Quantitative research dissertation

Tative quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation helps guide you through the process of doing a quantitative dissertation. When we use the word quantitative to describe quantitative dissertations, we do not simply mean that the dissertation will draw on quantitative research methods or statistical analysis techniques. Quantitative research takes a particular approach to theory, answering research questions and/or hypotheses, setting up a research strategy, making conclusions from results, and so forth. It is also a type of dissertation that is commonly used by undergraduates, master's and doctoral students across degrees, whether traditional science-based subjects, or in the social sciences, psychology, education and business studies, amongst introduction to the quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation has two goals: (a) to provide you with a sense of the broad characteristics of quantitative research, if you do not know about these characteristics already; and (b) to introduce you to the three main types (routes) of quantitative dissertation that we help you with in lærd dissertation: replication-based dissertations; data-driven dissertations; and theory-driven dissertations. When you have chosen which route you want to follow, we send you off to the relevant parts of lærd dissertation where you can find out teristics of quantitative of quantitative dissertation: replication, data and teristics of quantitative you have already read our article that briefly compares qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods dissertations [here], you may want to skip this section now. If not, we can say that quantitative dissertations have a number of core characteristics:They typically attempt to build on and/or test theories, whether adopting an original approach or an approach based on some kind of replication or answer quantitative research questions and/or research (or null) are mainly underpinned by positivist or post-positivist research draw on one of four broad quantitative research designs (i. Try to use probability sampling techniques, with the goal of making generalisations from the sample being studied to a wider population, although often end up applying non-probability sampling use research methods that generate quantitative data (e. Draw heavily on statistical analysis techniques to examine the data collected, whether descriptive or inferential in assess the quality of their findings in terms of their reliability, internal and external validity, and construct report their findings using statements, data, tables and graphs that address each research question and/or make conclusions in line with the findings, research questions and/or hypotheses, and theories discussed in order to test and/or expand on existing theories, or providing insight for future you choose to take on a quantitative dissertation, you will learn more about these characteristics, not only in the fundamentals section of lærd dissertation, but throughout the articles we have written to help guide you through the choices you need to make when doing a quantitative dissertation. For now, we recommend that you read the next section, types of quantitative dissertation, which will help you choose the type of dissertation you may want to of quantitative ation, data or taking on a quantitative dissertation, there are many different routes that you can follow. We focus on three major routes that cover a good proportion of the types of quantitative dissertation that are carried out.

Quantitative research thesis

Each of these three routes reflects a very different type of quantitative dissertation that you can take on. Rather than being exhaustive, the main goal is to highlight what these types of quantitative research are and what they involve. Whilst you read through each section, try and think about your own dissertation, and whether you think that one of these types of dissertation might be right for #1: replication-based #2: data-driven #3: theory-driven #1: replication-based quantitative dissertations at the undergraduate, master's or doctoral level involve some form of replication, whether they are duplicating existing research, making generalisations from it, or extending the research in some most cases, replication is associated with duplication. In other words, you take a piece of published research and repeat it, typically in an identical way to see if the results that you obtain are the same as the original authors. The reality is that most research, whether completed by academics or dissertation students at the undergraduate, master's or doctoral level involves either generalisation or extension. This may simply be replicating a piece of research to determine whether the findings are generalizable within a different population or setting/context, or across treatment conditions; terms we explain in more detail later in our main article on replication-based dissertations [here]. Alternately, replication can involve extending existing research to take into account new research designs, methods and measurement procedures, and analysis techniques. We simply give them these names because (a) they reflect three different routes that you can follow when doing a replication-based dissertation (i. Route a: duplication, route b: generalisation and route c: extension), and (b) the things you need to think about when doing your dissertation differ somewhat depending on which of these routes you choose to this point, the lærd dissertation site focuses on helping guide you through route #1: replication-based dissertations. When taking on a route #1: replication-based dissertation, we guide you through these three possible routes: route a: duplication; route b: generalisation; and route c: extension.

