Lec 2: Quantitative/Qualitative Research

what are the steps of the research process

1. identify research problem

2. review relevant literature

3. select appropriate research design

4. collect/analyze data

5. interpret findings/draw conclusions

6. disseminate results to improve nursing practice

what is a person contributing research referred to as in qualitative/quantitative research

• qual=study participant, informant, key informant

• quant=study participant, respondent, subject

what is a person undertaking the study referred to as in qualitative/quantitative research

qual/quant=research/investigator

what is that being investigated in qualitative/quantitative research

• qual=concepts, phenomena

• quant=concepts, constructs, variables

what type of information is being gathering in quantitative/qualitve research

• qual= data/narrative descriptions

• quant=data/numerical values

what are the connections between concepts in qualitative/quantitative research

• qual=patterns of association

• quant=relationships/cause-effect

what is the name of the logical reasoning processes used in qualitiative/quantitative research

• qual=inductive reasoning

• quant=deductive reasoning

how is deductive reasoning diff from inductive (what is the process)

general => specific

1. theory/research

2. hypothesis

3. observation

4. hypothesis testing

5. confirmation/refutation

how is inductive reasoning diff from deductive (what is the process)

specific => general

1. observation

2. pattern

3. tentative hypothesis

4. theory

variable def

characteristic or quality that takes on different values (that varies from one person to the next)

• building block of quantitative studies

variable examples (dont memorize)

• Blood type

• Height, Weight

• Length of stay in hospital

• Steps per day

• Aerobic endurance (Distance walked in 6 minutes, 6MWD)

• Quality of life

what are the diff types of variables based on measurement format

• continuous ex height, weight, age in years

• categorical ex marital status, age group

what are the diff types of variables based on their relationship with other variables

• IV=presumed cause of a dependent variable (causal factor, risk factor, predictor, explanatory factor)

• DV=presumed effect of an independent variable, the outcome that researchers want to understand, explain, or predict

quantitative relationship def

bond or connection between IVs and outcome variables

• whether relationship exists/how strong

list some types of relationships that fall under quantitative relationships and their needs

• cause-and-effect (causal) relationship

  • research implication: requires experimental or longitudinal designs to establish causality

• functional (associative) relationship (ex biological sex and life expectancy)

  • research implication: often explored through cross-sectional, correlational studies

qualitative relationships def

study of pattern

• may study patterns of association (instead of quantifying them) as a way of illuminating underlying meaning and dimensionality of phenomena of interest

conceptual definition def

abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept being studied

operational definition def

the operations (measurements) a researcher must perform to collect the desired info of a variable

CONCEPTUAL VS OPERATIONAL DEFINITION (conti) what do they mean in diff studies

• qual studies=conceptual definitions of key phenomena may be a major end product

• quant studies=researchers must define concepts, conceptually and operationally, at the outset

• researchers may conceptualize and operationalize a variable in diff ways

what are the major classes of quantitative research

• experimental research

• non-experimental research

experimental research def (what makes it experimental)

researchers actively introduce an intervention or tx (ex drug, a program), manipulate/control the IV

• nursing/medical context: aka clinical trials, addressing therapy questions

what is the purpose of experimental research

test causal relationships – whether the intervention caused changes in the outcome

non-experimental research def

no intervention, rather data is collected without introducing an intervention/tx

• nursing/medical context: aka observational studies, addressing etiology, prognosis, or diagnosis questions

what is the purpose of non-experimental research

• explore potential causal relationships (but cannot definitely test causality)

• examine non-causal relationships ex epidemiology research

what are the phases of a quantitative study

linear progression of tasks:

1. conceptual phase = def of concepts, study goals

2. design & planning phase

3. empirical phase = collect data, do intervention

4. analytic phase = analyze/interpret data

5. dissemination phase

what are the major classes of qualitative research

• Many qual nursing studies rooted in research traditions that originate in anthropology, psychology and sociology.

• ethnography

• phenomenology

• grounded theory

ethnography def/characteristics

• rooted in anthropology

• focuses on the patterns and lifeways of a defined cultural/social group, ex shared beliefs, values, norms, and practices

• extensive fieldwork (participating in culture)

• learn from members of a cultural group with a goal of describing their customs and norms/understanding their worldview

what is the end outcome of ethnography

a rich, holistic description of a culture or social group

PHENOMENOLOGY def/characteristics

• to understand the lived experience of individuals

• focus on how people experience and make meaning of a phenomenon (essence of the experience)

• what life experiences of people are like

• what these life experiences mean

what is the outcome of phenomenology

a description of the essence or meaning of the phenomenon

grounded theory def

describe and understand key social psychological processes that characterize a particular event or episode

what is the outcome of grounded theory

a theory that is grounded in the data and explaining how something happens

ACTIVITIES IN A QUAL STUDY: what does it look like

• progression more like a circle (flexible)

• continually examine and interpret data and make decisions about how to proceed based on what has been discovered

• flow of activities may vary from one study to another

• researchers themselves may not know in advance how the study will unfold

CONCEPTUALIZING AND PLANNING a qualitative study, what does it start like/include?

• Typically begin with a broad topic – allows the focus to be sharpened and delineated more clearly.

• Literature review may or may not occur.

• Selecting and gaining entrée into research sites.

• Negotiations with gatekeepers (e.g., administrators, program directors, president of an organization) who have the authority to permit entry into their world

• Developing an overall approach (emergent design) – develops and evolves during data collection.

• addressing ethical issues

• special considerations given the more intimate and prolonged nature of relationships that typically develop between researchers and participants.

ACTIVITIES IN A QUAL STUDY (CONT.): CONDUCTING A QUALITATIVE STUDY

• Begin with loosely structured discussions and observations, allowing participants to express a full range of beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.

• Sampling decisions are guided by the data

• Data collection: obtain data from participants and then analysis and interpretations are ongoing activities that guide “next steps”.

• Data analysis: putting the data into a coherent picture

  • Through inductive reasoning, researchers identify themes and categories to build a rich description of theory of the phenomenon.

  • Data collection becomes increasingly purposeful – as understanding grows, researchers purposefully seek participants to confirm and enrich theoretical understandings or challenge them

saturation def

same themes/categories are recurring, and additional data collection is not revealing new info