Quantittative Research free essay sample

Quantitative research is very common in natural sciences. Quantitative research is used to verify or support a hypothesis that already exists. Being without the structure provided by a hypothesis in quantitative research between variables tested, may create feeling of insecurity. This is understandable since quantitative research on human behaviour has a more clearly defined research agenda. Research is conducted through a cycle of phases. The methods applied to carry out quantative research are data analysis, which is collected through statistics. The nature of this type of perspective is known as positivism because it strives to tell the world it can be understood in one context. Quantitative research uses a deductive approach, making predictions, and testing hypothesis that have already been carried out. (Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers of quantitative research work with numerical data by analysing numbers. Characteristics have to be put in place in order for results to be accurate and reliable. We will write a custom essay sample on Quantittative Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Prior to conducting a research, researchers have to state both hypotheses. The next task carried out prior to the research is to implement the procedure they are going to use. Researchers have to provide statistical meaningful data and in order to do this they have to use large enough samples of people. A quantifiable sample of 200 people is an absolute minimum in order to carry out a reliable statistical analysis. The accuracy of the research is important therefore correct procedures are employed to collect data analysis. In quantitative research due to the nature, certain types of methods are used to conduct research. Quantitative research is done through questioning and observing. Researchers can manipulate certain parts of the experiment when measuring the results. The methods are of systematic approach; the four main types of research used in quantitative research are descriptive or survey research, correlational research, casual comparative research and experimental research. (Bryman, A. 2004) Correlational research attempts to determine the relationships between two or more variables, experimental research attempts to look for an cause and effect between two or more variables. Correlational and group difference studies look at existing data this is a non-experimental study. The cause an effect here assess the relationship from one study that exists with another study which is the same. Whilst in casual comparative research the researcher has no control over the casual factor or independent variable because it is studied after the fact, this effect is also known as the dependent variable (D. V). Experimental research and casual comparative research looks at cause and effect relationship between two or more variables the difference between the two researches is that casual comparative research have no control whereas experimental research the researcher has control over the independent variable (I. V). (Bryman, A. 2004) A longitudinal survey was conducted looking at behavioural patterns of sport fandom’s. The usefulness of this research was to analyse the behaviour of human explained by social facts. Longitudinal studies can be useful because they study the same group of participants over a certain aspect as time passes. The survey examined showing the behavioural component of sport fandom attending games. The data was collected in consecutive seasons, the methodology of study was to be reliable and in order to do this they collected data between clubs. The advantage of this survey showed the composition of the crowd, and their overt behaviour. The usefulness of using quantative methodology was to measure overt behaviour, and the different aspects in measuring the composition of the sports crowd. This study can be replicated again to compare the quantitative methodology. In this research the reliability and validity is determined more than a qualitative technique. Even though the survey showed the composition of the crowd and their overt behaviour, the methodology does not attempt to explain the underlying assumptions of sport fandom. The individuals in the study are regarded as a â€Å"set of variables making them equivalent across persons and across situations†. (www) Structure interviews usually carried out on randomly selected sample of people. In a structured interview the researcher has pre set questions that a subject is required to answer in a given way. Structured interviews are conducted in a casual manner and may produce spontaneous and realistic answers. The standard interviews can be generalised and applied to the entire population. Sampling of subjects can be difficult, and formal interviews conducted in routine manner may not produce realistic answers. The British Crime Survey (B. C. S) carries out surveys of randomly selected sample of people questioned by structured interviews. In order to understand, the experience of crime and behaviour. (Bryman, A, 2004) In questionnaires and surveys the experiments can be studied on large sample of people. Researchers are able to ask questions about feeling and behaviour in real situations, the method is cheap. The selected people can be generalised about the real world because they are chosen randomly. In the questionnaire and survey the negative aspect can be that people may not respond truthfully. It is difficult to establish the cause an effect. Questions in surveys may not have been asked about variables. Also through surveys and questionnaires research is often collected which is manipulated. People’s responses are put in categories that might fit in order to make meaning. (Coolican, H. 1999) Asch (1951) study was conducted to carry out if conformity took place. Asch (1951) did a perceptual test to measure conformity; there were 36 confederates in the experiment, 20 trials took place. The study was carried out in a laboratory setting. In the experiment where a number of stooges who were confederates of the experiment. In the experiment the stooges where told to give incorrect answers. Participant found it hard in the perceptual test to identify which 3 lines was the same length has the standard line. In this study 74% of participants did agree with the stooges verdict and conformed. The mean average of conformity rate amongst participants was 32%. Many psychologists have criticised Asch’s study because they feel the participants where young offenders on probation. The set of participants were under authority figures acting has their experimenters. The other criticism Asch has received was how could one relate the perceptual task to conformity in real life. The other factor that could’ve affected conformity in the perceptual task was if there was one participant and one stooge, conformity would’ve been rather low than one stooge being present in the experiment; possibility of conformity would be then higher. The higher the status of stooge the likelihood of conformity would be higher, than if the stooge is a fellow student. Other factors considered to influence different results would be if lines where relatively similar to the standard line then the task would effect the conformity rate. It was a time consuming study, because one participant was tested at a time. In this study the participants were misleaded because of the stooges. The usefulness of the stooges in this experiment was to provide a result whether conformity existed. Rosenow and Rosenthal (1977) suggest that some studies, â€Å"researchers have clear expectations about what should happen in their research study this can affect on the outcome. In other words, to some extent, researchers find what they are expecting to find, simply because they are expected to find it†. (Coolican, H. 1999) Research can sometimes produce ambiguous interpretations where studies have manipulated the independent variable. Validity in experiments only exists if the true cause and effect relationship is identified. In experimental methods manipulation of one variable can take place in order to keep the other variables constant. Experiments take place to discover accurate and precise discoveries of relationships between variables. In order to rule out alternative confounding variables designs of experiments are carefully thought. Therefore a validity of experiment carried out on a study should help researcher in future to create and design better experiment. (Russel, J. 000) Researcher In quantitative research is a mere objective observer. In this research the researcher does not participate or influence what is being studied. This is the basic underlying assumption of the method that guides this study. It is through this sequence the types of data are collected. Experiments carried out in field studies are seen has reliable, because people react and behave in an everyday context. On the other hand labor atory studies can be unreliable because variables are controlled, they are low in validity and artificial. Coolican, H. 1999) Researchers use quantitative research in order to find results from experiments. Experiments used in social science have to be done so that they are internally and externally valid. (www. uwa. com In conclusion it can be said that some researchers find that some experiments using quantitative method have limited usefulness because of the low external validity for example of their inapplicability to the real world. On the other hand some researchers consider quantitative research can be statistically reliable. Some researchers find that studies in some cases are manipulated and the results are biased in the way they are measured. The determination of the reliability on quantitative research can be from one idea concept, product package if it is better than the alternative. Researchers using quantitative research see whether a particular population shares certain characteristics in common. Quantitative research is used in connection with statistical analysis and generalisation of descriptions. Therefore it is seen appropriate to be used in research to measure both attitudes and behaviour.

