4 types of quantitative research

by | May 8, 2025 | Analysis

 

 

 

You can choose one of the following topics:

Describe 4 types of quantitative research
Differentiate between basic and applied research
Describe 5 approaches to quantitative research

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Quantitative research, at its core, is about collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns, establish relationships, and test hypotheses. It emphasizes objectivity, measurement, and statistical analysis. The four types we’ll discuss are:

1. Descriptive Research:

  • Purpose: The primary goal of descriptive research is to describe the characteristics of a population or phenomenon. It aims to answer questions like “what is,” “how often,” or “how much.” It does not manipulate variables or establish cause-and-effect relationships.
  • Methods: Common methods include surveys (using questionnaires or interviews with closed-ended questions), observational studies (systematically recording the frequency or characteristics of behaviors or events), and the analysis of existing statistical data (like census data or market research reports).
  • Data Analysis: Data is typically analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, medians, modes, standard deviations, and ranges. Visual aids like tables, bar charts, and pie charts are often used to present the findings.
  • Example: A researcher might conduct a survey to determine the average age, income level, and frequency of exercise among residents of a specific city. Another example could be observing and recording the number of times a particular customer service behavior occurs in a retail setting.

Quantitative research, at its core, is about collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns, establish relationships, and test hypotheses. It emphasizes objectivity, measurement, and statistical analysis. The four types we’ll discuss are:

1. Descriptive Research:

  • Purpose: The primary goal of descriptive research is to describe the characteristics of a population or phenomenon. It aims to answer questions like “what is,” “how often,” or “how much.” It does not manipulate variables or establish cause-and-effect relationships.
  • Methods: Common methods include surveys (using questionnaires or interviews with closed-ended questions), observational studies (systematically recording the frequency or characteristics of behaviors or events), and the analysis of existing statistical data (like census data or market research reports).
  • Data Analysis: Data is typically analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, medians, modes, standard deviations, and ranges. Visual aids like tables, bar charts, and pie charts are often used to present the findings.
  • Example: A researcher might conduct a survey to determine the average age, income level, and frequency of exercise among residents of a specific city. Another example could be observing and recording the number of times a particular customer service behavior occurs in a retail setting.
  • Purpose: Experimental research is considered the gold standard for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. It involves manipulating one or more independent variables to determine their effect on a dependent variable while controlling for other extraneous factors. The key characteristic of true experiments is the random assignment of participants to different treatment conditions.  
  • Methods: True experiments typically involve:
    • Manipulation: The researcher actively changes the levels of the independent variable.
    • Control: The researcher uses a control group that does not receive the treatment or receives a standard treatment for comparison.
    • Random Assignment: Participants are randomly assigned to the different treatment groups to ensure that groups are as similar as possible at the start of the experiment, minimizing the influence of confounding variables.
  • Data Analysis: Data is analyzed using inferential statistics such as t-tests, ANOVA, and factorial designs to determine if there are statistically significant differences between the groups on the dependent variable.
  • Example: A researcher might randomly assign participants to either a new teaching method or a traditional teaching method and then compare their performance on a standardized test to determine if the new method causes improved learning outcomes. Another example could be testing the effectiveness of a new drug by randomly assigning patients to receive either the drug or a placebo and then comparing their recovery rates.

Understanding these four types of quantitative research is fundamental to designing and interpreting research studies. The choice of which type to use depends heavily on the research question, the nature of the variables being studied, and the feasibility of manipulating and controlling those variables. Remember that each type has its strengths and limitations, and researchers must carefully consider these when planning their investigations.

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