Qualitative vs Quantitative vs Mixed Methods Research: How To Choose Research Methodology

In this video, we are going to  explore qualitative, quantitative and   mixed methods research
methodologies. We  will also explain how to choose the right   methodological approach for your
dissertation,  thesis or research project step by step.   So, grab a cup of coffee, grab a cup of tea 
whatever works for you and let us jump into it. Hey, welcome to Grad Coach TV where we demystify 
and simplify the oftentimes intimidating world of   academic research. My name is Emma, and today  we
are going to have a look at the three types   of research. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed  methods
and how to choose the right approach. We   will look at things from a fairly high level and  will not go
into the weeds in terms of specific   data analysis methods. If you want to learn about  particular analysis
methods, we have got separate   videos covering both qualitative and quantitative  methods. I will
include the links to those below.   If you are new to Grad Coach TV, be sure to hit  that subscribe button
for more videos covering   all things research related. Also, if you are  looking for hands-on help with
your research   check out our one-on-one coaching services  where we help you craft your research
project   step by step. It is like having a friendly  professor in your pocket whenever you need   it. If that
sounds interesting to you, you  can learn more and book a free consultation   at www.gradcoach.com.
Alright, with  that out of the way let us get into it. If you are new to the wonderful world of research 
some of the first lingoes you will likely   hear thrown around are the terms qualitative,  quantitative and
mixed methods research. But what   exactly are these? Well simply put qualitative,  quantitative and
mixed methods reflect the three   types of research that you can undertake.  These are not specific data
collection or   analysis techniques but instead, they reflect the  broader research strategies that will
influence   which data collection and analysis techniques  you can adopt. For example, if you undertake  
quantitative research, you will oftentimes  use surveys as your data collection method   and statistical
analysis as your data analysis  technique. In other words qual, quant and mixed   methods are
overarching strategies, not specific  techniques or methods. Anyhow, I am getting ahead   of myself. Let
us take a step back and unpack each  of the three types of research piece by piece. First up let us look at
qualitative and  quantitative research. At the most basic level,   qualitative research utilizes data that is 
not numbers based. In other words, qualitative   research focuses on words, concepts, perceptions  or
ideas. In contrast with this quantitative   research makes use of numbers and statistics.  That is a very
simplistic explanation though as   it is just considering the type of data each one  uses. So, let us dig a
little deeper. Qualitative   research is used to investigate the softer side  of things. For example, to
explore and understand   people's perceptions, ideas or feelings. Therefore  it is more subjective in
nature. Qualitative   research is often used to gain a deeper  understanding of the complexity of a
situation to   draw a rich picture of what is going on especially  what is going on under the hood.
Therefore   qualitative data can be used to develop hypotheses  and theories from the ground up. In
other words,   an inductive approach. For example, you could use  a qualitative approach to explore
what factors   or product attribute customers consider when  deciding which laundry detergent to
purchase.   This could involve undertaking interviews and  focus group sessions to get people talking  
about their ideas, perceptions and feelings  regarding laundry detergent. Contrasted to this  
quantitative research focuses on the hard numbers.  Typically quantitative research is used to measure  
differences between groups and or relationships  between variables, as well as to test hypotheses.  
Therefore it is more objective in  nature and takes a deductive approach.   For example, you could use a
quantitative approach  to measure what percentage of people prioritize   price or any other variable
when choosing  a laundry detergent. You could also assess   how this percentage varies between
neighbourhoods,  cities or different demographic groups. So, as you   can see, qualitative and
quantitative approaches  can both be used to research different aspects   of the same topic or area of
interest. Right,  moving on to mixed methods. Mixed methods-based   research as you would expect
attempts to bring  these two types of research together drawing on   both qualitative and quantitative
data. Quite  often mixed methods-based studies will use   qualitative research to explore a situation  and
develop a set of hypotheses. Then   once those hypotheses are established, they will  use quantitative
methods to test them. It can also   work the other way around. For example, they could  use a
quantitative approach to get a view of the   bigger picture, the what, and then use qualitative  methods
to explore the underlying reasons,   the why, for a specific trend or observation  in the quantitative data.
