Designs

 Used when you might examine a number of individuals who have

all experienced an action, interaction, or process
 Grounded theory designs are systematic, qualitative procedures
that researchers use to generate a general explanation (grounded
in the views of participants, called a grounded theory) that
explains a process, action, or interaction among people.
 Include primarily collecting interview data, developing and
relating categories (or themes) of information, and composing a
figure or visual model that portrays the general explanation
 Construct predictive statements about the experiences of
individuals

5. Ethnographic Designs
  Used when you are interested in studying one group of
individuals, in examining them in the setting where they live and
work, and in developing a portrait of how they interact.
 Ethnographic designs are qualitative procedures for describing,
analyzing, and interpreting a cultural group’s shared patterns of
behavior, beliefs, and language that develop over time.
 Provide a detailed picture of the culture-sharing group, drawing
on various sources of information
 Describe the group within its setting, explores themes or issues
that develop over time as the group interacts, and details a
portrait of the group.

6. Narrative Research Designs

 Used to tell the stories of one or two individuals.

 Narrative research designs are qualitative procedures in which
researchers describe the lives of individuals, collect and tell
stories about these individuals’ lives, and write narratives about
their experiences.

7. Mixed Methods Designs

 Used when you decide to collect both quantitative data (i.e.,

quantifi able data) and qualitative data (i.e., text or images)
 Mixed methods designs are procedures for collecting, analyzing,
and mixing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single study
or in a multiphase series of studies
 Decision is required on the emphasis you will give to each form of
data (priority), which form of data you will collect first
(concurrent or sequential), how you will “mix” the data
(integrating or connecting), and whether you will use theory to
guide the study (e.g., advocacy or social science theory)

8. Action Research Designs

  Often utilize both quantitative and qualitative data, but they focus
more on procedures useful in addressing practical problems in
schools and the classrooms
 Action research designs are systematic procedures used to gather
quantitative and qualitative data to address improvements in
their educational setting, their teaching, and the learning of their
students
 Seek to address and solve local, practical problems, such as a
classroom-discipline issue for a teacher.
 Other objectives include: to empower, transform, and emancipate
individuals in educational settings.

◆ Discuss important ethical issues in conducting research.

All educational researchers need to be aware of and anticipate ethical

issues in their research. According to the 1978 National Commission for the
Protection of Human Subjects on Biomedical and Behavioral Research and its
Belmont Report (Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1978), the
three basic principles in conducting ethical and sound research includes the
following:

o 1. The beneficence of treatment of participants (maximizing good

outcomes and minimizing risk),
o 2. Respect for participants (protecting autonomy and ensuring
well-informed, voluntary participation),
o 3. Justice (a fair distribution of risk and benefits).

These ethical standards are available and monitored by institutional

review boards and professional associations. These institutions provide
guidelines in conducting ethical research as well as protect the rights of the
researchers and also impose limitations for the welfare of both the
researchers and the participants. More of this will be discussed in the analysis
section of this paper.
A. Ethical Practices throughout the Research Process

 Ethics must be considered before starting anything else in

conducting an educational research
 Ethics has to be observed during the entire research process.

B. Some Ethical Issues in Data Collection

 Ask permission before entering a site, by disturbing the site as

little as possible during a study, and by viewing oneself as a
“guest” at the place of study.
 Gain access through gatekeepers (or officials) for example
research official in the school district, the principal of the school,
etc.
 Publish only positive results, or fail to disclose the purpose of the
study to participants
 Involve stakeholders in assessing risk to participants
 Do not pressure participants into signing consent forms (S. Levy,
personal communication, May 3, 2010),
 Do not engage in practices that create power imbalances
 Respect norms of indigeneous cultures

C. Some Ethical Issues in Data Reporting

 Respect audiences who read and use information from studies

 Report the data honestly
 Do not change or alter the findings to satisfy certain predictions
or interest groups
 Provide those at the research site with a preliminary copy of any
publications
 Do not plagiarize other studies, and credit should be given for
material quoted from other studies.
 Make your research be understandable and free of jargon to
those being studied
 Make every effort to communicate the practical significance of our
research to the community of researchers and practitioners
  Produce research that is of high quality, and report their results
that convey basic assumptions they are making
 Researchers should openly share their findings
 Results should be published and disseminated, even though they
may present findingsare contrary to accepted standards

◆ Recognize skills needed to design and conduct research.