To learn whether a route #1: replication-based dissertation is right for you, and if so, which of these routes you want to follow, start with our introductory guide: route #1: getting #2: data-driven mes the goal of quantitative research is not to build on or test theory, but to uncover the antecedents (i. The challenge of discovering a potential stylized fact, as well as collecting suitable data to test that such a stylized fact exists, makes data-driven dissertations a worthy type of quantitative dissertation to mes, the focus of data-driven dissertations is entirely on discovering whether the stylized fact exists (e. These data-driven dissertations tend to be empirically-focused, and are often in fields where there is little theory to help ground or justify the research, but also where uncovering the stylized fact and its antecedents makes a significant contribution all by itself. We call these different types of data-driven dissertation: route a: empirically-focused and route b: the part of lærd dissertation that deals exclusively with route #2: data-driven dissertations, which we will be launching shortly, we introduce you to these two routes (i. If you would like to be notified when this part of lærd dissertation becomes available, please leave #3: theory-driven have all come across theories during our studies. Irrespective of what we call these theories, and from which subjects they come, all dissertations involves theory to some extent. Route #1: replication-based dissertations and route #2: data-driven dissertations) is that they place most importance on the theoretical contribution that you theoretical contribution, we mean that theory-driven dissertations aim to add to the literature through their originality and focus on testing, combining or building theory. We emphasize the words testing, combining and building because these reflect three routes that you can adopt when carrying out a theory-driven dissertation: route a: testing, route b: combining or route c: building. For example, a researcher may have proposed a new theory in a journal article, but not yet tested it in the field by collecting and analysing data to see if the theory makes sense. Whilst there are many similarities between route b: combining and route c: building, the building of new theory goes further because even if the theories you are building on are well-established, you are likely to have to create new constructs and measurement procedures in order to test these the part of lærd dissertation that deals exclusively with route #3: theory-driven dissertations, which we will be launching shortly, we introduce you to these three routes (i.

If you would like to be notified when this part of lærd dissertation becomes available, please leave ng between route should i choose? Majority of students at the undergraduate, master's, and even doctoral level will take on a route #1: replication-based dissertation. At this point, it is also the only route that we cover in depth [note: we will be launching route #2: data-driven dissertations and route #3: theory-driven dissertations at a later date]. To learn whether a route #1: replication-based dissertation is right for you, and if so, how to proceed, start with our introductory guide: route #1: getting started. 2012 lund research tative tative quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation helps guide you through the process of doing a quantitative dissertation. 2012 lund research tative ative, quantitative and mixed methods are they and which one should i choose? The sections that follow, we briefly describe the main characteristics of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods dissertations. Rather than being exhaustive, the main goal is to highlight what these types of research are and what they involve. Whilst you read through each section, try and think about your own dissertation, and whether you think that one of these types of dissertation might be right for you. After reading about these three types of dissertation, we highlight some of the academic, personal and practical reasons why you may choose to take on one type over of dissertation: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods ng between types: academic, personal and practical of we describe the main characteristics of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods dissertations, the lærd dissertation site currently focuses on helping guide you through quantitative dissertations, whether you are a student of the social sciences, psychology, education or business, or are studying medical or biological sciences, sports science, or another science-based degree.

