Quantitative Research
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- Leigh A. Wilson 2 , 3
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Quantitative research methods are concerned with the planning, design, and implementation of strategies to collect and analyze data. Descartes, the seventeenth-century philosopher, suggested that how the results are achieved is often more important than the results themselves, as the journey taken along the research path is a journey of discovery. High-quality quantitative research is characterized by the attention given to the methods and the reliability of the tools used to collect the data. The ability to critique research in a systematic way is an essential component of a health professional’s role in order to deliver high quality, evidence-based healthcare. This chapter is intended to provide a simple overview of the way new researchers and health practitioners can understand and employ quantitative methods. The chapter offers practical, realistic guidance in a learner-friendly way and uses a logical sequence to understand the process of hypothesis development, study design, data collection and handling, and finally data analysis and interpretation.
- Quantitative
- Epidemiology
- Data analysis
- Methodology
- Interpretation
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School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
Leigh A. Wilson
Faculty of Health Science, Discipline of Behavioural and Social Sciences in Health, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia
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Pranee Liamputtong
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Wilson, L.A. (2019). Quantitative Research. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_54
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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_54
Published : 13 January 2019
Publisher Name : Springer, Singapore
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Online ISBN : 978-981-10-5251-4
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Quantitative research methods are concerned with the planning, design, and implementation of strategies to collect and analyze data (Sheehan 1986 ). Descartes ( 1637) suggests that how the results that are achieved is often more important than the results themselves, as the journey taken along the research path is a journey of discovery.