EBP EXAM 2:1

Question 1

What does it mean to appraise research?

Answer 1

•	To assess it
o	In terms of strength and quality
o	Its validity 
o	Its designs/ flaws
o	How clinically useful it is

Question 2

. What are the 3 major research designs?

Answer 2

• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Mixed methods

Question 3

In the development of knowledge about a topic or problem area, when is qualitative research most likely to be used?

Answer 3

• More descriptive
• Early on
• Developing a theory
• When very little is known Continuum of Inquiry

Question 4

What is qualitative research?

Answer 4

• Inquiry process
• Researcher reflection
• Understanding where the researcher is coming from
• Researcher is saying, “I don’t believe I can be objective, I have my own background and experiences.” (Acknowledging this upfront)

Question 5

List purposes of qualitative research.

Answer 5

• Helps build holistic complex picture (details, bigger picture)
• Understand a social or human problem
• Gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, & motivations
• Gain insight (whats it like to have this problem)
• Develop ideas or hypothesis
• *Important for OTs because of psychosocial aspect, holistic approach. Looking at someone’s experiences, looking at all of the details.

Question 6

. What is the strength/value of qualitative research?

Answer 6

• Exploring/ Interpreting
• Obtaining deeper understanding
• Enriching understanding
• Responses/ Experiences (natural context)

Question 7

List various qualitative research designs (see the handout provided).

Answer 7

(Type, What is studied?, # of participants, How is data collected?, How is data analyzed?, How is the research presented?)
[Narrative, Exploring the life of an individual, One or more individuals , (1 – 2), Multiple Interviews and documents, Analyze for stories; restoring stories; Theme development, often use chronology,
Narrative written report] [Phenomenology, The essence of a lived phenomenon, 5-25 individuals who shared the experience, Individual interview, observation, art, Analyze data for significant statements, meaning units, textural and structural descriptions, descriptions of the essence, Written report describing the essence of the experience]
[Grounded theory, A process, action, or interaction—produce a theory, 20-60 individuals, Interviews, observations, focus groups, Open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, By generating a theory illustrated in a figure]
[Ethnography, An entire cultural group, More than 20, Immersion (e.g., 6 months+), extended observation (usually as a participant), interviews, From a description based on theme from data, Holistic cultural portrait]
[Case study, Low occurrence phenomena or conditions that are difficult (unethical) to replicate, At least 1, Multiple sources (i.e. interviews, observations, documents, artifacts), Description and themes of the specific case, Detailed analysis (narrative) and description of the case (vignette)]

Question 8

Describe characteristics of qualitative research.

Answer 8

· Descriptive clarity
· Purposeful sampling (picked particular people for a particular reason)
· Explicit descriptions of data collection
· Systematic data analysis
· Results and conclusions should flow from the findings (do conclusions make sense?)

Question 9

List aspects of qualitative research that should be considered when appraising its rigor and applicability.

Answer 9

· Is the sample appropriate?
· Is the data collection appropriate?
· Is the data analysis appropriate?
· Transferability? (between different people)
· Are ethical issues addressed?
· Clarity of study?

Question 10

Name and describe 4 aspects of trustworthiness of qualitative research.

Answer 10

· Transferability: detailed descriptions allowing appropriate transfer
· Dependability: clear explanation of procedure; consistency between data & findings
· Confirmability: strategies to limit bias; member checking, reflection, peer review
· Credibility: sensible and believable results; prolonged data collection, range of participants

Question 11

How can the trustworthiness of qualitative studies be enhanced?

Answer 11

· Prolonged data collection
· Having a variety of data-gathering methods (interviews, observations, focus groups)
· Range of participants (wide variety of people’s experiences and ideas)
· Reflective approach
· Triangulation (of sources, researchers, methods) (Taking one piece of information and confirming it with another)
· Direct quotes (able to interpret accurately)