Nonetheless, you may still find our introductions to qualitative dissertations and mixed methods dissertations useful, if only to decide whether these types of dissertation are for you. We discuss quantitative dissertations, qualitative dissertations and mixed methods dissertations in turn:Quantitative we use the word quantitative to describe quantitative dissertations, we do not simply mean that the dissertation will draw on quantitative research methods or statistical analysis techniques. However, irrespective of the particular route that you adopt when taking on a quantitative dissertation, there are a number of core characteristics to quantitative dissertations:They typically attempt to build on and/or test theories, whether adopting an original approach or an approach based on some kind of replication or answer quantitative research questions and/or research (or null) are mainly underpinned by positivist or post-positivist research draw on one of four broad quantitative research designs (i. Draw heavily on statistical analysis techniques to examine the data collected, whether descriptive or inferential in assess the quality of their findings in terms of their reliability, internal and external validity, and construct report their findings using statements, data, tables and graphs that address each research question and/or make conclusions in line with the findings, research questions and/or hypotheses, and theories discussed in order to test and/or expand on existing theories, or providing insight for future you choose to take on a quantitative dissertation, go to the quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation now. You will learn more about the characteristics of quantitative dissertations, as well as being able to choose between the three classic routes that are pursued in quantitative research: replication-based studies, theory-driven research and data-driven dissertations. Upon choosing your route, the quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation will help guide you through these routes, from topic idea to completed dissertation, as well as showing you how to write up quantitative ative ative dissertations, like qualitative research in general, are often associated with qualitative research methods such as unstructured interviews, focus groups and participant observation. Whilst they do use a set of research methods that are not used in quantitative dissertations, qualitative research is much more than a choice between research methods. Qualitative research takes a particular approach towards the research process, the setting of research questions, the development and use of theory, the choice of research strategy, the way that findings are presented and discussed, and so forth. Overall, qualitative dissertations will be very different in approach, depending on the particular route that you adopt (e. Classic routes that you can follow include autoethnographies, case study research, ethnographies, grounded theory, narrative research and phenomenological research.

However, irrespective of the route that you choose to follow, there are a number of broad characteristics to qualitative dissertations:They follow an emergent design, meaning that the research process, and sometimes even the qualitative research questions that you tackle, often evolve during the dissertation use theory in a variety of ways - sometimes drawing on theory to help the research process; on other occasions, using theory to develop new theoretical insights; sometimes both - but the goal is infrequently to test a particular theory from the can be underpinned by one of a number of research paradigms (e. Follow research designs that heavily influence the choices you make throughout the research process, as well as the analysis and discussion of 'findings' (i. Such research designs differ considerably depending on the route that is being followed, whether an autoethnography, case study research, ethnography, grounded theory, narrative research, phenomenological research, etc. People or organisations) that are most appropriate to answering their research study people in-the-field (i. In natural settings), often using multiple research methods, each of which generate qualitative data (e. Interpret the qualitative data through the eyes and biases of the researcher, going back-and-forth through the data (i. An inductive process) to identify themes or abstractions that build a holistic/gestalt picture of what is being assess the quality of their findings in terms of their dependability, confirmability, conformability and present (and discuss) their findings through personal accounts, case studies, narratives, and other means that identify themes or abstracts, processes, observations and contradictions, which help to address their research discuss the theoretical insights arising from the findings in light of the research questions, from which tentative conclusions are you choose to take on a qualitative dissertation, you will be able to learn a little about appropriate research methods and sampling techniques in the fundamentals section of lærd dissertation. However, we have not yet launched a dedicated section to qualitative dissertations within lærd dissertation. If this is something that you would like us to do sooner than later, please leave methods methods dissertations combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. There are a number of reasons why mixed methods dissertations are used, including the feeling that a research question can be better addressed by:Collecting qualitative and quantitative data, and then analysing or interpreting that data, whether separately or by mixing ting more than one research phase; perhaps conducting qualitative research to explore an issue and uncover major themes, before using quantitative research to measure the relationships between the of the problems (or challenges) of mixed methods dissertations is that qualitative and quantitative research, as you will have seen from the two previous sections, are very different in approach.

Therefore, when taking on a mixed methods dissertation, you need to think particularly carefully about the goals of your research, and whether the qualitative or quantitative components (a) are more important in philosophical, theoretical and practical terms, and (b) should be combined or kept , as with qualitative dissertations, we have yet to launch a dedicated section of lærd dissertation to mixed methods dissertations. However, you will be able to learn about many of the quantitative aspects of doing a mixed methods dissertation in the quantitative dissertations part of lærd dissertation. You may even be able to follow this part of our site entirely if the only qualitative aspect of your mixed methods dissertation is the use of qualitative methods to help you explore an issue or uncover major themes, before performing quantitative research to examine such themes further. Nonetheless, if you would like to see a dedicated section to mixed methods dissertations sooner than later, please leave feedback.