Research Approaches & World Views

Question 1

Realism (Ontology

Answer 1

> . Realism (also called Naturalism) – views reality objectively and outside human consciousness;
. Employs a positivist lens to view knowledge; and
. Knowledge is not constructed but perceived.

Question 2

Relativism (Ontology)

Answer 2

• Knowledge is constructed;
• Humans create meaning through experiences or
  interactions; and
• Truth exists in relation to culture, society and/or historical
  context and is not absolute.
• A constructivist lens applies here.

Question 3

Deductive reasoning / Inductive reasoning

Answer 3

1) . Begins with an theory and confirms a hypothesis in what is usually a quantitative research design.
2) . Builds knowledge from data, then infers conclusions in what is usually a qualitative design

Question 3

Deductive reasoning / Inductive reasoning

Answer 3

1) . Begins with an theory and confirms a hypothesis in what is usually a quantitative research design.
2) . Builds knowledge from data, then infers conclusions in what is usually a qualitative design

Question 4

Quantitative inquiry statements – PICO

Answer 4

P = population

I = Intervention

C = Comparison/control

O = Outcome

Question 5

Qualitative Inquiry Statements – SPIDER: Part 1

Answer 5

Qualitative research concentrates on people’s experiences, attitudes and beliefs, or their perception of a situation.

S = Sample (who) – what group of people/culture/individuals are you going to investigate (e.g. individuals living with chronic pain). If you as a researcher are an ‘outsider’ to the group you are researching, tread carefully and try to be open to working with these groups and not on them.

Question 6

Qualitative Inquiry Statements – SPIDER: Part 2

Answer 6

Phenomena of interest – What area of interest are you looking into? A health issue (e.g. pain, depression, chronic fatigue, domestic violence)?

Design: (when/where/how) Method(s) of data collection, Method(s) of data analysis, Justification for methods used

Question 7

Qualitative Inquiry Statements – SPIDER: Part 3

Answer 7

Evaluation: What is being evaluated by the researchers – experiences, perceptions, opinions, views of the participants. But in this course we are also using this section to critique the study. This includes describing the main findings/results of the study, the overall conclusions, the implications for practice, and the possibilities for future research arising from this study.

Research Type (or approach): What type of methodology (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methodologies).

Question 8

Qualitative research

Answer 8

Qualitative research is about language/words;
Constructivist (people create reality);
Exploratory; and
It seeks to understand complex concepts (e.g. pain).

Question 9

Dimensions of qualitative research include:

Answer 9

> . Participants – who will take part;
. Data – information that is gathered;
. Research approach – from amongst various types of qualitative research.