Level Up Your Thesis: Describing Quantitative Research in Korean

Level Up Your Thesis: Describing Quantitative Research in Korean

Hello! Welcome to [Maeil Hangul], your go-to source for upgrading your Korean skills!

Are you a university student in Korea, a researcher, or a professional writing a formal report? Then today’s lesson is a game-changer for you. We’re diving deep into the essential Korean vocabulary and grammar needed to professionally describe your quantitative research methods. In today’s data-driven world, being able to articulate your research clearly and formally in Korean is a critical skill for academic and professional success. Let’s master the language that will make your thesis or report shine!

Core Expressions for Your Methodology Section

Here are the key phrases you absolutely need to know.

1. 설문조사를 실시하다 (seol-mun-jo-sa-reul sil-si-ha-da)

• English Meaning: To conduct a survey / to administer a questionnaire.
• Detailed Explanation: This is the standard, formal phrase for conducting a survey in academic writing. While you could use the simpler verb 하다 (to do), 실시하다 (to implement, to carry out) carries a much more professional and academic nuance. Use this phrase in your methodology section (연구 방법) to describe your primary data collection method.
  • Related words: 설문지 (questionnaire), 응답자 (respondent).

2. ~를/을 대상으로 (reul/eul dae-sang-eu-ro)

• English Meaning: Targeting ~ / with ~ as the subject(s).
• Detailed Explanation: This grammatical pattern is crucial for defining the population or sample of your study. You attach it to the noun that represents your research subjects. It clearly and formally specifies who you studied.
  • Example: 대학생 300명을 대상으로 (targeting 300 university students).
  • Example: 20대 여성을 대상으로 (targeting women in their 20s).

3. 데이터를 수집/분석하다 (de-i-teo-reul su-jip/bun-seok-ha-da)

• English Meaning: To collect/analyze data.
• Detailed Explanation: These are two of the most fundamental verbs in research. 수집하다 means to gather or collect, and 분석하다 means to analyze. In your writing, you can combine them to describe your process. For added professionalism, specify the tool you used for analysis.
  • Example: 수집된 데이터는 SPSS 프로그램을 사용하여 분석하였다. (The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS program.)

4. 유의미한 차이를 보이다 (yu-ui-mi-han cha-i-reul bo-i-da)

• English Meaning: To show a statistically significant difference.
• Detailed Explanation: This is a key phrase for reporting your findings (연구 결과). 유의미하다 literally means “to be meaningful,” but in a statistical context, it means “significant.” This phrase is used to state that the difference found between groups was not likely due to chance.
  • Example: 두 집단 간에는 통계적으로 유의미한 차이가 나타났다. (A statistically significant difference appeared between the two groups.)

Example Dialogue: Graduate Student Chat

Let’s see how these expressions are used in a conversation between two graduate students, Sarah and Min-jun.

• Sarah: 민준 씨, 논문 잘 되어가요? 저는 지금 연구 방법 부분 쓰고 있는데 좀 막히네요.
  (Min-jun, how’s the thesis going? I’m writing the methodology section now and feeling a bit stuck.)
• Min-jun: 아, 그 부분이 좀 까다롭죠. 사라 씨 연구는 양적 연구 맞죠?
  (Ah, that part can be tricky. Your research is quantitative, right?)
• Sarah: 네. 대학생 300명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시했고, 이제 SPSS로 데이터를 분석해야 해요.
  (Yes. I conducted a survey targeting 300 university students, and now I need to analyze the data with SPSS.)
• Min-jun: 그렇군요. 가설대로 두 그룹 간에 유의미한 차이를 보이면 좋을 텐데요.
  (I see. It would be great if you find a significant difference between the two groups as hypothesized.)

Cultural Tip & Academic Trends

In the highly competitive Korean academic environment, precision and formality in your language are not just preferred—they are expected. Using sophisticated vocabulary like 실시하다 instead of 하다 or correctly using patterns like ~를 대상으로 immediately signals your academic competence to your professor (교수님) and review committee.

Trend Deep Dive: A major trend in Korean research across all fields is the use of “Big Data” (빅데이터). You will frequently see advanced quantitative methods in recent academic papers. A sentence you might encounter is: 본 연구는 공공 빅데이터를 수집하여 상관관계를 분석하였다. (This study collected public big data and analyzed the correlations.) Mastering the vocabulary for data collection and analysis will keep your academic Korean current and relevant.

Pro Tip: When presenting your research, clearly stating your 연구 대상 (research subjects), 자료 수집 절차 (data collection procedure), and 분석 방법 (analysis method) using these formal expressions will build credibility and leave a strong, scholarly impression.

Summary & Practice Time!

Great job! Today, we learned four essential expressions for describing quantitative research in Korean:
* 설문조사를 실시하다 (to conduct a survey)
* ~를 대상으로 (to target a specific group)
* 데이터를 수집/분석하다 (to collect/analyze data)
* 유의미한 차이를 보이다 (to show a significant difference)

Now, let’s put your knowledge to the test!

1. Fill in the blanks:
   제 연구는 한국 직장인 500명을 ______ 온라인 ______를 실시하였다.
   (My research conducted an online survey ______ 500 Korean office workers.)

2. Sentence Building:
   Create a formal sentence using the following words: (수집된 데이터 / 분석한 결과 / 두 변수 / 유의미한 / 관계가 있었다)
   (the collected data / as a result of analyzing / the two variables / significant / there was a relationship)

Leave your answers in the comments below! We’d love to see you try using these expressions to describe your own research project. Keep up the fantastic work