... this data analysis of quantitative study is statistical, striving to show that the world can be looked at in terms of one reality; this reality, when isolated in context, can be measured and understood, a perspective known as positivism (Gay & Airasian, 1999). Deductive reasoning is a form of interpretation by which each conclusion follows from the previous one; an argument is built by conclusions that progress towards a final statement - a valid form of proof. Thus, it involves moving from a general principle to understanding a specific case (DePoy and Gitlin, 1998). Quantitative research designs are either descriptive (subjects usually measured once) or experimental (subjects measured before and after a treatment). A descriptive study establishes only associations between variables (Beck, Hungler & Polit, 2001). An experiment establishes causality. For an accurate estimate of the relationship between variables, a descriptive study usually needs a sample of hundreds or even ...

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