 Solving puzzles, focusing attention on topics

 Practicing good writing and editing
 Learning how to use the academic library
 To locate useful literature for a study

Body of Reflection
The reflective and interrogative processes required for
developing effective qualitative and quantitative research questions can
give shape and direction to a study in ways that are often
underestimated. Good research questions do not necessarily produce
good research, but poorly conceived or constructed questions will likely
create problems that affect all subsequent stages of a study (Agee,
2008). Studying the basics of educational research has opened a new
door for me to step in. Research is not only a subject that is taught
within the four walls of the classroom but research has to go beyond
that. The future of education lies on the hands of the researchers. I
realized the importance of educational research in which its outcome
helps us understand situations or phenomenon and it also helps us
determine the best solutions to problems. Most importantly, it made me
appreciate that educational research serves as the backbone of
education. Good educational system and effective educational policies
depend on good research. Thus, a good research study for me is a
research designed to create transferrable product whether knowledge,
module, policy, and solution which can help the society. Based on my
opinion, a good research study does not depend on the complexity of
research method and the number of data tools used but rather depends
on how well it has delivered its purpose or how well it has answered the
research question.

In starting a research study, the researcher must first create a

research question. What has to be done? What has to be answered?
What has to be explained? The researcher must bear a clear set of
objectives in mind. In our everyday lives we often face situations that
need to be solved for example, budgeting money for today’s lunch and
research is like that. There is a problem that needs to be answered and
needs to be explained. The researcher must also consider the research
design to be used. It is overwhelming to know that there are many types
of designs in educational research which includes qualitative and
quantitative designs. Being a novice in research, I think it is better to
know the problem first then identify the type of research design to be
followed than the other way around. If the researcher will choose the
type of research design first and then look for a problem that fits to that
design, the researcher will be left with limited area to work on. In other
words, there can be a lot of problems needed to be solved in other areas
but the researcher only chose to work on a design in which he or she is
comfortable with. This will block or slow the development of research. A
researcher needs to be flexible. Flexibility means that a researcher must
be open to learn new methods, new principles, and new concepts. There
might be a research problem that will not fall under one research design
only. In this case, conceptualizing for a research design is very
important and is one of the most critical steps when conducting an
educational research study. An appropriate statistical analysis is also
needed if the research design requires it, especially in experimental
design. Before conducting the experiment or the study, the researcher
must have a thorough knowledge on what his/her research is all about.
The statistical analyses to be used must be determined prior to data
gathering. Although nowadays, there is a new statistical tool called
semiparametric analysis which incorporates both parametric and non-
parametric analyses into one equation and statistical software that can
create mathematical model out of the data gathered, it is still important
that the researcher must know what analysis to be used before
conducting an experiment. All research studies must be guarded in a
way that it has to conform to the ethical rules set by the institution to
protect the researcher and the participants. For example, there are
things that need confidentiality. One good example is in studying the
relationship between the use of drugs and school performance, the
names of the students or participants must not be published.

Being a researcher and to produce an educational research that is

of good quality is not easy. Even creating a good research question is
confusing to a person who is just starting to learn. Writing a research
proposal takes dedication and hard work. It definitely needs
 comprehension. I can say that I am still only at the beginning of the
journey. I am still learning to comprehend and understand every
definition and every section of the paper. I am grateful that the door
going to the path of educational research has been opened to me.

Analysis
In this section, examples of qualitative and quantitative studies
conducted in the Philippines is discussed and analyzed.

EXAMPLE OF A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

“Developing and Applying TPACK for a Blended Learning Environment: A Rural

Higher Education Experience in the Philippines”
AUTHOR: Betchie E. Aguinaldo of Isabela State University, Cauayan City, Philippines
SOURCE: The Countryside Development Research Journal, An official peer-reviewed journal published by
Samar State University Vol. 4 Issue 1, 2016.

ON RESEARCH PROBLEM/QUESTION: Is the integration of technology called

Technological Pedadogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model for
blended learning environment applicable and effective to a technology-
deprived university?

A quantitative research problem section is used to direct the types of

questions or hypotheses asked in the study. In this paper, the author would
like to know the effectiveness of TPACK for BLE in a technology-deprived
school. There are two hypotheses to be approved or rejected and the
hypotheses are:

1. The integration of TPACK for BLE in a technology-deprived school is

effective.
 2. The integration of TPACK for BLE in a technology-deprived school is
not effective.

ON DATA COLLECTION: First, the author developed the TPACK. The

participants are then divided into two groups which are the experimental
group and the control group. The experimental group was taught using TPACK
blended learning approach while the control group was taught using the
traditional method of teaching. A pretest and posttest achievement test was
given to both groups. This study used a randomized pretest and posttest
quasi-experimental research design.

Data collection in quantitative research use more closed-ended

approaches in which the researcher identifies set response categories (e.g.,
strongly agree, strongly disagree, and so forth). In this study, the set response
categories were based on the scores during the pretest and posttest
achievement test.

ON DATA ANALYSIS: A t-test for independent means was used to determine

the significant difference between the pretest and posttest result of the data
gathered.

In quantitative research, the investigator relies on statistical analysis

(mathematical analysis) of the data, which is typically in numeric form. In this
case, the researcher used a statistical analysis software SPSS v16.0 to run a t-
test to know if there is a significant difference in the pretest and posttest
scores between the experimental group and the control group. It also
generated the mean and standard deviation.

