THESIS WRITING 2

PILOT STUDY

Refers to mini or small versions of a full-scale study

PILOT STUDY

Regarded as a preliminary study intended to test study procedures

FEASIBILITY STUDY

Pilot study is also known as

PILOT STUDY

Involves the pre-testing of the research instrument such as a survey, test, interview schedule or guide (aide memoir), and data gathering tools.

PILOT STUDY

A trial run of the entire study from start to finish that increases the likelihood of success for the main study

PILOT STUDY

A dry run of your study procedures.

PILOT STUDY CONSIDERATIONS

·        Safety of Study Procedures

·        Potential for Recruiting Participants

·        Examination of Sequencing and Other Particular Steps (ex. Randomization, Blinding Processes, etc.)

·        Increasing Researcher Experience

·        Feasibility of the Study Intention

REASONS FOR PILOT STUDIES

·        Developing and testing adequacy of research instruments

·        Assessing the feasibility of a thesis

·        Designing a research protocol

·        Evaluating the workability of the protocol

·        Checking the likelihood for success of sourcing participants

·        Pinpointing logistical problems

·        Estimating variability in outcomes

·        Collecting preliminary data

·        Determining the needed resources

·        Running quick, preliminary data analysis

·        Revising the research questions

·        Training the researchers

·        Convincing research boards and committees about competence

Justifying the relevance of the study

PROBLEMS WITH PILOT STUDIES

·        Results or findings are only based on a small number of people serving as participants in the initial stage

·        Problems or concerns may occur during the actual study execution

·        Contamination issues

·        Requires significant investment of resources translating to logistical problems to the researchers

·        Creates possible duplication of efforts as may be evaluated by research bodies.

TRUE

Do not take the risk. Pilot test first.

FALSE

T/F : Completing a pilot study is a guarantee that the research will be successful

TRUE

Pilot studies are considered as independent studies worthy of publication

PUBLICATION BIAS

Tendency of journal and publishing bodies to select only the researches that have subjective favorable results or findings

• May lead to overestimation and underrepresentation of real outcomes

TRUE

Pilot studies are underdiscussed, underused, and underreported

MISNOMERS ABOUT PILOT STUDIES

·        Pertains to the pre-testing of research instruments

o    Encompasses other aspects of the study like sampling, data procedures, etc.

·        Commonly equated only with validity and reliability concerns of research instruments

TRUE

T/F : Pilot studies offer learning experiences that must be documented and shared

TRUE

T/F : An important ethical point to consider, however, is to clearly explain the characteristics of a pilot study to the participants. In other words, the participants must be notified that based on the outcomes of the pilot study, the main study may not be performed (In, 2005)

ADOPTED INSTRUMENTS

Reliability and validity research studies conducted on those instruments can be used to the current study

ADOPTED INSTRUMENTS

Links current study to all other studies that used the same instruments

ADOPTED INSTRUMENTS

·        Saves time in making significant changes

·        Simple and requires little effort

·        May require a few modifications if necessary

ADOPTED INSTRUMENTS

Describes the instruments sufficiently in the Instruments section

o    Who developed the instrument

o    Who validated the instrument

o    Other studies that have used the instrument

ADAPTED INSTRUMENTS

Population by which instruments were created is different with your intended research informants

ADAPTED INSTRUMENTS

Manifestation of the variable may be different from the group it was created and for the informants that you intend

• Western and eastern cultural differences

ADAPTED INSTRUMENTS

Requires more substantial changes

ADAPTED INSTRUMENTS

• Follows the general design of another instrument but adds items, removes items, and/or substantially changes the content of each item

• Almost similar to creating a new instrument

ADAPTED INSTRUMENTS

·        Describe the instruments sufficiently in the Instrument section

o    Who developed the instrument

o    Who validated the instrument

o    Other studies that have used the instrument

o    Changes made in the tool

DEVELOPED INSTRUMENT

You create a tool from scratch if no suitable instrument exists.

TIMING OF CORRESPONDENCE : at the early stage

researchers should contact the original authors to request permission to use or adapt the instrument and inform advisers of their chosen approach

TIMING OF CORRESPONDENCE : during the modification and validation stage

supervisors and experts should be consulted to provide feedback on revisions or adaptations, while newly developed instruments should undergo expert review for content validity.

TIMING OF CORRESPONDENCE : in the pilot testing stage

communication with participants is necessary to check clarity and usability, followed by revisions based on their feedback in consultation with advisers

TIMING OF CORRESPONDENCE : at the stage of finalization

researchers should notify the original authors (for adopted or adapted instruments), submit the instrument for ethics clearance, and present the finalized version to their panel or advisory committee.