So, as you can see   while qualitative and quantitative research  are distinctly different, they are not at  
odds with each other. It is not a competition  of qualitative versus quantitative where one is   better than
the other. On the contrary, they can  be used together, in other words, mixed methods   to develop a
high-quality piece of research.  Of course, this is easier said than done so we   usually recommend that
first-time researchers  stick to a mono method approach, either qual   or quant unless the nature of their
study  genuinely warrants a mixed methods approach.   The key takeaway here is that it is important to 
understand that each research type has a different   purpose. For example, to explore and understand 
situations qualitative, to test and measure   quantitative or to do both mixed methods. They  are not
simply interchangeable tools for the   same job. Each approach has its purpose.  Right, with that out of
the way let us look   at how you can go about choosing the right  methodological approach for your
research. If you are undertaking a dissertation, thesis  or research project chances are you will need   to
craft a comprehensive research design  and methodology. This is not a task to be   taken lightly as you
will need to clearly and  strongly justify every design choice you make.   To choose the right approach
you will need to  consider three important factors. Based on these   factors you can select your
overarching approach.  Qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Once   you have made that decision
you can flesh out  the finer details of your research methodology   such as the sampling strategy, data
collection  methods and analysis techniques. We will not   cover the latter in this video but you can find 
loads of information over on the Grad Coach blog.   I will include the link below. The three factors  you
need to carefully consider are one, the nature   of your research aims and research questions.  Two, the
methodological approaches taken in the   existing literature and three, practicalities and  constraints. Let
us take a look at each of these. Factor number one, the nature of your research. As  I mentioned earlier
each type of research whether   qualitative, quantitative or mixed has a different  purpose and helps
address a different type of   question. So, it is logical that the key deciding  factor in terms of which
approach you adopt is   the nature of your research aims and research  questions. But what types of
research aims exist?   Broadly speaking research aims can fall  into one of three categories. Exploratory,  
in other words getting a better understanding  of an issue and potentially developing a theory   or set of
hypotheses regarding  it. Confirmatory, in other words   confirming a potential theory or hypothesis  by
testing it empirically. A mix of both,   for example, developing a set of hypotheses  and then testing
them. So, what does this mean   for you? Well, as a rule of thumb exploratory  research tends to adopt a
qualitative approach   whereas confirmatory research tends to use a  quantitative approach. This is not
set in stone   but it is a reliable heuristic. Naturally  then research that combines a mix of both or  
seeking to develop a theory from the ground  up and then test that theory, would utilize   a mixed
methods approach. Let us take a look  at an example in action. If your research aims   were to
understand the perspectives of war  veterans regarding certain political matters   you would likely adopt
a qualitative methodology,  making use of interviews to collect data and   one or more qualitative
analysis methods to  make sense of the data. If on the other hand,   your research aims to assess the
distribution  of left versus right-leaning veterans per state   or compare the political leanings between
vets  and non-vets, you would adopt a quantitative   methodology using numbers-based data from a
survey  to address your research aims. So, the first   and most important thing you need to consider
when  deciding which methodological approach to use,   is the nature of your research aims and
research  questions. Specifically, you need to assess   whether your research is exploratory or 
confirmatory in nature or involves a mix of   both. The importance of achieving solid alignment  between
these three factors and your methodology   cannot be overstated. If they are misaligned you  are going
to be forcing a square peg into a round   hole. You will be using the wrong tool for the job  and your
research will become a disjointed mess.   A quick tip, if your research involves a mix of  both exploratory
and confirmatory aims but you   have a tight word count limit, you may want  to consider trimming
down the scope a little   and focusing on one or the other. A mono method  approach executed well has
a far better chance of   earning marks than a poorly executed mixed methods  approach. So, do not try
to be a hero unless   there are strong reasons to take a mixed method  approach. Right, let us look at the
next factor. Factor number two, the disciplinary norms.  Choosing the right approach for your research
also   involves looking at the approaches used by other  researchers in the field and studies with similar  
research aims and objectives to yours. Oftentimes  within a discipline, there is a commonly accepted  
methodological approach or set of approaches used  in studies. While this does not mean you should  
just follow the herd simply because, you should  at least consider these approaches and evaluate   their
merit within your context. A major benefit  of reviewing the research methodologies used by   similar
studies in your field is that you  can often piggyback on the data collection   techniques that other more
experienced  researchers have developed. For example,   if you are undertaking a quantitative study,
you  can often find tried and tested survey scales with   high Cronbach's alphas. These are usually
included  in the appendices of journal articles so you do   not even have to contact the original authors. 
By using these scales you will save a lot of time   and ensure that your study stands on the  proverbial
shoulders of giants by using   high-quality measurement instruments. Of  course, when reviewing
existing literature   keep point number one front of mind. In other  words, your methodology needs to
align with   your research aims and research questions. Do not  fall into the trap of adopting the
methodological   norm of other studies just because it is popular.  Alright, now let us look at the last
factor. Factor number three, practicalities. When choosing  a research methodology there will always be
a   tension between doing what is theoretically best,  in other words, the most scientifically rigorous  
research design and doing what is practical given  your constraints. This is the nature of research   and
there are always trade-offs as with anything  else. But what constraints you ask? Well,   there are a few
when you evaluate your  methodological options you will need to consider   the following constraints
and ask yourself some  important questions. Number one, data access.   What data will you need to
access to pull off your  analysis and how likely is it that you will get   this access. Also, are there any
ethical clearance  requirements you will need from your university?   Number two, time. How much time
will you need  to undertake interviews or focus groups in the   case of qualitative or collect a sufficient
number  of survey responses in the quantitative or both?   If you are wanting to undertake longitudinal 
research, what sort of timeline will you need   and will your university allow this. Number three,  money.
What financial resources will you need to   execute your research design? Will you need  to spend
money on participation incentives,   travel costs, snacks and drinks, meeting  facilities or other services?
Number four,   equipment and software. What equipment might  you need for collecting data? For
example,   lab equipment or recording equipment. What  software will you need to analyse the data  
and how will you get access to this. And  lastly number five, your knowledge and skills.   What is your
current level of competence and  experience in terms of the data collection   and analysis methods you
plan to use, and  what will you still need to learn? How long   will this take and how confident are you in 
your ability to acquire the necessary skills?   What will your backup plan be if you cannot  develop the
necessary skills? As you can see there   is a wide range of practicalities and constraints  that you need to
think about when you are deciding   on your research design and methodology. As  I mentioned these
practicalities create a   tension between the ideal methodology and the  methodology that you can
realistically pull off.   This is perfectly normal and it is your job  to find the option that presents the best
set   of trade-offs. If you carefully consider these  three factors and design your methodology in a   way
that strikes a good balance between research  rigour and practicality or viability, you will be   headed in
a good direction. Remember you can learn  more about the various research design choices   including
data collection and analysis methods  over on the Grad Coach blog at gradcoach.com/blog. Alright, so
that wraps it up for today. If you  enjoyed the video hit the like button and leave   a comment if you have
any questions. Also, be  sure to subscribe to the Grad Coach channel   for more research-related
content. If you  need a helping hand with your research,   remember to check out our private coaching
service  where we work with you on a one-on-one basis,   chapter by chapter to help you craft  a winning
dissertation or thesis. If   that sounds interesting to you book a  free consultation with a friendly coach  
at gradcoach.com. That is all for this episode  of Grad Coach TV. Until next time, good luck.

