Research Qs and Designs within MMR

Question 1

What are the 3 mixed methods designs?

Answer 1

1. Sequential explanatory
2. Sequential exploratory
3. Convergent, simultaneously or concurrent triangulation

Question 2

What is a Sequential explanatory design?

Answer 2

• quantitative methods are followed by a qualitative method
• E.g. Interviewing individuals before knee surgery to understand their expectations in regards to the surgery and subsequently using the concerns highlighted by them to develop a survey or questionnaire

Question 3

What is a Sequential exploratory design?

Answer 3

• qualitative methods are followed by quantitative methods
• E.g. understanding how patients attributed their changes in physical functioning & quality of life to s structured pulmonary program

Question 4

What is a Convergent, simultaneously or concurrent triangulation design?

Answer 4

• Using both qualitative and quantitative methods simultaneously to capture greater complexity in one study while focusing on different aspects
• E.g. measuring time spent on a home program delivered by DVD or written format, and participants experience of doing each

Question 5

Sequential explanatory design SIMPLE

Answer 5

Interpretation of QUAN results using QUAL results

Question 6

Sequential exploratory design SIMPLE

Answer 6

Transfer or generalisation of QUAL results using QUAN results

Question 7

Convergent, simultaneously or concurrent triangulation design SIMPLE

Answer 7

Comparison of QUAN and QUAL results

Question 8

Difference between Mixed Methods and Multiple Methods

Answer 8

Mixed = collecting and reporting QUAN and QUAL data combined 
Multiple = collecting and reporting QUAN and QUAL data separately

Question 9

What is a research question?

Answer 9

A Q that provides an explicit statement of what the researcher wants to know about

Question 10

Importance of the research question

Answer 10

• Guide our literature review
• Assist in the selection of the most appropriate research design
• Indicate what type of data should be collected
• Identify type of participant

Question 11

When developing your research questions, you may want to consider the following steps:

Answer 11

1. Identify a broader subject
2. Do a preliminary literature review
3. Start to narrow down what your interest is
4. Consider whether your application is feasible
5. Write it down

Question 12

When writing down the research question, you need to:

Answer 12

Clearly state the problem, highlight the population and the phenomena/variable of interest

Question 13

What do you need to consider when designing a research study?

Answer 13

1. What is the research question?
2. What is the best research design to use?
3. Who will be the participants for the study?
4. How will data be collected?
5. What methods/procedures will be used and have ethical considerations been addressed?

Question 14

Types of qualitative research designs:

Answer 14

1. In-depth interviews
2. Focus groups
3. Narrative research
4. Ethnography
5. Grounded theory
6. Phenomenology

Question 15

Stages of a research process

Answer 15

1. Identify problem
2. Develop a research question
3. Review literature
4. Select research method
5. Select research participants
6. Address ethical issue
7. Collect data
8. Analyse and interpret data
9. Write up research findings
10. Incorporate findings into evidence-based practice

Question 16

Advantages of cross-sectional studies

Answer 16

• Inexpensive
• Little time to conduct
• Can estimate the prevalence of outcome of interest because sample is usually taken from the whole population
• Many outcomes and risk factors can be assessed at the same time
• No loss to follow-up

Question 17

Advantages of RCTs

Answer 17

• Random allocation of participants helps to ensure that the groups are similar in all respects except exposure to the intervention
• Longitudinal nature of the study, whereby exposure to the intervention precedes the development of the outcome

Question 18

Advantages of cohort studies

Answer 18

• Temporal dimension, whereby exposure is seen to occur before outcome, gives some indication of causality
• Can be used to study more than one outcome
• Can measure the change in exposure and outcome over time

Question 19

Advantages of case-control studies

Answer 19

• Allows the assessment of causation when the outcome is rare or takes a long time to develop
• Includes a control group

Question 20

What is a variable?

Answer 20

• An attribute that caries or changes between individuals, objects, qualities and properties

Question 21

What does operationalise the variable mean?

Answer 21

• Need to define how the variable will be measured and turn it into a number or symbol

Question 22

What is a discrete variable?

Answer 22

• Uses only whole numbers or units, and usually arise from counting
• E.g. number of children in a family

–> can have 1, 2, 4, 6 children, but NOT 2.6 children

Question 23

What is a continuous variable?

Answer 23

• Can present some values between units
• E.g. height, weight or age

–> Can be 18.6 years old, 1.83m tall or 77kg

Question 24

What are nominal variables?

Answer 24

• Have no natural order
• E.g. gender, country of birth, religion

–> where it is not possible to allocate a specific quantity or order

Question 25

What are ordinal variables?

Answer 25

• Rank-ordered and the values for describing the variable are sequentially assigned to represent the logical ordering of the categories
• E.g. ranking satisfaction with treatment from 1=not at all satisfied to 4=very satisfied
• -> in this case, the more satisfied, the higher the values

Question 26

Difference between interval and ratio scales?

Answer 26

• RATIO SCALES HAS A TRUE ZERO POINT

- -> e.g. 0kg = no weight at all, whereas 0 degrees does not mean that there is no temperature

Question 27

What is a population sample?

Answer 27

A reference group for drawing conclusions about the population