When you want to construct quantitative research questions, you need to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research questions primarily through looking at the intent of the study or “What is the thing that you want to research on?”
Qualitative questions seek to explore “how” or “why” (meaning and experience), quantitative questions focus on “how much,” “how often,” or “what is the relationship.”
Here are several tips to help you ensure your research questions are strictly quantitative:
1. Focus on Variables, Not Experiences
In quantitative research, you are looking for measurable variables (factors that can change or be quantified).
- Qualitative: Focuses on the “lived experience” or “perceptions” of individuals.
- Quantitative: Focuses on the relationship between an independent variable (the cause) and a dependent variable (the effect).
- When you want to explain the process or the “how” and “why” a relationship exists, you need a Mediating Variable (M) . A mediator acts as a bridge. Without the mediator, the relationship between the Independent Variable (IV) and the Dependent Variable (DV) might seem like a “black box.”
- When you want to identify the boundary conditions i.e. the “when” or “for whom” a relationship holds true, you need a Moderating Variable (W)
- A moderator changes the strength or direction of the relationship between IV and DV. It doesn’t explain why the relationship exists but it explains when it gets stronger, weaker, or disappears.
- Use a moderating variable when: The relationship between IV and DV is inconsistent in previous research (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t) or when you suspect that the effect of IV on DV depends on another factor (like gender, age, personality trait, or environment).
2. Use “Quantitative” Directional Verbs
The verbs you choose often dictate the methodology. Quantitative questions use language that implies measurement or comparison:
- Use: Assess, relate, investigate the influence, compare, predict, correlate, or determine the difference.
- Avoid: Explore, understand, describe (in-depth), discover, or illuminate.
3. Structure for Measurement
A quantitative question should ideally be answerable with a number, a percentage, or a statistical significance level. Use these common structures:
- Descriptive: “What is the frequency of [Variable X] among [Population]?”, “What is the level of [Variable Y] among [Population]?”
- Comparative: “Is there a significant difference in [Variable X] between [Group A] and [Group B]?”
- Relationship/Causal: “To what extent does [Variable X] predict [Variable Y]?”, “Is there any significant relationship between [Variable X] and [Y]?”
Disclaimer: The explanation is brief because it is meant for quick revision. The examples are more relevant to educational research.
