A500.7.3.RB_MaceRoyce

According to BusinessDictionary.com (n.d.), "Quantitative research is the use of sampling techniques (such as consumer surveys) whose findings may be expressed numerically, and are amenable to mathematical manipulation enabling the researcher to estimate future events or quantities." Quantitative data is a very useful and powerful tool in education and can serve to help validate claims made by learners and teachers alike. It serves as a foundation of our works whether they be educational or work related. Additionally, we are a society driven by numbers and data. It is ingrained in us as a culture to validate claims and facts based on quantitative data. It is how much of the world we live in works.

Looking back at the completion of my undergraduate degree, I now realize how much quantitative data was required to complete the course work. It was the focus of our studies. We were looking to give validity to our work through quantitative research and data. Providing quantitative data such as graphs, figures, and statistics seemed to always be required with many of the term papers and projects. Despite some of the frustrations associated with quantitative data, I was able to complete all of the undergraduate coursework and really learn how to explain my work using it, Expressing my work utilizing quantitative data became easier over time as I practiced using it over and over again.    
Looking forward, quantitative data will help solidify my graduate work and enrich any future action research that I might conduct. Combining quantitative research with qualitative research really packs a "1, 2 punch" when it comes to graduate level assignments. Thus far, the graduate level requires more than just numbers. It requires the student to present an all-inclusive research product where both the quantitative and qualitative levels of research can fully explain the students' works and ideas without any gaps or missing pieces.


Quantitative Research. (n.d.). In BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved from                                                
     http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/quantitative-research.html