ON REPORT WRITING: The paper was written in an organized manner

starting with introduction, methodology, results and discussions, conclusion,
and references. This is the typical format for quantitative research.
 EXAMPLE OF A QUALITATIVE STUDY

“A Case Study of Reading Instruction in a Philippine Classroom”

AUTHOR: Maria Selena Protacio from Department of Special Education and Literacy Studies, Western
Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.
SOURCE: Published in Asia Pacific Journal of Education (2013); doi: 10.1080/02188791.2013.788477

ON RESEARCH PROBLEM/QUESTION: What reading looked like in an

elementary school setting in the Philippines? How is reading perceived in this
classroom?

A qualitative research problem discussion is typically used to establish the

importance of the central idea, in this case on reading instruction in a
Philippine classroom. It differs from a quantitative research in which there is
no hypothesis to be accepted or rejected.

ON DATA COLLECTION: An ethnographic case study approach was used for

this study. Classroom observations were done. The author observed the class
for eight weeks with a total of 21 classroom observations, each of which lasted
60–75 minutes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the
classroom teacher, six focal students, and the head teacher of the school, the
equivalent of the assistant principal in US schools. Three interviews were
conducted with the classroom teacher while two interviews were held with
five of the focal students. The head teacher was also interviewed once to
obtain more background information about the school.

Qualitative approaches use more open-ended approaches in which the

inquirer asks general questions of participants, and the participants shape the
response possibilities. In this study, the author prepared questions for
interview.

ON DATA ANALYSIS: The field notes and interview transcripts were analyzed
and coded based on recurring themes, patterns, and ideas. Open and focused
codes were applied to the field notes. Examples of open codes were reading
aloud, student response, and spelling drills. Triangulation of codes and themes
was applied across interview transcripts, field notes and various classroom
and school artifacts.

Statistics are not used to analyze the data which makes it different from
a quantitative study. Instead, the inquirer analyzes words (e.g., transcriptions
from interviews).

ON REPORT WRITING: The paper was written differently from that of the
quantitative study. Findings as the results and discussion and the paragraphs
were constructed the format is more of a literary opening, the use of extensive
quotes from participants, and personal reflections from the researcher.

Below is an excerpt of the findings which includes quotes from the participant
and personal reflection from the researcher.

Selena: Well what do you think are things you have to work on as a reader?

Michelle: Pronunciation. So that they can understand me, I need to read it fast.
It’s like when I see a short word in the book, I have a problem with the
pronunciation. Selena: I’ve seen you read in front of the class a couple of times.
Are you confident when you read out loud to your classmates?

Michelle: I’m used to it but when it’s stuff onstage, I get nervous, of course.
Selena: What do you do or you and your mom do so you can fix what is lacking in
your pronunciation?

Michelle: What Ma’am Mendoza taught us, the breathing exercises. Mommy
encourages me to do that. Selena: So you do it. When do you do this?

Michelle: Every Saturday and Sunday before I go to sleep. Just so that my voice
will be relaxed.

In her interview, Michelle focused on the oral aspect of reading. At home she did
breathing exercises so that she would perform better at school as an oral reader.
Interestingly, Michelle did not mention being anxious about her comprehension
skills as a reader, and she instead focused her response on reading aloud.
 Conclusion and Recommendations
This paper tackled the definition of educational research, emphasized
its importance, presented the six steps in the process of research, elucidated
the characteristics, types, and differences between quantitative and
qualitative research studies, and discussed research ethics.

The distinctive focus of educational research must be upon the quality of

learning and thereby teaching. Variety in approaches to educational research
is desirable, depending on questions explored and philosophical position. No
study can be ‘perfect’. Research rigour is about clarity of research process
throughout. Choices, design, interpretations, and conclusions have to be
justified. It is recommended that a researcher when conducting or when
evaluating a research study must know to identify strengths & limitations and
if the research fits into an existing body of knowledge. Implications for policy
practice, future directions for research must also be identified.
 References
Agee, Jane. 2008. Developing qualitative research questions: a reflective
process. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
Volume 22 Issue 3. DOI:10.1080/09518390902736512

Aguinaldo, Bethcie. 2016. Developing and applying TPACK for a blended

learning environment: a rural higher education experience in the
Philippines. The Countryside Development Research Journal. Volume 4
Issue 1. ISSN 2449-4577 (online) 2408-283X (print)

Crewell, John. 2012. Educational research: planning, conducting and

evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Fourth Ed. Pearson
Education, Inc. 650pp.

Protacio, M. S. and L. K. Sarruob. 2013. A case study of reading instruction in a

Philippine classroom. Asia Pacific Journal of Education (2013); doi:
10.1080/02188791.2013.788477

Sun, K. and S. C. Kumbhakar. 2013. Semiparametric-smooth coefficient

stochastic frontier model. Economics Letters. 120 (2013):305-309.