USE OF EXISTING INSTRUMENTS

·        Identify the Copyright Holder

·        Seek permission from the Publisher

·        Contact the Author/s of the Instrument

·        Capture the Explicit Permission to Use in case Instrument is publicly available

TRUE

T/F : Some authors impose restrictions for use. Ask permission in case there are major changes that need to be made

PILOT STUDY GUIDELINES (QUANTITATIVE)

·        Create online forms / surveys

·        Source/Recruit pilot study participants

·        Administer the questionnaires to pilot study participants following the same study procedures meant for actual respondents

·        Check that all items are answered

·        Record the time taken to complete the tools and decide if it is reasonable

·        Ask for feedback to identify ambiguities and for possible difficult questions

·        Revise concerned items accordingly

·        Review whether questions will satisfy the study objectives

·        Check for internal consistency

·        Assess the applicability of the tools

·        Review other participant’s feedback and make the necessary adjustment

·        Pilot again (if needed)

ORGANIZING YOUR GOOGLE SURVEY : Quantitative

·        PART 1 : Introduction

·        PART 2 : Informed Consent

·        PART 3 : Participant’s

·        PART 4: Robotfoto / Demographic Sheet

·        PART  5 : Overall instrument reminders

·        PART 6 : Actual instruments (series)

PART 7 : Debriefing

ORGANIZING YOUR GOOGLE SURVEY : Qualitative

·        PART 1 : Introduction

·        PART 2 : Informed Consent

·        PART 3 : Participant’s

·        PART 4: Robotfoto / Demographic Sheet

PILOT STUDY PROCEDURES (QUALI)

·        Determine clearly the interview questions

·        Have the initial interview questions reviewed by three experts (faculty or external)

·        Source and select for participants

·        Prepare a similar google form (parts 1 – 4 only)

·        Pilot the interview guide

Report the modifications made

DETERMINE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

·        Ensure that questions are open-ended

·        Provided bases for the questions included in the aide memoir

·        All interview questions should all relate back to the central question

EXPERT VALIDATION

Submit the questions to expert reviewers comprised of the adviser and two other faculty members or practitioners who are knowledgeable in the area

SELECTING THE PARTICIPANTS

·        Source participant/s who share as similar criteria as possible to the group actually desired for the main study

·        Pilot study participants may involve one to two individuals

·        Prepare the consent and robotfoto

o    Parts 1 to 4 only of the google form

o    Mention session recording

TRUE

T/F : Interview is expected to last for a minimum of 60 minutes up to a maximum of 90 minutes (Jacob & Furgerson, 2012)

ACTUAL PILOT INTERVIEW

·        Purpose is to test appropriateness of questions and gain early experience in doing the task

·        Notify selection about session recording

·        Begins with rapport-building

·        Entails asking the questions from the aide memoir one-by-one in a casual manner with the use of probing questions to explore significant areas

·        Note essential outcomes transpiring before, during, and after interview

ACTUAL INTERVIEW PROPER

·        Debrief the Interviewee

o    Discuss the study briefly

·        Ask how he or she is feeling

·        Solicit recommendations

·        Ensure that interviewee will leave the meeting feeling comfortable and clarified about what happened

REPORT THE MODIFICATION MADE

·        Attempt to perform cool (transcribing and organizing) and warm (coding, bracketing, categorizing, and thematizing) analyses to check that the process answered study questions

·        Revisit the aide memoir and study procedures for re-evaluation

EVALUATING THE PILOT STUDY OUTCCOME

1.       Termination of the study (cannot proceed with the main study due to....)

2.      Can proceed with the main study after modifying the study design

3.      Not necessary to modify the study design but requires thorough monitoring throughout the study procedures

4.      Can proceed without any modifications

 

GOLDEN RULE

“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

SILVER RULE

“Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you”

HIPPOCRATIC OATH

“First of all do no harm”

ETHICS

Norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior

ETHICS

A discipline that studies the goodness or badness of human activities

ETHICS

The science of human duty

ETHICS

Rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions

PRINCIPLE

Inspiration ; Ideas

STANDARD

Expectation ; Actions

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

General set of guidelines that serve as inspiration for people as they carry out their work in research and practice in the different areas (ex. industrial, educational, clinical, etc.)

ETHICAL STANDARDS

·        Seen as an expectation for people

·        Rules that apply to any kind of endeavors and may be observed to be specific to certain areas or disciplines

·        Promote ethical governance (order)

o    Ex. Medicine, Law, Psychology, Dentistry, Business, etc.

ethical governance

maintaining order and fairness in research.

MANDATORY ETHICS

Where individuals focus on compliance with the law and the dictates of applicable established codes of ethics ; Compliance is governed by written rules enacted by bodies

ASPIRATIONAL ETHICS

Sophisticated level wherein people become more reflective of the impacts of their actions to others ; Compliance is governed by the unwritten rules of life

ETHICAL DILEMMA

·        Any circumstance that confuses the researcher because:

o    There are competing or conflicting beliefs in the situations at hand

o    Situations are seen to become beneficial albeit one’s failure to subscribe to ethics

o    Certain events appear unclear and complex

TRUE

·   T/ F

Legal standards of practice are different from ethical standards.