Qualitative Data Analysis 101 Tutorial: 6 Analysis Methods + Examples

In this video, we're going to jump into the often  confusing world of quantitative data analysis.   We're
going to explore what quantitative data  analysis is, some of the most popular analysis   methods and
how to choose the right methods for  your research. We'll also cover some useful tips,   as well as
common pitfalls to avoid when  you're undertaking quantitative analysis.   So grab a cup of coffee, grab a
cup of tea,  whatever works for you and let's jump into it! Hey! Welcome to Grad Coach TV - where we
demystify  and simplify the oftentimes intimidating world of   academic research my name is Emma and
today  we're going to unwrap the topic of quantitative   data analysis if you're new here be sure to hit 
that subscribe button for more videos covering   all things research-related also if you're  looking for
hands-on help with your research   check out our one-on-one coaching services where  we help you
through your dissertation thesis   or research project step by step it's basically  like having a professor in
your pocket whenever   you need it so if that sounds interesting to you  you can learn more and book a
free consultation   with a friendly coach at www all right  with that out of the way let's jump into it
quantitative data analysis is one of those things  that often strikes fear into students it's totally  
understandable quantitative analysis is a complex  topic full of daunting lingo like medians modes  
correlations and regression suddenly we're all  wishing we'd paid a little more attention in math   class
now the good news is that while quantitative  data analysis is a mammoth topic gaining a working  
understanding of the basics isn't that hard even  for those of us who avoid numbers and math at all  
costs in this video we'll break quantitative  analysis down into simple bite-sized chunks   so you can get
comfy with the core concepts  and approach your research with confidence   so let's start with the most
basic question what  exactly is quantitative data analysis despite   being quite a mouthful quantitative
data analysis  simply means analyzing data that's numbers based   or data that can be easily converted
into  numbers without losing any meaning for example   category based variables like gender ethnicity 
or native language can all be converted into   numbers without losing meaning for example  english
could equal one french could equal two   and so on this contrasts against qualitative data  analysis
where the focus is on words phrases and   expressions that can't be reduced to numbers  if you're
interested in learning about   qualitative analysis we've got a video covering  that as well i'll include a link
below so the   next logical question is what is quantitative  analysis used for well quantitative analysis is  
generally used for three purposes first it's used  to measure differences between groups for example  
average height differences between different  groups of people second it's used to assess   relationships
between variables for example  the relationship between weather temperature   and voter turnout and
third it's used to test  hypotheses in a scientifically rigorous way   for example a hypothesis about  the
impact of a certain vaccine   again this contrasts with qualitative analysis  which can be used to analyze
people's perceptions   and feelings about an event or situation in other  words things that can't be
reduced to numbers   so how does quantitative analysis work you ask  well since quantitative data
analysis is all   about analyzing numbers it's no surprise that it  involves statistics statistical analysis
methods   form the engine that powers quant analysis these  methods can vary from pretty basic
calculations   for example averages and medians to more  sophisticated analyses for example
correlations   and regressions sounds like a bunch of gibberish  don't worry we will explain all of that in
this   video importantly you don't need to be a  statistician or a math whiz to pull off a   good
quantitative analysis we'll break down  all the technical mumbo jumbo in this video   so let's start by
taking a look at the  two main branches of quantitative analysis as i mentioned quantitative analysis is
powered  by statistical analysis methods there are two main   branches of statistical methods that are
used  descriptive statistics and inferential statistics   in your research you might only use descriptive 
statistics or you might use a mix of both   depending on what you're trying to figure out in  other words
depending on your research questions   aims and objectives i'll explain how to  choose your methods
later in this video   so what are descriptive and inferential statistics  well before i can explain that we
need to take a   quick detour to explain some lingo to understand  the difference between these two
branches   of statistics you need to understand two  important words these words are population   and
sample first step population in statistics  the population is the entire group of people or   animals or
organizations or whatever that  you're interested in researching for example   if you were interested in
researching tesla  owners in the us then the population would be   all tesla owners in the united states
however  it's extremely unlikely that you're gonna be   able to interview or survey every single tesla 
owner in the u.s realistically you'll only get   access to a few hundred or maybe a few  thousand owners
using an online survey   this smaller group of accessible people whose  data you actually collect is called
your sample   so to recap the population is the entire group of  people you're interested in and the
sample is the   subset of that population that you can actually  get access to in other words the
population is   the full chocolate cake whereas the sample is just  a slice of that cake can you see what
i've got on   my mind anyhow why is this sample population thing  important well descriptive statistics
focuses on   describing the sample while inferential statistics  aim to make predictions about the
population   based on the findings within the sample in other  words we use one group of statistical
methods   descriptive statistics to investigate the slice  of cake and another group of methods
inferential   statistics to draw conclusions about the entire  cake and there i go with the cake analogy
again   but to be fair i always have chocolate on my  mind so with that out of the way let's take a   closer
look at each of these branches in more  detail starting with descriptive statistics descriptive statistics
serve a simple but  critically important role in your research   to describe your data set hence the name
in other  words they help you understand the details of   your sample unlike inferential statistics which 
we'll get to later descriptive statistics don't   aim to make inferences or predictions about the  entire
population they're purely interested in   the details of your specific sample when you're  writing up your
analysis descriptive statistics   are the first set of stats you'll cover before  moving on to inferential
statistics but depending   on your research objectives and research questions  they may be the only type
of statistics that you   use we'll explore that a little later so what kind  of statistics are usually covered in
this section   well some common statistical tests used in this  branch include the following the mean this
is   simply the mathematical average of a range of  numbers nothing too complicated here next is the  
median this is the midpoint in a range of numbers  when the numbers are all arranged in order if the  