Free Essays on Colonialism in Nigeria

Colonialism in Nigeria By: Meg E-mail: BumpSki1224@aol.com Colonialism in Nigeria The earliest known documentation of Nigeria is that it was the sight of a group of organized states called Hausa. The earliest Nigerians were the Nok people. These Noks were skilled artisans, but they didn’t last long. The Noks had disappeared by the second millennium. The Southwest region of Lake Chad, Africa was ruled by the Kanem-Bornu during the 8th century. By the 1300’s, the empire of Kanem-Bornu was a flourishing center of Islamic culture, rivaling Mali in the west. As this African kingdom began to stagnate, the western states fell under the rule of Songhai and the empire fell in result. During the 15th century, Nigeria was a very prosperous country with great cultivation and trading. By the late 16th century, the Kanem-Bornu broke up and the Hausa states regained their independence. In the 19th century, the Fulani then took dominance in the lands of Hausa and the southern part of the country was divided at this time. In the west, Yoruba ha d their own states; the Edo ruled in Benin in the south-central parts; and the Ibo had control in the east, in and north of the Niger delta. People such as Mungo Park, Richard Lemon Lander, and John Lander first explored the interior in 1830-31. Realizing the potential of the area, the Portuguese, the British, and others established slave-trading stations in the Niger delta. The British sent consuls to Calabar and Lagos, where traders were established, and they took full possession of Lagos. The British then established protectorates after the conclusion of several treaties with the native chiefs and in 1893, the name Niger Coast Protectorate was established. Then, in 1900, after expansion in the southwest, which brought about the addition of the kingdom of Benin, the name was changed to the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. In the same year, the British proclaimed the protectorate of Northern Nigeria ... Free Essays on Colonialism in Nigeria Free Essays on Colonialism in Nigeria Colonialism in Nigeria By: Meg E-mail: BumpSki1224@aol.com Colonialism in Nigeria The earliest known documentation of Nigeria is that it was the sight of a group of organized states called Hausa. The earliest Nigerians were the Nok people. These Noks were skilled artisans, but they didn’t last long. The Noks had disappeared by the second millennium. The Southwest region of Lake Chad, Africa was ruled by the Kanem-Bornu during the 8th century. By the 1300’s, the empire of Kanem-Bornu was a flourishing center of Islamic culture, rivaling Mali in the west. As this African kingdom began to stagnate, the western states fell under the rule of Songhai and the empire fell in result. During the 15th century, Nigeria was a very prosperous country with great cultivation and trading. By the late 16th century, the Kanem-Bornu broke up and the Hausa states regained their independence. In the 19th century, the Fulani then took dominance in the lands of Hausa and the southern part of the country was divided at this time. In the west, Yoruba ha d their own states; the Edo ruled in Benin in the south-central parts; and the Ibo had control in the east, in and north of the Niger delta. People such as Mungo Park, Richard Lemon Lander, and John Lander first explored the interior in 1830-31. Realizing the potential of the area, the Portuguese, the British, and others established slave-trading stations in the Niger delta. The British sent consuls to Calabar and Lagos, where traders were established, and they took full possession of Lagos. The British then established protectorates after the conclusion of several treaties with the native chiefs and in 1893, the name Niger Coast Protectorate was established. Then, in 1900, after expansion in the southwest, which brought about the addition of the kingdom of Benin, the name was changed to the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. In the same year, the British proclaimed the protectorate of Northern Nigeria ...

