HS 2801 Final

quantitative research

uses structured, hypothesis-driven approaches to gather data that can be statistically analyzed

qualitative research

uses in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and other unstructured or semi-structured method to explore attitudes and perceptions, identity themes and patterns

Ontology

nature of reality

what does qualitative research want to explore?

clinical processes, social changes that might improve health, perception of health and illness

can phenomena be directly measured

yes

what must researchers be cautious of

how their own thoughts, experiences, biases, and assumptions shape the design and interpretation of their research studies

Epistemology

nature and definition of knowledge and truth

methodology

approach to data collection and analysis

axiology

study of value

theoretical paradigms

positivism, constructivism/interpretivism, critical theory, pragmatism

philosophical orientation should align with

with the goals of study and the selected theoretical paradigm

phenomenology

expiring how individuals interpret and find meaning in their own unique life experiences and feelings.

Phenomenology

the study of how things seem to the conscious person through in-depth interviews, examining transcripts to identify meanings and themes.

Bracketing

a strategy used by qualitative researchers to set aside personal interpretations to avoid bias

grounded theory

an inductive reasoning process that uses observations to develop general theories that explain human behavior

when does data collection continue until in grounded theory

until data saturation

Ethnography

systemic study of people and cultures in their natural environments.

what do ethnographers use

use participant observations methods to understand a group's collective experiences, values, beliefs, and behaviors

case study

use of multiple data sources to examine and understands one person, group or event in detail: observations, interviews, historic records

mixed-methods study

elements of both quantitative and qualitative methods in one single study

the main issue of collecting qualitative data

1. close engagement of researchers with participants makes it hard to remain objective and makes a high chance of bias 2. both a methodological and ethical issues because transparency is key

in-depth interview

semi-structured conversation with probing and observing and recording responses to open-ended questions

focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

what is a facilitators job in focus group

poses questions, keeps conversation focused and moving forward

the moderator in a focus group

ensures everyone has a chance to speak equally

observational methods

systematic observations of human actions and interactions

naturalistic observation

the researcher discreetly observes study subjects in a natural setting, typically without the knowledge of the subjects

controlled observation

study participants are observed in a laboratory setting and know that they are being observed

participant observation

a trained investigator seeks to understand a community by engaging with its members and immersing in its practices

field notes

observation records, interview transcripts, and other documents compiled during the qualitative research process

analyzing qualitative data

is inductive: making inferences based on observations

analyzing quantitative data

is deductible: making logical inferences based on facts or widely-accepted premises

content analysis

the process of categorizing textual data through systematic coding and looking at the most prominent patterns and themes

constant comparison

a process of collecting data, analyzing and developing a theory

narrative and discourse analyses

not common in healthh research- narrative analysis seeks to understand personal stories and discourse analysis uses the tools of linguistics to evaluate the ordinary use of written and spoken language

process coding

use of the words or short phrases to briefly summarize and describe the contents, attitudes, processes

process categorizing

grouping related codes into categories to identify trends, relationships and patterns

process themes

synthesizing the categories in order to identify the concepts, meanings, and themes that answer the study question

process theories

a theory is a construct that provides a systematic explanation about a phenomenon

descriptive statistics

numerical data used to measure and describe characteristics of groups. Includes measures of central tendency and measures of variation.

Biostatistics

is the science of analyzing data and interpreting the results so that they can be applies to solving problems related to biology and health or relates fields

univariate analysis

describes one variable in a data set using simple statistics like counts (frequencies), proportions, and averages

Bivariable analysis

uses rate ratios, odds ratios, and other comparative statistical tests to examine the associations between two variables

multivariable analysis

encompasses statistical tests such as multiple regression models that examine the relationships among three or more variables

what is a variable

any quantity that varies from one entity to another.