data set makes up an odd number then the median  is the number right in the middle of the set   if the
data set makes up an even number then  the median is the midpoint between the two   middle numbers
next up is the mode this is simply  the most commonly repeated number in the data set   then we have
standard deviation this metric  indicates how dispersed a range of numbers is   in other words how close
all the numbers are  to the mean the average in cases where most   of the numbers are quite close to
the average  the standard deviation will be relatively low   conversely in cases where the numbers are 
scattered all over the place the standard   deviation will be relatively high lastly we have  skewness as
the name suggests skewness indicates   how symmetrical a range of numbers is in other  words do they
tend to cluster into a smooth bell   curve shape in the middle of the graph this  is called a normal or
parametric distribution   or do they lean to the left or right this is  called a non-normal or non-parametric
distribution   okay are you feeling a bit confused  let's look at a practical example   on the left hand side
is the data set this data  set details the body weight in kilograms of a   sample of 10 people on the right
hand side we  have the descriptive statistics for this data set   let's take a look at each of them first we
can  see that the mean weight is 72.4 kilograms in   other words the average weight across the sample  is
72.4 kilograms pretty straightforward next   we can see that the median is very similar to the  mean the
average this suggests that this data set   has a reasonably symmetrical distribution in other  words a
relatively smooth center distribution of   weights clustered towards the center moving on to  the mode
well there is no mode in this data set   this is because each number presents itself only  once and so
there cannot be a most common number   if hypothetically there were two people who were  both 65
kilograms then the mode would be 65.   next up is the standard deviation 10.6 indicates  that there's
quite a wide spread of numbers we   can see this quite easily by just looking at the  numbers which
range from 55 to 90. this is quite a   stretch from the mean of 72.4 so we would expect  the standard
deviation to be well above zero   and lastly let's look at the skewness a result  of negative 0.2 tells us
that the data is very   slightly negatively skewed in other words it has  a very slight lean this makes sense
since the   mean and the median are only slightly different as  you can see these descriptive statistics
give us   some useful insight into the data set of course  this is a very small data set only 10 records   so
we can't read into these statistics too much  but hopefully this example helps you understand   how
these statistics play out in reality also keep  in mind that this is not a list of all possible   descriptive
statistics just the most common  ones so at this point you might be wondering   but why do these matter
well while these  descriptive statistics are all fairly basic   they're important for a few reasons firstly  they
help you get both a macro and micro level   view of your data they help you understand  both the big
picture and the finer details   secondly they help you spot potential errors in  the data for example if an
average is way higher   than you'd expect or responses to a question  are highly varied this can act as a
warning   sign that you need to double check the data and  lastly these descriptive statistics help inform  
which inferential statistical methods you can use  as those methods depend on the shape of the data  
we'll explore this a little bit more later  on simply put descriptive statistics are   really important even
though the  statistical methods used are pretty basic   all too often at grad coach we see students 
rushing past the descriptives in their eagerness   to get to the more exciting inferential methods  and
then landing up with some very flawed results   don't be a sucker give your descriptive  statistics all the
love and attention they deserve all right now that we've looked at  descriptive stats let's move on to  
the second branch of quantitative  analysis inferential statistics as i mentioned while descriptive
statistics are  all about the details of your specific data set   your sample inferential statistics aim to
make  inferences about the population in other words   you'll use inferential statistics to make 
predictions about what you'd expect to find   in the full population what kind of predictions  you ask well
generally speaking there are two   common types of predictions that research  try to make using
inferential stats firstly   predictions about differences between groups  for example height differences
between children   grouped by their favorite sport and secondly  relationships between variables for
example   the relationship between body weight and the  number of hours a week a person does yoga  
in other words inferential statistics when  done correctly allow you to connect the   dots and make
predictions about what you'd  expect to see in the real world population   based on what you observe in
your sample data  for this reason inferential statistics are used   for hypothesis testing in other words to
test  hypotheses that predict changes or differences   of course when you're working with inferential 
statistics the composition of your sample is   really important in other words if your  sample doesn't
accurately represent the   population you're researching then your findings  won't necessarily be very
useful for example   if your population of interest is a mix of 50  male and 50 female but your sample is
80 male   you can't make inferences about the population  based on your sample since it's not
representative   this area of statistics is called sampling but we  won't go down that rabbit hole here it's
a deep   one we'll save that for another video so what kind  of statistics are usually covered in this
section   well there are many many different statistical  analysis methods within the inferential branch  
and it would be impossible for us to discuss  them all here so we'll just take a look at   some of the most
common inferential statistical  methods so that you have a solid starting point first up are t-tests t-tests
compare the  means the averages of two groups of data   to assess whether they are different to a 
statistically significant extent in other words   to see whether they have significantly different  means
standard deviations and skewness for example   you might want to compare the mean blood pressure 
between two groups of people one that has taken a   new medication and one that hasn't to assess 
whether they are significantly different   simply looking at the two means  is not enough to draw a
conclusion   you need to assess whether the differences  are statistically significant and that's   what t-
tests allow you to do right next up is  anova anova stands for analysis of variance   this test is similar to a
t-test in that it  compares the means of various groups but anova   allows you to analyze multiple groups
not just  two so it's basically a t-test but on steroids next we have correlation analysis this type of 
analysis assesses the relationship between two   variables in other words if one variable increases  does
the other variable also increase decrease   or stay the same for example if the average  temperature
goes up do average ice cream sales   increase too we'd expect some sort of relationship  between these
two variables intuitively   but correlation analysis allows us to  measure that relationship scientifically
lastly we have regression analysis regression  analysis is similar to correlation in that it   assesses the