How to Run PHP on an HTML File

How to Run PHP on an HTML File PHP  is a server-side programming language that is used in conjunction with  HTML  to enhance the features of a website. It can be used to add a log-in screen or a survey,  redirect visitors, create a calendar, send and receive cookies, and more. If your website is already published on the web, youll need to alter it a bit to use the PHP code with the page. When a webpage is accessed, the server checks the extension to know how to handle the page. Generally speaking, if it sees a .htm or .html file, it sends it right to the browser because it doesnt have anything to process on the server. If it sees a .php extension, it knows that it needs to execute the appropriate code before passing it along to the browser. Process You find the perfect script, and you want to run it on your website, but you need to include PHP on your page for it to work. You could just rename your pages to yourpage.php instead of yourpage.html, but you may already have incoming links or search engine ranking, so you dont want to change the file name. What can you do? If you are creating a new file anyway, you may as well use .php, but the way to execute PHP on a .html page is to modify the .htaccess file. This file may be hidden, so depending upon your FTP program, you may have to modify some settings to see it. Then you just need to add this line for .html: AddType application/x-httpd-php .html or for .htm: AddType application/x-httpd-php .htm If you only plan on including the PHP on one page, it is better to set it up this way: Files yourpage.html AddType application/x-httpd-php .html /Files This code  makes the PHP executable only on the yourpage.html file  and not on all of your HTML pages. Pitfalls If you have an existing .htaccess file, add the supplied code to it, do not overwrite it or other settings may stop working. Always be cautious when working on your .htaccess file and ask your host if you need help.Anything in your .html files that starts with ? will now be executed as PHP, so if its in your file for some other reason (as an XML tag, for example), you need to echo these lines to prevent errors. For example, use: ?php echo ?xml version1.0 encodingIUTF-8?; ?