the big picture

variable -\> measurement -\> data -\> summarizing analysis -\> information/evidence

nominal variables

no intrinsic or logical order or value, you can assign numbers to different categories but they do not have to be numerical properties

ordinal variables

intrinsic value but with no clear or equal differences between levels

Florence nightindale

the lady with the pie chart

quantitative variables

variables that can be counted or measured

continuous quantitative variable

can take any value and can be plotted as a line

example, blood pressure

discrete quantitative variable

can take a finite or limited number of values, can be plotted as dots

example, age in year

interval quantitative variable

difference is meaningful, no natural zero (example: 0 does not mean no heat)

ratio quantitative variables

ratio is meaningful and zero is natural. for example a dead person has a blood pressure of 0.

mean

a sample mean is calculated by adding up all the values for a particular variable and dividing that sum by the total number of individuals with a value for the variable= arithmetic average

median

the median is the value in the middle when you rank the data in ascending or descending order.

mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a data set

shape of histograms

measures of variability- spread and dispersion

the range is a variable is the difference between the minimum and the maximum values in the data set

quartiles

mark the three values that divide a data set into four equal parts

Interquartile Range (IQR)

captures the middle 50% of values for a numeric variable

box plot: display of distribution

a simple visual depiction of and intuitive way. to explore the data

Variance

the square of the standard deviation

the standard error of the mean

adjusts for the number of observations in the data set by dividing the variance by the total number of observations and then taking the square root of that number

mean and standard deviation in a normal distribution

confidence intervals (CI)

provide information about the expected value of a measure in a source population based on the value of that measure in a study population

Comparative Statics

comparing main factors between exposed and unexposed in cohort studies. comparing the outcome status.

inferential statistics

techniques that use statistics from a random sample of a population to make inferences.

hypothesis testing

aim: to test an explicit statement about a population parameter.

Steps in Hypothesis Testing

1. take random sample from the population of interest
2. set up two compete hypotheses
3. use sample statistics to decide to support or reject the null
4. determining if the null hypothesis is really true and what the observed sample statistic will be

idea of probability - p.value

determines whether the observed sample supports the null. the probability that the observed data based on a pertinent test statistic.

parametric test

assumes that variables being examined have particular distributions

Non-parametric tests

does not make assumptions about the distributions of responses

research process from inception to report

research question -\> communicating results -\> analysis interpretation -\> design the study

what do you need for good health research

financial resources, different academic and technical skills, access to populations

mentorship

a formal or informal relationship in which a more experienced person offers a professional development advice and guidance to a less experienced mentee

to find a mentor

ask around, search for people, email people

mentor-mentee relationship

involves mutual sharing, learning and growth that occur in an atmosphere of respect and affirmation

Research supervisors appreciate when mentees:

communicate, are honest, on time, are open to criticism

professional development

the intentional process of establishing professional goals, identifying and completing actives that enable systematic progress toward achieving those goals.

how do you develop professionally

complete coursework, participate, assist, go to conferences, get trained

communication within the research community

several general and discipline-specific social networking platforms

bibliometrics

quantitative analyses of written publications

H-index

An indicator of a researcher's lifetime impact in his or her field

i10-index

a count of the number of publications by an author that have been cited at least 10 times

responsible conduct of research

The practice of research in an ethical and professional manner.

co-authorship

the processs of two or more authors working together

what do large research programs have

an authorship committee

lead author

the person who creates the research, write the first draft and does most of the analysis

who is almost always the first person in the author list

lead author is the first

senior author

principal investigator, goes second or last ion list depending

middle authors

others with different levels of collaborations. in order of name or contribution.

corresponding authors are responsible for

submission of the article, formatting, managing review process, point of contact

ICMJE

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors- established criteria authorship

what are the ICMJE criteria?

1. make substantial contributions 2. draft article for revisions 3. publisher approved 4. accept responsibility of integrity

knowledge translation

a dynamic and iterative process that includes synthesis, dissemination, exchange and ethically-sound application of knowledge to improve the health of Canadians, provide more effective health services and products and strengthen the health care system

purpose of conferences

networking and exchanging ideas, presenting new research can be a useful way to get feedback on a project before submitting the word for review

structure of conferences

* Plenary sessions with keynote addresses
* concurrent sessions of oral presentations
* poster sessions
* exhibitions
* business meetings