relationship between variables but  it goes a step further to understand the cause   and effect between
variables not just whether they  move together in other words does the one variable   actually cause the
other one to move or do they  just happen to move together naturally thanks to   another force just
because two variables correlate  doesn't necessarily mean that one causes the other   to make this all a
little more tangible let's  take a look at an example of correlation in   action here's a scatter plot
demonstrating the  correlation or the relationship between weight and   height intuitively we'd expect
there to be some  sort of relationship between these two variables   which is what we see in this scatter
plot in other  words the results tend to cluster together in a   diagonal line from bottom left to top right
the  more tightly the results cluster together to form   a line in any direction the more correlated they 
are and therefore the stronger the relationship   between the variables as i mentioned these are  just a
handful of inferential methods there   are many many more importantly each statistical  method has its
own assumptions and limitations   for example some methods only work with normally  distributed or
parametric data while other methods   are designed specifically for data that are  not normally
distributed and that's exactly why   descriptive statistics are so important they're  the first step to
knowing which inferential   methods you can and can't use of course this  all begs the question how do i
choose the right   quantitative analysis methods for my research  well that's exactly what we'll look at
next now that we've looked at some of the most common  statistical methods used within quantitative  
analysis let's look at how you go about choosing  the right tool for the job to choose the right   statistical
methods for your research you need  to think about two important factors one the   type of quantitative
data you have specifically  level of measurement and the shape of the data   and two your research
questions and hypotheses  let's take a closer look at each of these the   first thing you need to consider
is the type of  data you've collected or the data you will collect   by data types i'm referring to the four
levels  of measurement namely nominal ordinal interval   and ratio if you're not familiar with this lingo 
you should hit the pause button real quick and   go check out our post over on the grad coach blog  that
explains each of these levels of measurement   i'll include the link below okay so why does this  matter
well because different statistical methods   require different types of data this is one of the  assumptions
i mentioned earlier every method has   its assumptions regarding the type of data for  example some
methods work with categorical data   like yes or no type questions while others work  with numerical
data like age weight or income if   you try to use a statistical method that doesn't  support the data type
you have your results will   be largely meaningless so make sure you have a  clear understanding of what
types of data you've   collected or will collect once you have this you  can then check which statistical
methods support   your data types i'll include a link below the  video that explains which methods
support which   data types now if you haven't collected your data  yet you can of course reverse
engineer the process   and look at which statistical methods would  give you the most useful insights and
then   design your data collection strategy around this  to ensure that you collect the correct data types
another important factor to  consider is the shape of your data   specifically does it have a normal
distribution  in other words is it a bell-shaped curve   centered in the middle or is it  very skewed to the
left or right   again different statistical methods work for  different shapes of data some are designed  
for symmetrical data while others are designed  for skewed data this is another reminder of why  
descriptive statistics are so important since  they tell you all about the shape of your data the next thing
you need to consider is your  specific research questions as well as your   hypotheses if you have some
the nature of your  research questions and research hypotheses   will heavily influence which statistical 
methods you should use if you're just   interested in understanding the attributes of your  sample as
opposed to the entire population then   descriptive statistics might be all you need for  example if you
just want to assess the means or   averages and the medians or center points of  variables in a group of
people descriptives   will do the trick on the other hand if you aim  to understand differences between
groups or   relationships between variables and to  infer or predict outcomes in the population   then
you'll likely need both descriptive  statistics and inferential statistics so   it's really important to get very 
clear about your research aims   and research questions as well as your hypotheses  before you start
looking at which statistical   methods to use never shoehorn a specific method  into your research just
because you like it   or have experience with it your choice of methods  must align with all the factors
we've covered here all right now that we've looked  at what quantitative analysis is   the two main
branches of statistics and how  to choose the right methods for your research   let's recap and bring it all
together we've covered a lot in this video  well done on making it this far   let's recap on the key points
we've looked at  first we asked the question what is quantitative   data analysis as we discussed
quantitative  analysis is all about analyzing number based data   which can include both categorical and
numerical  data these data are analyzed using statistical   methods the two main branches of statistics
are  descriptive statistics and inferential statistics   descriptives describe your sample the slice of  the
cake while inferentials make predictions   about what you'll find in the population the full  cake based on
what you've observed in the sample   as we saw common descriptive statistical  metrics include the
mean the median the mode   standard deviation and skewness on the inferential  side we looked at t
tests anovas correlation   analysis and regression analysis all of which can  help you make predictions
about the population   lastly we asked the important question how  do i choose the right statistical
methods   as we discussed to choose the right  statistical methods you need to consider   the type of
data you're working as well  as your research questions and hypotheses   remember in this video we've
only looked at a  handful of the most common quantitative methods   there are many many more so be
sure to check out  the grad coach blog as well as the other links   below this video to get a fuller picture
of what  all's on offer in terms of statistical methods   also if you'd like us to cover any of the methods  in
more detail be sure to leave a comment below alright that wraps it up for today if you  enjoyed the
video hit that like button and   leave a comment if you have any questions also  be sure to subscribe to
the grad coach channel   for more research related content lastly if you  need a helping hand with your
research check out   our private coaching service where we work with  you on a one-on-one basis
chapter by chapter to   help you craft a winning dissertation thesis or  research project if that sounds
interesting to   you book a free consultation with a friendly  coach at www www.bradcoach.com as
always i'll   include a link below that's all for this episode  of grad coach tv until next time good luck you.