Ratios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ratios - Essay Example The ratio analysis will consist of a combination of ratios from three categories. The three ratio categories are profitability, efficiency, and leverage ratios. Three profitability ratios selected for the analysis are net margin, return on equity (ROE), and return on sales (ROA). The three efficiency ratios used in the ratio analysis are sales to inventory, assets to sales, and sales to net working capital ratio. The two leverage ratios selected were debt ratio and the current ratio. Appendix A shows the ratio calculations results for Target in 2009 and 2008 and for comparison purposes the ratios of Costco in 2010. The net margin shows the profitability of the firm by dividing net income by sales. High net margins are a desirable outcome. The return on equity shows how much profits are being created in relation to its equity investment. The return of assets shows how much of a return a company is obtaining from its assets. High ROA and ROE are desirable outcomes. The sales to invento ry ratio shows how well your inventory is producing sales. The asset to sale ratio shows the ability of the assets to generate revenue. The sale to working capital ratio is calculated dividing sales by net working capital. In fiscal year 2009 which ended on January 30, 2010 Target generated revenues of $63435 million (Annual Report: Tesco, 2009). This figure represents an increase in revenues of 0.88%. In 2009 Target had a net margin of 3.92%. The firm was able to increase its overall profitability by 0.40% in comparison with 2008. In order to compare the ratios of the company with a competitor we choose Cotsco. The most recent financial statements of Cotsco were released in fiscal year 2010 which ends on August 29, 2010. The net margin of Cotsco in fiscal year 2010 was 1.67% (Annual Report: Cotsco, 2010). The net margin of Target is better than Cotsco by 2.25%. The return on assets of Target in 2009 was 5.14%. This metric improved by 0.12% in comparison with the previous fiscal yea r. The return on assets of Target is inferior to Costco by 0.33%.The return on equity of Target in 2009 was 16.21%. The ROE of Target is superior to Cotsco by 4.29%. The sale to inventory ratio of Target in 2009 was 8.84. The financial metric was reduced by 0.54. The sale to inventory of Cotsco in 2010 was 13.83. Cotsco had a superior sale to inventory efficiency by 4.99. The asset to sale ratio of Target in 2009 was 0.70. Cotsco had assets to sales ratio of 0.31. The asset to sales ratio of Target was superior by 0.39. The sale to working capital ratio of Target in 2009 was 8.93. The sale to working capital ratio of Cotsco was much better at 47.38. The metric of Cotsco was superior by 38.45. The debt ratio of Target in 2009 was 1.53. Due to the fact that the company has a debt ratio above 1.0 it is in a favorable position to pay off its long term debt. The debt ratio of Cotsco was better at 1.85. The current ratio of Target in 2009 was 1.63 which is 0.03 better than in 2008. The fi rm is a good position to pay off its short term debt because the current ratio is above 1.0. The current ratio of Target is better than Cotsco by 0.47. The operating expenses of Target in 2009 were $13,078 million which represents an increase in operating expenses of 0.42%. The financial ratio analysis performed on Target led me to believe that Target is a good acquisition for the company. Target had excellent revenues and profitability numbers. The 3.92% net margin of the firm is better

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on breastfeeding Essay

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on breastfeeding - Essay Example Unlike Iran that promotes breast milk substitutes, the Australian government encourages infant milk formula, baby foods, baby juices, bottles, and teats. In addition, the government of Australia does not subsidize the antenatal care classes of mothers. Thus, while Iranian mothers get their antenatal care classes for free, those in Australia have to pay at least $12.50 per class. Moreover, the Australian government do not have legislation that mandates providing paid maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers. In addition, Iran strictly follows the suggestions of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the optimization of breastfeeding practices in the hospital. This may have resulted from the training the Iranian health care professionals (HCPs) undergo in the area of lactation. Such training is neglected in Australia, and only a few Australian HCPs undergo sufficient training on lactation and breastfeeding. As such, vital steps for breastfeeding like the routine initiation of s kin-to-skin contact by rooming in of the baby, and no food or drink other than breast milk are not efficiently passed through from experts to mothers. Upon release from the hospital, Iranian HCPs visit mothers newly released from the hospital at regular intervals post partum.

The Ghost of Toni Morrisons Beloved Essay examples -- Toni Morrison B

The Ghost of Beloved One of the most engaging arguments about Toni Morrison’s book Beloved is centered around the nature of the girl Beloved. The argument is whether Beloved is simply a young woman who herself had suffered the horrors of slavery, or the ghost of Sethe’s crawling already? baby girl. The evidence shows that Morrison intended Beloved to be the ghost of the crawling already? girl. It has been said that there are basically two reasons why ghosts walk: they have either unfinished business to attend to of have died a very violent death. The crawling already? girl fits both of these profiles. She died without growing up, without knowing why she died. As a result, she has unfinished business with her mother, Sethe. The crawling already? girl’s death was also horribly violent. Her mother cut her throat with a saw in the cold shed, rather than have her and her children be brought back into slavery. Many of the clues that indicate Beloved is actually the ghost of the baby girl are within the passages where she first arrives at the house on Bluestone Road. Each of these things put together support the idea that Toni Morrison intended Beloved to be the ghost of the crawling already? baby girl. The first clue is that she "had what sounded like asthma", meaning that her breathing was labored. If Beloved is the ghost, it would make sense that she would have trouble breathing; after all, because the windpipe is found in the neck, and Beloved’s neck was nearly severed, her windpipe would have to have been severed also. She would have quick, raspy breathing, as people with asthma have when they can’t hold a breath. Earlier in the book, Morrison talked about how the ghost slammed Here Boy into ... ...of the bread that Baby Suggs gave her. The burnt bottom pieces of the bread could have reminded her of the river that they crossed to get to 124. The river could have looked black because they crossed at night. When all of the information is tallied up and the clues counted, all of the evidence points to the fact that Beloved is not a real woman, but the spirit if the baby girl come to life. She could have reanimated the body from the hunter’s cabin that Stamp Paid made a passing reference to, or maybe she created the body herself, and that’s why she was so worried it would fall apart. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that all of the evidence points to the fact that somehow, Beloved did come back to life. She is truly the ghost of the crawling already? baby girl. Works Cited: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York, Penguin Books USA Inc, 1988.

