Session 7: Introduction to quantitative research Flashcards
(12 cards)
What are the four main measures of quality of quantitaive research?
measurement
causality
generalization
replication
In quantitative research, the relaionship between theory and research is _.
deductive
What are the main steps of quantitative research?
- Theory
- Hypothesis
- Research design
- Measure of concepts
- Select research site(s)
- Select research subjects/respondents
- Collect data
- Process data
- Analyse data
- Findings
- Conclusions
Why are concepts important in quantitative research?
concepts are building blocks of theory, represents the points around which business research is conducted
each concept represents a label that we give to elements of the social world that seem to have common features and that strikes us as significant
concepts ‘are categories for the organization of ideas and observations’
What is meant by an indicator?
In order to provide a measure of a concepts that not are directly quantifiable, it is necessary to have an indicator (or indicators) that will stand for the concept.
Should you use more than one indicator?
Yes
What are examples of criticism of quantitative research?
social world ≠ world of nature (natural science model is inappropriate for studying the social world)
creates artificial sense of precision and accuracy
static view
What are spurious correlations?
A spurious correlation occurs when:
Two variables move together (show a correlation),
But the relationship is due to coincidence, a third variable (hidden relationship), or external factors—not because one causes the other.
Describe the procedures for checking reliability and validity of the measurement process.
reliability = consistency of a measure of a concept
three prominent factors:
- stability over time, how to test: test-retest
- internal reliability, how to test: split-half method
- inter-rater reliability
validity = wether or not a measure of concept really measures that concept
how to test validity:
- face validity (intuitive process)
- concurrent validity
- predictive validity
What is the conncetion between reliability and validity?
validity presumes reliability
→ if your measurement is not reliable, it cannot be valid
Quantititive research can be characterized as a linear series of steps moving from _ to _.
Quantititive research can be characterized as a linear series of steps moving from theory to conclusions.
The measurement process in quantitative research entails the search for _.
indicators