Quantitative Data Analysis 101 Tutorial: Statistics Explained Simply + Examples

In this video, we're going to jump into the often  confusing world of quantitative data analysis.   We're
going to explore what quantitative data  analysis is, some of the most popular analysis   methods and
how to choose the right methods for  your research. We'll also cover some useful tips,   as well as
common pitfalls to avoid when  you're undertaking quantitative analysis.   So grab a cup of coffee, grab a
cup of tea,  whatever works for you and let's jump into it! Hey! Welcome to Grad Coach TV - where we
demystify  and simplify the oftentimes intimidating world of   academic research my name is Emma and
today  we're going to unwrap the topic of quantitative   data analysis if you're new here be sure to hit 
that subscribe button for more videos covering   all things research-related also if you're  looking for
hands-on help with your research   check out our one-on-one coaching services where  we help you
through your dissertation thesis   or research project step by step it's basically  like having a professor in
your pocket whenever   you need it so if that sounds interesting to you  you can learn more and book a
free consultation   with a friendly coach at www all right  with that out of the way let's jump into it
quantitative data analysis is one of those things  that often strikes fear into students it's totally  
understandable quantitative analysis is a complex  topic full of daunting lingo like medians modes  
correlations and regression suddenly we're all  wishing we'd paid a little more attention in math   class
now the good news is that while quantitative  data analysis is a mammoth topic gaining a working  
understanding of the basics isn't that hard even  for those of us who avoid numbers and math at all  
costs in this video we'll break quantitative  analysis down into simple bite-sized chunks   so you can get
comfy with the core concepts  and approach your research with confidence   so let's start with the most
basic question what  exactly is quantitative data analysis despite   being quite a mouthful quantitative
data analysis  simply means analyzing data that's numbers based   or data that can be easily converted
into  numbers without losing any meaning for example   category based variables like gender ethnicity 
or native language can all be converted into   numbers without losing meaning for example  english
could equal one french could equal two   and so on this contrasts against qualitative data  analysis
where the focus is on words phrases and   expressions that can't be reduced to numbers  if you're
interested in learning about   qualitative analysis we've got a video covering  that as well i'll include a link
below so the   next logical question is what is quantitative  analysis used for well quantitative analysis is  
generally used for three purposes first it's used  to measure differences between groups for example  
average height differences between different  groups of people second it's used to assess   relationships
between variables for example  the relationship between weather temperature   and voter turnout and
third it's used to test  hypotheses in a scientifically rigorous way   for example a hypothesis about  the
impact of a certain vaccine   again this contrasts with qualitative analysis  which can be used to analyze
people's perceptions   and feelings about an event or situation in other  words things that can't be
reduced to numbers   so how does quantitative analysis work you ask  well since quantitative data
analysis is all   about analyzing numbers it's no surprise that it  involves statistics statistical analysis
methods   form the engine that powers quant analysis these  methods can vary from pretty basic
calculations   for example averages and medians to more  sophisticated analyses for example
correlations   and regressions sounds like a bunch of gibberish  don't worry we will explain all of that in
this   video importantly you don't need to be a  statistician or a math whiz to pull off a   good
quantitative analysis we'll break down  all the technical mumbo jumbo in this video   so let's start by
taking a look at the  two main branches of quantitative analysis as i mentioned quantitative analysis is
powered  by statistical analysis methods there are two main   branches of statistical methods that are
used  descriptive statistics and inferential statistics   in your research you might only use descriptive 
statistics or you might use a mix of both   depending on what you're trying to figure out in  other words
depending on your research questions   aims and objectives i'll explain how to  choose your methods
later in this video   so what are descriptive and inferential statistics  well before i can explain that we
need to take a   quick detour to explain some lingo to understand  the difference between these two
branches   of statistics you need to understand two  important words these words are population   and
sample first step population in statistics  the population is the entire group of people or   animals or
organizations or whatever that  you're interested in researching for example   if you were interested in
researching tesla  owners in the us then the population would be   all tesla owners in the united states
however  it's extremely unlikely that you're gonna be   able to interview or survey every single tesla 
owner in the u.s realistically you'll only get   access to a few hundred or maybe a few  thousand owners
using an online survey   this smaller group of accessible people whose  data you actually collect is called
your sample   so to recap the population is the entire group of  people you're interested in and the
sample is the   subset of that population that you can actually  get access to in other words the
population is   the full chocolate cake whereas the sample is just  a slice of that cake can you see what
i've got on   my mind anyhow why is this sample population thing  important well descriptive statistics
focuses on   describing the sample while inferential statistics  aim to make predictions about the
population   based on the findings within the sample in other  words we use one group of statistical
methods   descriptive statistics to investigate the slice  of cake and another group of methods
inferential   statistics to draw conclusions about the entire  cake and there i go with the cake analogy
again   but to be fair i always have chocolate on my  mind so with that out of the way let's take a   closer
look at each of these branches in more  detail starting with descriptive statistics descriptive statistics
serve a simple but  critically important role in your research   to describe your data set hence the name
in other  words they help you understand the details of   your sample unlike inferential statistics which 
we'll get to later descriptive statistics don't   aim to make inferences or predictions about the  entire
population they're purely interested in   the details of your specific sample when you're  writing up your
analysis descriptive statistics   are the first set of stats you'll cover before  moving on to inferential
statistics but depending   on your research objectives and research questions  they may be the only type
of statistics that you   use we'll explore that a little later so what kind  of statistics are usually covered in
this section   well some common statistical tests used in this  branch include the following the mean this
is   simply the mathematical average of a range of  numbers nothing too complicated here next is the  
median this is the midpoint in a range of numbers  when the numbers are all arranged in order if the  
