Types of Research

Question 1

Research based on objective

Answer 1

• Basic research
• Applied research

Question 2

Research based on measurement

Answer 2

• Quantitative research
• Qualitative research

Question 3

Describe qualitative inquiry

Answer 3

• a descriptive/explanatory paradigm of investigation
• involves the observation & analysis of information in natural settings to explore phenomena, understand issues, & answer questions
• data driven not hypothesis driven
• qualitative methodologies are neither subjective nor objective, they are interpretive by nature
• the methods allow for a description of data & an explanation of trends & patterns found during the investigation

Question 4

What is the purpose of qualitative inquiry

Answer 4

• to explain, predict, or describe
• to explore the “why” of the nature of the connections among unstructured information

Question 5

What is the focus of qualitative inquiry

Answer 5

• is the inductive (from specific to general, support rather than prove a conclusion) process rather than the deductive (from general to specific, syllogism-conclusion drawn from 2 given/assumed premises) outcome
• researcher must search for narrative, explanatory patterns among & between variables of interest
• inquiry begins with preliminary observations & culminates with explanatory hypothesis’s & grounded theory
• hypothesis form or develop as the research progresses during the study

Question 6

Objectives of qualitative research

Answer 6

• taking a learning role
• understanding procedural affairs
• presenting a detailed view
• focusing on the individual
• understanding the mundane

Question 7

3 most common types of qualitative data collection

Answer 7

1) Questionnaires
2) Interviews
3) Surveys
- these need to be constructed with open-ended responses
- they differ from quantitative uses in that they allow the subjects to speak for themselves to give data to the researcher that might otherwise be missed by a more confining quantitative tool & to describe their own world views

Question 8

Describe quantitative research

Answer 8

• the outcome measures are referred to as dependent variables, whereas the interventions are referred to as independent variables
• the results of the experiment should provide a clear answer to the research question
• a good research question cannot be based on clinical observation alone
• it must be developed by framing the observation within the existing knowledge base of a specific discipline

Question 9

Describe replication

Answer 9

• very important step in the scientific method is the replication of an experiment to confirm the results found in the initial experiment
• replication study is performed by a different group of researchers
• it ensures that the findings can be generalized to a broader population

Question 10

What are the major types of quantitative studies

Answer 10

• Descriptive research: correlational research (statistical analysis), evaluate (not saying this correlates with this), & meta analysis
• Causal comparative research: trying to see the cause, middle ground, measuring stuff & thinking it’s because of that
• Experimental research (you intervene): True experimental (randomization) & Quasi experimental

Question 11

Difference between quantitative research and qualitative research

Answer 11

• Quantitative: structured data, statistical analysis, objective conclusions, surveys, & experiments
• Qualitative: unstructured data, summary, subjective conclusions, interviews, focus groups, & observations

Question 12

Research based on manipulation

Answer 12

• Experimental research: true (RCT) and quasi
• Non-experimental research: exploratory and descriptive

Question 13

Subtypes of exploratory research

Answer 13

• Exploratory: not known actual problem, no literature review
• Cohort: follow large group of people over a long period of time without the disease (exposed vs. non-exposed to smoking), looking at the future
• Case control: patient with a disease vs. patients without (looking at the past)
• Case series: report of a known exposure or same treatment (no comparison with healthy)
• Epidemiologic: compare groups to see what characteristics distinguish the groups (smoking associate with heart attacks, the chemical inside, risk factors, not cause)
• Methodological: improving research methodology & statistical methods
• Historical

Question 14

Subtypes of descriptive research

Answer 14

• Descriptive: describe to document characteristics
• Case control: patient with a disease vs. patients without (looking at the past)
• Case series: report of a known exposure or same treatment (no comparison with healthy)
• Surveys
• Developmental: passage of time on some dependent variable
• Normative