Quantitative Research: Types, Advantages, Generalizability & Limitations

Quantitative research is a systematic investigation that utilizes numerical data and statistical techniques to determine relationships between variables and draw conclusions about the phenomena under study. It aims to quantify observations, measure variables, and generalize findings to wider populations through statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. This paper, thus, discusses the various types of quantitative research, sampling techniques under quantitative research and the benefits and limitations of quantitative research. These fundamental concepts of quantitative research are explored following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol. Hence, from the analysis, the advantages of quantitative research include: generalizability of study findings to broader contexts, faster data collection and analysis, replicability of the studies and reliability and objectivity of the findings. On the other hand, the limitations of quantitative research include: the need for larger study samples, limited contextual understanding and interpretation of findings, rigidity and inflexibility of the research process, and inability to capture the depth of human behavior or social phenomena. Moreover, from this analysis, the types of quantitative research are experimental, correlational, descriptive and quasi-experimental/causal-comparative research, while the sampling technique is mainly probability (simple random sampling, stratified sampling, systematic and cluster sampling methods), with non-probability sampling used when practical limitations exist. Consequently, the goal of this synthesis is to provide scholars and practitioners with a consolidated view of how quantitative research functions within the broader landscape of academic inquiry. Recommendations for improving practice and future research directions are also presented.