方法对比

	多元解释研究	解释性研究
领域	研究设计	研究设计
方法族	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
起源年份	Mid-to-late 20th century (consolidated ~1960s–1980s)	1960s–1980s (codified in behavioral and social science methodology)
提出者	Rooted in the multivariate statistics tradition (R.A. Fisher, Harold Hotelling) combined with explanatory research design conventions codified by Kerlinger and others	Formalized by Earl Babbie and Fred Kerlinger among others
类型	Quantitative research design	Non-experimental quantitative research design
开创性文献	Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1473756540	Kerlinger, F. N. (1986). Foundations of Behavioral Research (3rd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN: 978-0030417559
别名	multivariate explanatory design, explanatory multivariate research, multivariate causal-explanatory study, MER	analytical research, causal research, explanatory study, explanatory quantitative research
相关	4	5
摘要	Multivariate explanatory research is a quantitative design that simultaneously examines multiple independent variables to explain variance in one or more outcomes. Rather than describing what exists or simply correlating pairs of variables, it seeks causal or structural explanations by testing theoretically grounded models with techniques such as multiple regression, MANOVA, or structural equation modeling on survey, administrative, or observational numeric data.	Explanatory research is a non-experimental quantitative research design that goes beyond describing a phenomenon to identifying why it occurs — examining the relationships or mechanisms that account for observed patterns. Rooted in positivist social science methodology, it uses theory-driven hypotheses and statistical analysis to test whether specific variables explain variation in an outcome, without necessarily manipulating those variables.