Quantitative Research is a type of scientific investigation that focuses on numbers and statistics to study people’s thoughts, opinions, behaviors, and other specific factors (Thomas et al., 2015). It uses methods like math and computer analysis to gather and analyze data. Quantitative research is often called traditional research because it relies on numeric information to draw conclusions. In the field of sports psychology, quantitative research aims to create and test theories and hypotheses about sports-related phenomena, using mathematical models (Strauß et al., 2007). Its main goal is to make general statements about a whole group of people based on information collected from a smaller sample.
When compared to qualitative research, quantitative research follows more standardized procedures for data collection. It assumes that variables can be measured objectively and usually involves a structured research design, such as experiments or surveys. Sometimes, after conducting quantitative research, researchers may also use qualitative methods to explore certain findings in more depth. It’s important to note that quantitative researchers use various methods to collect data, such as surveys, interviews, online polls, systematic observations, standardized tests, and physiological measurements. They can conduct studies that look at a specific point in time (cross-sectional) or track changes over an extended period (longitudinal) (Gratton & Jones, 2010). In quantitative research, having a larger number of cases or participants is preferred because it helps represent the entire group of interest more accurately.
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Strauß, B., Bu ̈sch, D., & Tenenbaum, G. (2007). New perspec- tives on measurement and testing in sport psychology. In G. Tenenbaum, & R. C. Eklund (Eds.), Handbook of sport psy- chology (pp. 737 756). New Jersey: Wiley.
Thomas, J. R., Nelson, J. K., & Silverman, S. J. (2015). Introduction to research in physical activity. In J. R. Thomas, J. K. Nelson, & S. J. Silverman (Eds.), Research methods in physical activity (pp. 3 24). Champaign: Human Kinetics.