data set makes up an odd number then the median  is the number right in the middle of the set   if the
data set makes up an even number then  the median is the midpoint between the two   middle numbers
next up is the mode this is simply  the most commonly repeated number in the data set   then we have
standard deviation this metric  indicates how dispersed a range of numbers is   in other words how close
all the numbers are  to the mean the average in cases where most   of the numbers are quite close to
the average  the standard deviation will be relatively low   conversely in cases where the numbers are 
scattered all over the place the standard   deviation will be relatively high lastly we have  skewness as
the name suggests skewness indicates   how symmetrical a range of numbers is in other  words do they
tend to cluster into a smooth bell   curve shape in the middle of the graph this  is called a normal or
parametric distribution   or do they lean to the left or right this is  called a non-normal or non-parametric
distribution   okay are you feeling a bit confused  let's look at a practical example   on the left hand side
is the data set this data  set details the body weight in kilograms of a   sample of 10 people on the right
hand side we  have the descriptive statistics for this data set   let's take a look at each of them first we
can  see that the mean weight is 72.4 kilograms in   other words the average weight across the sample  is
72.4 kilograms pretty straightforward next   we can see that the median is very similar to the  mean the
average this suggests that this data set   has a reasonably symmetrical distribution in other  words a
relatively smooth center distribution of   weights clustered towards the center moving on to  the mode
well there is no mode in this data set   this is because each number presents itself only  once and so
there cannot be a most common number   if hypothetically there were two people who were  both 65
kilograms then the mode would be 65.   next up is the standard deviation 10.6 indicates  that there's
quite a wide spread of numbers we   can see this quite easily by just looking at the  numbers which
range from 55 to 90. this is quite a   stretch from the mean of 72.4 so we would expect  the standard
deviation to be well above zero   and lastly let's look at the skewness a result  of negative 0.2 tells us
that the data is very   slightly negatively skewed in other words it has  a very slight lean this makes sense
since the   mean and the median are only slightly different as  you can see these descriptive statistics
give us   some useful insight into the data set of course  this is a very small data set only 10 records   so
we can't read into these statistics too much  but hopefully this example helps you understand   how
these statistics play out in reality also keep  in mind that this is not a list of all possible   descriptive
statistics just the most common  ones so at this point you might be wondering   but why do these matter
well while these  descriptive statistics are all fairly basic   they're important for a few reasons firstly  they
help you get both a macro and micro level   view of your data they help you understand  both the big
picture and the finer details   secondly they help you spot potential errors in  the data for example if an
average is way higher   than you'd expect or responses to a question  are highly varied this can act as a
warning   sign that you need to double check the data and  lastly these descriptive statistics help inform  
which inferential statistical methods you can use  as those methods depend on the shape of the data  
we'll explore this a little bit more later  on simply put descriptive statistics are   really important even
though the  statistical methods used are pretty basic   all too often at grad coach we see students 
rushing past the descriptives in their eagerness   to get to the more exciting inferential methods  and
then landing up with some very flawed results   don't be a sucker give your descriptive  statistics all the
love and attention they deserve all right now that we've looked at  descriptive stats let's move on to  
the second branch of quantitative  analysis inferential statistics as i mentioned while descriptive
statistics are  all about the details of your specific data set   your sample inferential statistics aim to
make  inferences about the population in other words   you'll use inferential statistics to make 
predictions about what you'd expect to find   in the full population what kind of predictions  you ask well
generally speaking there are two   common types of predictions that research  try to make using
inferential stats firstly   predictions about differences between groups  for example height differences
between children   grouped by their favorite sport and secondly  relationships between variables for
example   the relationship between body weight and the  number of hours a week a person does yoga  
in other words inferential statistics when  done correctly allow you to connect the   dots and make
predictions about what you'd  expect to see in the real world population   based on what you observe in
your sample data  for this reason inferential statistics are used   for hypothesis testing in other words to
test  hypotheses that predict changes or differences   of course when you're working with inferential 
statistics the composition of your sample is   really important in other words if your  sample doesn't
accurately represent the   population you're researching then your findings  won't necessarily be very
useful for example   if your population of interest is a mix of 50  male and 50 female but your sample is
80 male   you can't make inferences about the population  based on your sample since it's not
representative   this area of statistics is called sampling but we  won't go down that rabbit hole here it's
a deep   one we'll save that for another video so what kind  of statistics are usually covered in this
section   well there are many many different statistical  analysis methods within the inferential branch  
and it would be impossible for us to discuss  them all here so we'll just take a look at   some of the most
common inferential statistical  methods so that you have a solid starting point first up are t-tests t-tests
compare the  means the averages of two groups of data   to assess whether they are different to a 
statistically significant extent in other words   to see whether they have significantly different  means
standard deviations and skewness for example   you might want to compare the mean blood pressure 
between two groups of people one that has taken a   new medication and one that hasn't to assess 
whether they are significantly different   simply looking at the two means  is not enough to draw a
conclusion   you need to assess whether the differences  are statistically significant and that's   what t-
tests allow you to do right next up is  anova anova stands for analysis of variance   this test is similar to a
t-test in that it  compares the means of various groups but anova   allows you to analyze multiple groups
not just  two so it's basically a t-test but on steroids next we have correlation analysis this type of 
analysis assesses the relationship between two   variables in other words if one variable increases  does
the other variable also increase decrease   or stay the same for example if the average  temperature
goes up do average ice cream sales   increase too we'd expect some sort of relationship  between these
two variables intuitively   but correlation analysis allows us to  measure that relationship scientifically
lastly we have regression analysis regression  analysis is similar to correlation in that it   assesses the