·        Generally, legal standards are related to accepted professional practices in the community while ethical standards tend to be idealistic

LAW

Rules governing proper behaviors/actions (operating within the law)

LAW

Particular, since every locale has unique laws

LAW

Restrictive : Can and cannot do

ETHICS

Guidelines for proper behaviors/actions (doing what is right)

ETHICS

Universal, since they can be applied globally

ETHICS

Prescriptive : Should and should not do

APA CODE OF ETHICS

Conducting ethical studies mean protecting participants from harm and abuse and ensuring that researchers subscribe to acceptable practices

1953

First published APA code of ethics

A.      Beneficence and Nonmaleficence

B.      Fidelity and Responsibility

C.      Integrity

D.      Justice

Respect for People’s Right and Dignity

5 GENERAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

BENEFICENCE AND NONMALEFICENCE

·        Researchers should strive to protect the rights and welfare of those with whom they work professionally both with human and animal subjects they handle in the studies

BENEFICENCE AND NONMALEFICENCE

Entails elimination of biases, affiliations, and prejudices

FIDELITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

·        Suggests that researchers have a moral responsibility to help ensure that others working in the field also uphold high ethical standards

FIDELITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

·        Includes calling attention of others practicing unethical behaviors and teaching others ethical standards

INTEGRITY

·        Researchers should never attempt to deceive or misrepresent

INTEGRITY

·        In studies, deception can involve fabricating or manipulating results in some way to achieve desired outcomes

INTEGRITY

·        Researchers should also strive for transparency and honesty in their practice

JUSTICE

·        Relates to a responsibility to be fair and impartial

JUSTICE

·        States that people have a right to access and benefit from advances that have been made in the field of experimental psychology/research

JUSTICE

·        It is important for researchers to treat people equally

RESPECTS FOR PEOPLE’S RIGHTS AND DIGNITY

·        Entails considering the right to privacy and confidentiality among the participants

RESPECTS FOR PEOPLE’S RIGHTS AND DIGNITY

·        Considers minimizing biases and having awareness of diversity issues concerning populations

·        Informed Consent

·        Deception

·        Coercion

·        Anonymity

·        Risk

·        Debriefing

APA GUIDLEINES FOR HUMAN RESEARCH

INFORMED CONSENT

·        Participants must know they are involved in research and give their consent or permission

·        The subjects’ participation must be strictly voluntary.

TRUE

T/F : ·        Not only is informed consent required, but full disclosure as well.

TRUE

T/F : All facts that may potentially influence the participant’s willingness to participate in the research must be told to them beforehand so that they can give informed consent.

TRUE

t/f : If participants are recorded and there is any chance they could be identified, then extra consent needs to be given

TRUE

T/F : if you wanted to use people’s pictures as stimuli in a study, maybe a study taking the same people and getting pictures with and without glasses, you would need a special form of consent for the people in the pictures.

DECEPTION

·        The act of making someone believe something that is not true, usually in order to gain some advantage for yourself

• ·        It must be avoided but may be allowed under some circumstances.

  ·        Must not be so extreme so as to invalidate the informed consent

TRUE

T/F : ·        If deception is to be used, the researcher must determine if a non-deceptive procedure could be used which would obtain the same results.

o    Or even better, is this procedure even justified.

o    Providing a complete explanation or description of the project may influence the participants’ responses.

CONFEDERATE/S

Person/s who is/are usually tapped to perform a secret task in studies usually related to valid applications of deception in certain studies

TRUE

T/F :  It is justified in the value of potential findings provided that equally effective procedures that do not allow deception cannot be used. (conditions that permit deceptions)

TRUE

T/F ·        If subjects are not deceived about physical risks, discomfort or unpleasant emotional experiences that might affect their participation in the study. (conditions that permit deceptions)

FALSE

T/F : it is okay to use deceptions if subjects are not debriefed as soon as possible

COERCION

·        Subjects cannot be forced in any way to give consent to the study.

COERCION

·        Subjects must be free to withdraw from the study at any time they wish to do so and this must be respected by the researchers

COERCION IN RESEARCHES

·        Clients, students, and patients are in a vulnerable position. They may feel that volunteering for research is sort of “required”.

·        That is, they may feel coerced.

Coercion can occur both at the initial point of volunteering and at a later point in the study when the participant wishes to withdraw but doesn’t.

ANONYMITY

·        The identities and actions of any participant must not be revealed by the researcher.

·        Subjects’ right to privacy should never be violated.

·        There shall be respect for confidentiality about the subjects.

RISK

·        Subjects cannot be placed at significant mental or physical risk.

·        Subjects should not be exposed to harmful or dangerous research procedures.

Procedures must be carefully interpreted and reviewed

DEBRIEFING PROCEDURES

·        Participants must be told about the purpose of the study and provided with ways to contact the researchers about the results of the study

·        Debriefing is used to remove misconception that deception may have created, or any misconceptions that may have arisen.

·        If researchers become aware that harm has occurred, then they must do everything they can to alleviate that harm.