Cooking Rice and Peas Jamaican Style

Many people identify Jamaica with beautiful white sand beaches with clear blue waters. Jamaica offers more than unspoiled nature, given its motto – Out of many one people, one will find a mixture of ethnicities and more which have impacted on some of the traditional dishes we now prepare today. One such traditional dish is rice and peas, which has become famous as one of our Sunday Jamaican dishes. Rice and peas is prepared using a combination of rice and peas. This dish provides a good source of complex carbohydrates and a healthy balance of proteins; the addition of herbs such as pimento seeds, fresh thyme and scallion gives this dish a wonderful aroma and an unusual â€Å"kick† to the olfactory glands. This dish is usually served with meat, poultry or fish, as the rice and peas counteracts the spiciness of the main meat dish. Preparing this dish is not as complicated as one may think, and if one takes a chance to try it, then one might just find themselves loving it. The four major steps that are involved in the making of this dish are the gathering of the ingredients, the preparation of the peas, the extraction of the coconut milk and the cooking process. First, you will need to gather all the needed ingredients to make the rice and peas. The appetizing set of ingredients vital for this dish are: red kidney beans, rice, garlic, green scotched bonnet pepper, escallion, thyme, salt to taste and coconut milk or a coconut. Please remember that the coconut milk and the herbs used are very essential for the taste of this dish and it will make the difference from the other types of rice dishes that you might have had before. Several pieces of equipment are also necessary: medium-sized bowl, measuring cup, fork and spoon and a pot. Having obtained all of the specified ingredients and equipment, the next step is the preparation of the peas or beans and the dry coconut. Many types of beans can be used such as red kidney beans, pigeon peas, gungo peas and black-eyed beans and cowpeas. If fresh peas are being used then these have to be washed and boiled for forty-five (45) minutes or more until tender. If dried beans are used, soaking them overnight in plenty of cold garlic water is recommended. After that rinse and drain the soaked beans and boil in fresh salted water until tender. The peas can be tested to see if they are cooked by crushing them against the lid of the pot. If they crush easily, then you are ready to move on to the next step. The next step is the extraction of the coconut milk. Using a metal skewer the softest eye of the coconut must be pierced to drain the liquid into a bowl. With a hammer or the back of a heavy machete break shell and with the point of a sturdy knife pry the meat out of the shell in chunks doing so carefully. Grate coconut on small tear drop shaped holes of a four sided grater or finely chop in a food processor or a blender. To make the coconut milk, water should be added to the grated coconut pulp and be left in the bowl for about five (5) minutes. Using a fine sieve or cloth pressed in the hand to extract the liquid and keep out the coconut pulp. It is important to note that once the liquid is extracted hot water can once again be poured on the same coconut flesh to make another extract. You are now ready to begin cooking. The previous step is very important because the coconut milk helps to add the unique flavour to this traditional meal. The extracted coconut milk along with garlic is added to the pot in which the peas and water have been simmering. When the peas are fully cooked, salt, uncut scotch bonnet pepper, thyme and escallion are added to the pot. The aroma from the herbs makes their presence known and there will be a strong sinus healing smell that will tickle the inside of your nose. After all the ingredients have been cooking together for a time or more importantly when the peas are fully tender and deemed to be cooked, the washed rice is then added to pot. A fork or wooden spoon can be used to combine everything. It is recommended that this dish be prepared on a low fire until done. If all the steps above are followed, one can say that they have now mastered the art of cooking Jamaican rice and peas from scratch using a combination of basic ingredients found in Jamaica. The processing time is approximately two (2 hours or more. I’m quite sure that given the tastiness of this dish it will be eaten in less time than that. Please follow all the suggested steps and include all the listed necessary ingredients and you will see or rather taste the end result.