relationship between variables but  it goes a step further to understand the cause   and effect between
variables not just whether they  move together in other words does the one variable   actually cause the
other one to move or do they  just happen to move together naturally thanks to   another force just
because two variables correlate  doesn't necessarily mean that one causes the other   to make this all a
little more tangible let's  take a look at an example of correlation in   action here's a scatter plot
demonstrating the  correlation or the relationship between weight and   height intuitively we'd expect
there to be some  sort of relationship between these two variables   which is what we see in this scatter
plot in other  words the results tend to cluster together in a   diagonal line from bottom left to top right
the  more tightly the results cluster together to form   a line in any direction the more correlated they 
are and therefore the stronger the relationship   between the variables as i mentioned these are  just a
handful of inferential methods there   are many many more importantly each statistical  method has its
own assumptions and limitations   for example some methods only work with normally  distributed or
parametric data while other methods   are designed specifically for data that are  not normally
distributed and that's exactly why   descriptive statistics are so important they're  the first step to
knowing which inferential   methods you can and can't use of course this  all begs the question how do i
choose the right   quantitative analysis methods for my research  well that's exactly what we'll look at
next now that we've looked at some of the most common  statistical methods used within quantitative  
analysis let's look at how you go about choosing  the right tool for the job to choose the right   statistical
methods for your research you need  to think about two important factors one the   type of quantitative
data you have specifically  level of measurement and the shape of the data   and two your research
questions and hypotheses  let's take a closer look at each of these the   first thing you need to consider
is the type of  data you've collected or the data you will collect   by data types i'm referring to the four
levels  of measurement namely nominal ordinal interval   and ratio if you're not familiar with this lingo 
you should hit the pause button real quick and   go check out our post over on the grad coach blog  that
explains each of these levels of measurement   i'll include the link below okay so why does this  matter
well because different statistical methods   require different types of data this is one of the  assumptions
i mentioned earlier every method has   its assumptions regarding the type of data for  example some
methods work with categorical data   like yes or no type questions while others work  with numerical
data like age weight or income if   you try to use a statistical method that doesn't  support the data type
you have your results will   be largely meaningless so make sure you have a  clear understanding of what
types of data you've   collected or will collect once you have this you  can then check which statistical
methods support   your data types i'll include a link below the  video that explains which methods
support which   data types now if you haven't collected your data  yet you can of course reverse
engineer the process   and look at which statistical methods would  give you the most useful insights and
then   design your data collection strategy around this  to ensure that you collect the correct data types
another important factor to  consider is the shape of your data   specifically does it have a normal
distribution  in other words is it a bell-shaped curve   centered in the middle or is it  very skewed to the
left or right   again different statistical methods work for  different shapes of data some are designed  
for symmetrical data while others are designed  for skewed data this is another reminder of why  
descriptive statistics are so important since  they tell you all about the shape of your data the next thing
you need to consider is your  specific research questions as well as your   hypotheses if you have some
the nature of your  research questions and research hypotheses   will heavily influence which statistical 
methods you should use if you're just   interested in understanding the attributes of your  sample as
opposed to the entire population then   descriptive statistics might be all you need for  example if you
just want to assess the means or   averages and the medians or center points of  variables in a group of
people descriptives   will do the trick on the other hand if you aim  to understand differences between
groups or   relationships between variables and to  infer or predict outcomes in the population   then
you'll likely need both descriptive  statistics and inferential statistics so   it's really important to get very 
clear about your research aims   and research questions as well as your hypotheses  before you start
looking at which statistical   methods to use never shoehorn a specific method  into your research just
because you like it   or have experience with it your choice of methods  must align with all the factors
we've covered here all right now that we've looked  at what quantitative analysis is   the two main
branches of statistics and how  to choose the right methods for your research   let's recap and bring it all
together we've covered a lot in this video  well done on making it this far   let's recap on the key points
we've looked at  first we asked the question what is quantitative   data analysis as we discussed
quantitative  analysis is all about analyzing number based data   which can include both categorical and
numerical  data these data are analyzed using statistical   methods the two main branches of statistics
are  descriptive statistics and inferential statistics   descriptives describe your sample the slice of  the
cake while inferentials make predictions   about what you'll find in the population the full  cake based on
what you've observed in the sample   as we saw common descriptive statistical  metrics include the
mean the median the mode   standard deviation and skewness on the inferential  side we looked at t
tests anovas correlation   analysis and regression analysis all of which can  help you make predictions
about the population   lastly we asked the important question how  do i choose the right statistical
methods   as we discussed to choose the right  statistical methods you need to consider   the type of
data you're working as well  as your research questions and hypotheses   remember in this video we've
only looked at a  handful of the most common quantitative methods   there are many many more so be
sure to check out  the grad coach blog as well as the other links   below this video to get a fuller picture
of what  all's on offer in terms of statistical methods   also if you'd like us to cover any of the methods  in
more detail be sure to leave a comment below alright that wraps it up for today if you  enjoyed the
video hit that like button and   leave a comment if you have any questions also  be sure to subscribe to
the grad coach channel   for more research related content lastly if you  need a helping hand with your
research check out   our private coaching service where we work with  you on a one-on-one basis
chapter by chapter to   help you craft a winning dissertation thesis or  research project if that sounds
interesting to   you book a free consultation with a friendly  coach at www www.bradcoach.com as
always i'll   include a link below that's all for this episode  of grad coach tv until next time good luck you