Class 9: Placing Quantitative Research in Context

Paradigm

An overall belief system, a view of the world that strives to make sense of the nature of reality and the basis of knowledge.

Quantitative Research

Rooted in the philosophical assumptions of positivism and determinism

Qualitative Research

Represented by a view of reality that is constructed by the individual, not the researcher and is based on a naturalistic paradigm

Mixed methods

Commonly used in descriptive ­studies, where they may be used to describe both the measurable state of a phenomenon and the individual responses to it.

Deductive

Theme/theory directs what data will be found. Top down.

Inductive

Data found directs what themes /theories are found. Bottom up.

Theoretical sampling

Study participants are selected to inform a developing theoretical construct

Criterion sampling

Subjects are recruited based on certain characteristics that may influence the phenomenon of interest.

Historical sampling

An exhaustive search of data sources is conducted regarding a phenomenon of interest that occurred in the past

Snowball or network sampling

Study participants recruit other participants with similar characteristics or experiences

Convenience sampling

Participants are selected based on availability

Saturation in data

No new information is being contributed to the study by additional participants or artifacts

Focus groups

Moderated discussions of five to 10 participants who share a characteristic or experience

Photovoice

Participants take photographs that record experiences

reflecting a line of the investigative inquiry

Thematic content analysis

Identify and report themes that emerge from narrative data

Semantic units

Represent the essence of an experience from within a narrative text

Memos

Insights or ideas about the data that the researcher documents in the process of data collection and analysis

Trustworthiness

The degree of confidence a reader can have in the study

Credibility

The alignment of the study participants’ experience with the researcher’s representation of it

Transferability

The degree to which the findings of the study can be transferred

Dependability

A research process that is logical and clearly documented, and confirmability relates to evidence that the study interpretations and findings are clearly derived from the data

Audit trial

Provides a road map for the methodological and theoretical decisions made during the course of the study such that another researcher can follow the same process and arrive at comparable results

Intercoder realizability

Can be achieved by having researchers code the same document and then compare and discuss the results to reach agreement

Positivism

One object reality

Realativism

Truth and morality are not absolute, but rather dependent on the context, culture, or individual perspective. There are multiple interpretations of reality

Internal validity

Do the results represent the data that was collected

Inter-rated reliability

Two people coding the transcript (collecting themes) to compare results

Triangulation

Using multiple methods and data sources to try to find overarching results

Member checking

Going back to participants with research to validate findings are accurate

Generalization quantitative

From sample to population

Generalization qualitative

Case to potentially similar cases. However may not be transferable, seeks depth rather than transferability

Biomedical research

Mostly quantitative methods. Focus on pathophysiology-breaking a disease into measurable components

Nursing research

Mostly qualitative methods or mixed methods. Pathophysiology PLUS psychological, social, and spiritual aspects

Epistemology

The theory of knowledge

Epistemicide

The killing of the knowledge system