3. Navigating Quantitative Research

“Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life”- Marcus Aurelius

Opening Scenario

Jaden is a six-year-old curious kid who loves exploring the world around him. One day, while playing in his room, the light bulb suddenly went out, leaving the room in darkness. Jaden didn’t know what had happened, and he asked his mother to come and fix it. Jaden’s mother noticed that the light bulb had blown out and decided to use this opportunity to teach her son how to determine whether a light bulb had blown. She explained to Jaden that when a light bulb blows, it means that the filament inside the bulb has burned out, and it won’t work anymore. To help Jaden understand this concept, his mother showed him a new light bulb and then opened a blown one. She pointed out the differences in the filaments and how they looked, explaining that the burnt-out filament would have dark spots or break. Jaden was fascinated by what he had learned and started to investigate the light bulbs in other rooms. He wanted to see if he could spot a blown bulb by looking for the dark spot or break in the filament. As Jaden continued to explore and investigate the world around him, his mind broadened, his curiosity grew, and he began to ask more questions, try new things, and make connections between the things he learned. Jaden’s mother was happy to see her son’s interest in investigating systematically and truly all that came under his observation. This reminded her of Marcus Aurelius’ quote, “Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life”. She knew that this skill would serve Jaden well throughout his life and open many doors for him.