ATS3222 Chap.5 Quantitative Data, Variables and Survey Design
Quantitative Data, Variables and Survey Design
Week 4 opens the unit's study of gathering data with quantitative data. The class questions ask how research data is understood in HASS, what makes data quantitative, which groups rely on it, how it is collected, and where it is strong or weak.
The workshop answers them by having groups build and run a small survey.
Groups pick one hypothesis from a list about campus life, such as whether free food is related to attendance at campus events, then identify the population and the independent and dependent variables.
The survey must contain at least five questions, excluding demographic ones, and combine Likert-scale items with multiple-choice or open-ended questions.
Surveys are swapped between groups and the results discussed.
This chapter explains how to read any hypothesis as a relationship between an influence and an outcome, and works the extracurricular participation and belonging hypothesis into measurable variables and a sampling plan. It stresses the central limit of a one-off survey: it can show that two things move together but not which causes which.
Practice tasks repair a double-barrelled question and weigh a survey's strengths against what it cannot explain.
Even if your own project is qualitative, the chapter matters for the later assessments. The feasibility report asks about practical design factors, and knowing what a survey can and cannot do lets you justify why your chosen method fits your question better.
A short survey can also describe a sample or help find interviewees.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Who uses quantitative data
- 02
Reading a hypothesis
- 03
Independent and dependent variables
- 04
Defining a population and sample
- 05
Likert, multiple-choice and open items
- 06
Avoiding double-barrelled questions
- 07
Association is not causation
Worked example · free
Turn a campus hypothesis into survey variables
- +1Independent variable: distance from residence to campus, asked as travel time in bands such as under 20 minutes, 20 to 45 minutes, and over 45 minutes.
- +1Dependent variable: satisfaction with facilities, measured on a five-point Likert scale.
- +1Item one: 'How long does your usual trip to campus take?' with the time bands as options.
- +1Item two: 'I am satisfied with the study spaces on campus', rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
Key terms
- Hypothesis
- A testable statement predicting a relationship between variables in a defined population.
- Independent variable
- The condition expected to influence an outcome, such as hours spent on social media.
- Dependent variable
- The outcome expected to change with the independent variable, such as academic performance.
- Likert scale
- A rating format asking respondents how strongly they agree or disagree with a statement.
- Population
- The whole group a study wants to draw conclusions about, from which a sample is selected.
- Double-barrelled question
- A survey item that asks about two things at once, so a single answer cannot be interpreted.
Quantitative Data, Variables and Survey Design FAQ
What must the Week 4 survey include?
At least five questions not counting demographics, mixing Likert-scale items with multiple-choice or open-ended questions. The survey is built around one hypothesis, with the population and the independent and dependent variables identified before any question is written.
How do I tell the independent from the dependent variable?
The independent variable is the presumed influence and the dependent variable is the outcome expected to move. In 'performance is affected by social media hours', social media hours are independent.
What are the weaknesses of survey data?
Surveys only measure what the questions anticipate, cannot explain what an answer meant to the respondent, and from a single time point usually show association rather than cause.
Is quantitative data relevant to a qualitative project?
Often yes. A brief survey can describe who took part or help recruit interviewees, and understanding what numbers can and cannot show helps you explain why interviews suit your main question better than a questionnaire would.
How many questions should a survey have?
The Week 4 activity sets a minimum of five questions not counting demographics. For a real study, include only items that measure your variables or describe your sample, since every extra question lowers completion.
What is the difference between correlation and causation in a survey?
A one-off survey can show that two variables rise and fall together, which is correlation. It cannot show that one causes the other, because a third factor or the reverse direction could explain the pattern equally well.
Assessment move
Take any hypothesis from the workshop list and, in ten minutes, name the population, the two variables and how each would be measured. Write five items and check each for one idea per question. Finish with one sentence on what the survey could not tell you, which is the habit the feasibility and proposal tasks reward. Then swap with a classmate and answer each other's surveys, noting any item you had to read twice.
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