What is Quantitative Research?

Quantitative methodologies use statistics to analyze numerical data gathered by researchers to answer their research questions. Quantitative methods can be used to answer questions such as:

• What are the relationships between two or more variables? 
• What factors are at play in an environment that might affect the behavior or development of the organisms in that environment?

• Independent and Dependent Variables

• In quantitative research, a variable is something (an intervention technique, a pharmaceutical, a temperature, etc.) that changes. There are two kinds of variables: independent variables and dependent variables. In the simplest terms, the independent variable is whatever the researchers are using to attempt to make a change in their dependent variable.

• Table listing independent and dependent variables.

  Independent Variable(s)	Dependent Variable
  A new cancer-treating drug being tested in different dosage strengths	The number of detectable cancer cells in a patient or cell sample
  Different genres of music*	Plant growth within a specific time frame