Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mohamed EL-AWADY
Professor of community medicine Ain Shams University
Lecture outlines
Objectives of quantitative research Main features in quantitative and qualitative research Data collection Limitations in quantitative and qualitative research Concept of using combined research
What is research?
It is a scientific way of answering questions and testing hypothesis. The following terms are used interchangeably; research, approach and tradition.
The quantitative approach views human phenomena as being amenable to objective study i.e. able to be measured. It has its roots in positivism
Stating in advance the hypothesis and research question. Determine the methods of data collection and analysis. The findings are presented in statistical language.
Quantitative approach to research involves data collection methods such as structured questionnaire, interviews and observations together with other tools. On the other hand, in depth interviews and unstructured observations are associated with qualitative research. Researches have to choose methods which are appropriate for answering their questions.
Henwood and Pidgeon 1993, stated that quantitative research deals with quantities and numbers while qualitative research deals with quality and description which is too simple and unhelpful.
The purpose of quantitative research is to measure concepts or variables that are predetermined objectively and to examine the relationship between them numerically and statistically.
Objectivity means that the researchers stands outside the phenomena they study. Data collected are free from bias. Objectivity is ensured by many ways e.g. structured questions, representative sampling and randomization.
Sometimes, researchers may study concepts e.g. pain, attitudes and fatigue. In such cases, scales are constructed e.g. self-esteem scale as subjective measures are crude and not accurate. Objective measures are more valid and reliable than subjective measures, the later depend on self reports.
Quantitative research studies the relationship between concepts and variables e.g. the relation between social support and quality of life. Randomized control trials rely on quantitative measure to determine if the interventions have the desired effects. Although qualitative methods may be used to explore some issues related to intervention.
It is clear that quantitative research can provide data to describe the distribution of a characteristic or attributes in population, explore the relationships between them and determine cause and effect relationship.
An approach which tests the researchers hypothesis in quantitative studies are termed deductive. As such approach tests whether variables are correlated or one affects another e.g. nutritional status and pressure ulcers, or factors related to tobacco use. Some quantitative studies are inductive as they lead to formation of new questions ( generate new hypothesis )
Quantitative research is described as producing generalisable findings through randomization and representative sampling. However, the study is no less quantitative if a random representative sample is not used.
Questionnaire Observation schedules Scales to measure KAP Instruments to measure physiological and biomedical indicators
Help nurses to grasp the reality as measurement is central to every thing that nurses do; symptoms, relief, improvement in patients i.e. physical, physiological and psychosocial phenomena. Provide data for many questions that arise during practice. Useful in identifying trends.
Needs assessment of patients and nurses. Evaluations of interventions. Measuring the competence and skills. Useful for providing decision makers with required information.
It is difficult to understand human phenomena e.g. when studying human behavior, it is possible only to study what is observable. So the phenomena is revealed partially. Some researches claim that many influences affect peoples response to questions i.e. it is not purely objective. Some standardized scales may be interpreted differently by participants.
Qualitative Research
Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.
( Albert Einstein )
To care for people and promote change in behavior, it is required to understand in-depth concepts such as experience, believes, motivations and intentions. So, listening and observing may give more information than sending questions.
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The above 4 approaches are similar in that they place emphasis on interpretation rather than objective empirical observations. They are interactive. They are different in that; ethnography focuses on culture, phenomenology on consciousness, discourse analysis on language and ground theorys aim is the development of theory through induction.
An old debate between quantitative and qualitative methods can be traced back to the two opposed Greek philosophical visions of human science that emphasize number (Pythagoras) and meaning (Socrates) as the essence of mind. Qualitative research has been described as; noble, good and empowering by some researchers. By others it is; story telling, touchy feely, biased, subjective, lacking reliability validity and generalisabilty.
It is better to view quantitative and qualitative researches not as dichotomous but as various tools.
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