Arrange the following steps pertaining to quantitative research in correct order:

A) Analyse data

B) Hypothesis

C) Process data

D) Findings

E) Research Design

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is B, E, C, A, D (Hypothesis, Research Design, Process data, Analyse data, Findings).

Quantitative research follows a structured, logical sequence to ensure that the data collected can be systematically analyzed to test hypotheses. Below is the step-by-step breakdown of the correct order of these stages:

1. Hypothesis (B): The research process begins with formulating a hypothesis based on existing theories or literature. A hypothesis is a testable, tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
2. Research Design (E): Once the hypothesis is set, the researcher develops the research design. This is the structural framework or blueprint detailing how data will be collected, what tools will be used, and how variables will be measured.
3. Process data (C): After gathering the raw data according to the research design, the data must be prepared or processed. Processing data involves cleaning, coding, and organizing raw inputs into a format suitable for statistical computation.
4. Analyse data (A): In this stage, statistical and mathematical tools are applied to the processed data. The analysis tests the initial hypothesis to determine if the relationships between variables are statistically significant.
5. Findings (D): The final step is interpreting the analyzed data to arrive at findings. This involves drawing conclusions, confirming or rejecting the hypothesis, and discussing the implications of the study.

Therefore, the logical and correct sequence is B → E → C → A → D.