1) Dissertation topic
The dissertation topic is the psychology of road rage. The focus of the research is thus the examination of factors that are associated with road rage by identifying cognitive and anticipative factors that contribute to the problem. In the research, the human factors that contribute to road rage will be unveiled. The understanding will form the basis for devising a solution to the problem. Also, it will form the basis for developing a solution to the problem by employing a multi-factor conceptual framework. A quantitative methodology will be used to arrive at an in-depth and broad understanding of the human factors and how they contribute towards road rage.
2) Attributes of the Quantitative Methodology
Research methodology is the detailed description of how research should be undertaken; it describes the systematic approach used to discover knowledge. Rajasekar et al. (2006) described research methodology as “the procedures by which researchers go about their work of describing, explaining, and predicting phenomena” (p.2). For the proposed study, the approach to be used will be quantitative.
Quantitative research’s primary focus is gathering numerical data and generalizing it across the study populations. In quantitative research, the main aim is to count, classify features, and construct statistical models to explain what is observed. There are different types of quantitative research approaches. They include correlational, survey, experimental, and causal-comparative researches. In a survey, the data is collected using questionnaires to get facts about behavior, motivations, and attitudes about the phenomenon under survey (Apuke, 2017). Correlational methods entail the collection of data that is analyzed to examine whether there is a relationship between two variables and to what extent. Correlation coefficients are used to statistically explore if the analyzed data has positive or negative correlation and statistical significance (Apuke, 2017). The causal-comparative comparative study examines the difference between groups, unlike the correlational study that looks for relationships of variables in a group. On the other hand, the experimental method entails the investigation of the treatment of the study sample or participants to measure how a subject behaves after the treatment (Apuke, 2017).
As per the quantitative methodology, the key underpinning attributes are the design, sampling, data collection, and analysis procedures. Regarding the study design, survey and correlational designs are critical in the current context. Both the survey and correlational approaches provide a better basis for discovering knowledge about the psychology of road rage because the former provides descriptive aspects while the latter forms the basis for drawing inferences (Apuke, 2017; Eyisi, 2016). It is based on the descriptive and inferential outlook that road rage issues can be quantified and appropriate solution designed by employing a multi-factor conceptual framework. Therefore, a combination of survey and correlation will be used. In the survey approach, data collection will be by use of a quantitative self-report.
In the confines of the quantitative methodology, the study participants will be sampled using a sampling procedure that reduces inclusion bias. Therefore, in line with the survey design, probability sampling will be used to choose the study participants to represent the study population. Notably, participants will be included through a random sampling approach. The data collection process, as pointed out, will entail the use of a self-administered questionnaire on specific variables that can be used for analysis to understand the phenomenon. The analysis of the collected data will encompass both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics entail a set of mathematical analyses that give a summary of data in terms of mean, median, variance, and rage (Rajasekar et al., 2006). In this context, the descriptive data will provide crucial information about the demographic characteristics and characteristics of the study participants. It is based on the descriptive data that it becomes possible to establish the extent to which the findings paint a clear picture and the extent to which the findings can be generalized. The inferential statistics center on probability theory and thus will be crucial in making inferences concerning the issue under investigation (Eyisi, 2016), i.e., generalizations about the study population based on the sample’s descriptive data.
3) Quantitative Study Rationale
Quantitative research is paramount in the proposed study because it quantifies and analyses variables to get a numerical description of the phenomena. To understand the psychology of road rage, it will be critical to quantify data and answer the questions of who, how much, what, where, when, and how many. In answering the questions, the quantitative methods will provide an objective approach based on numerical measurement and statistical analysis. Therefore, the quantitative methods do not only provide data but ensure that it is objective and has vital facts concerning the phenomenon ((Apuke, 2017). Notably, the main focus of the study is to measure the characteristics of a given population by utilizing statistical methods.
In the study of road rage, personal characteristics are constituents to general experience and influence the expression of aggression, essential in identifying factors of road behavior. Therefore, the psychology of road rage can best be understood by understanding how some traits and behaviors are associated with road rage through an objective approach. As a result, the use of quantitative methods of survey and correlations provide grounding for understanding the study phenomenon.
Notably, the survey attribute gives an understanding of the behavior or traits of the persons. According to Apuke (2017), a survey approach enhances a better understanding of people by getting vital facts that relate to their characteristics and behavior. As a result, the survey will help in getting descriptive statistics about the issue. The correlation approach is crucial because it is the basis for augmenting the descriptive data to determine how some human factors such as behaviors contribute to road rage. For example, a self-administered questionnaire can be used to understand whether a driver is impulsive, and then the information collected about road behavior can be used to examine correlation that enhances understanding whether the impulsivity is related to road rage and to what extent.
