Unit 25 Flashcards
Weaknesses of quantitative methods
Limited results as less elaborate
Artificial environment
Presented answers may not reflect how a person truly feels
Examples of sources that might be used in a literature review
Textbook
Journals
Sector magazines
Government organisation websites
Leaflets
Census data
intetnet
Secondary research method examples
Journals
Books
Published stats
Examples of quantitative questions
true/false
1/2/3/4
Quantitative
research that collects and analyses data involving numbers and stats
Qualitative
Research that collects written data
Examples of qualitative
interviews
Open-ended questions
Primary research
Data collected by a researcher- original work
strengths of mixed methodology
Increases validity
Increases reliability
In-depth information
Weaknesses of mixed methodology
Time-consuming
Difficult to manage
Difficult to analyse
Strengths of primary research
Interactive
Researcher is in control
Looks at unanswered question
areas of research
healthcare
social care
child care
Examples of primary research
survey
observation
case study
areas of research in social care
interventions
social care policy
social care practices
areas of research in healthcare
treatments
health care policy
health care practices
areas of research in child care
child development
child care policy
child care practices
Mixed methodology
when qualitative and quantitative methods are used together
Secondary research
Research method that collates already published data
Weaknesses of primary data
Expensive
Time-consuming
May be a bias
Weaknesses of qualitative research
Time-consuming
answers may not be reliable if surveys are long
easy to influence peopl4
Validity
Measure of the quality of the data
Reliability
Measure of the quality of the method
Observations and types
Study of a persons behaviour
covert, overt, participant, non-participant
Weaknesses of secondary data
May be outdated
Information may be limited or hard to find
Not always credible
Findings may be biased
Strengths of secondary research
Less time-consuming
Inexpensive
Backup data
Can combine evidence
Strengths of quantitative data
Can be replicated
Broader study
Less likely to be bias
Greater accuracy and objectivity
Confidentiality
To ensure that the personal information of an individual is only shared with those the individual has consented to
Weaknesses of observations
Things may be expensive
Can be time-consuming
Covert is seen as deceptive
Overt may cause behaviour change
Focus groups
A group interview to gather information
Weaknesses of focus groups
Low reliability
Relies on people sharing their thoughts
Expensive
Difficult to gather people
8 purposes of research
to improve outcomes
to establish an evidence based for treatments/interventions
to improve practice
to inform policy
to measure impact
to increase knowledge and understanding
to identify the needs of groups or individual
to identify gaps in provision
strengths of qualitative methods
Data can be analysed
Data is more detailed
Attempts to avoid pre-judgements
Creates openness
Strengths of random sampling
Free from researcher bias
Literature review
A systematic process where published materials relating to a single issue is analysed and collated into a single source
random sampling
When participants are selected by chance
Weaknesses of random sampling
Time-consuming
Unrepresentative of target population
Participants may refuse to take part`
Weaknesses of stratified sampling
participants may refuse to take part
time-confusing
complicated
Opportunity sampling
A selection of people who are willing to participate and readily available
Strengths of opportunity sampling
Convenient
less time-consuming
Weaknesses of opportunity sampling
Unrepresentative of population
Cannot be generalised
Researcher bias
Stratified sampling
a form of sampling in which the composition of the sample reflects the proportion of people in certain sub-groups within the target population
Strengths of stratified sampling
Free from researcher bias
representative
generalisable
Strengths of focus groups
quick results
lots of data
high validity
can save time
easy to measure participant reaction
Strengths of observations
overt- more ethical
natural environment= unbiased
standardised procedure can be replicated
Cheap
Ethics
Written statements relating to what is acceptable and unacceptable
Weaknesses of volunteer sampling
unrepresentative
cannot be generalised
researcher bias
volunteer bias
Strengths of volunteer sampliing
convenient
less time-consuming
Volunteer sampling
people choose to sign up to take part in research
Weaknesses of systematic sampling
Some participants may refuse to take part
Requires a list of all participants
May not be representative
Strengths of systematic sampling
free from researcher bias
systematic sampling
when researchers select participants based on regular intervals
Conflict of interest
it is important to know how an organisation was involved to understand if they influenced research
elements of Nuremburg code
voluntary consent is essential
benefits must outweigh risks
human experiments should be tested on animals
should avoid suffering and injury
shouldn’t be conducted if believed to cause death/disability
should make society better
facilities should be clean and safe
should be conducted by qualified scientists
have the right to withdraw
should stop if harm or death is likely to occur
What are questionnaires?
A preset series of question where respondents complete the answers
What are the strengths of questionnaires?
Easy to analyse
Quick to answer
Online questionnaires have a quick response rate
What are the weaknesses of questionnaires?
Low response can lead to an unfair sample
The researcher only benefits if there is a good response rate
Data may be unreliable in certain health and social care settings- daycare for individuals with dementia, schools with young children
What is a structured interview?
A questionnaire that the interviewer reads aloud and then records the answers
What are the strengths of structured interviews?
Specific to the research
Easy to categorise answers
What are the weaknesses of structured interviews?
Information may not be detailed, especially if the questions are closed questions
What are semi-structured interviews?
A blend of structured and unstructured interviews. Questions are open-ended, allowing more freedom
Strengths of semi-structured interviews
Comparable
Has the flexibility to ask follow-up questions
Weaknesses of semi-structured interviews
Risk of bias as may ask leading questions
What are unstructured interviews
No set questions, and laid out like a conversation
Strengths of unstructured interviews
Flexible
Participants are more at ease
Lower risk of bias
Weaknesses of unstructured interviews
Can be difficult to compare answers
May stray away from the topic
Risk of asking leading questions
Time-consuming
What is action research
Research that practitioners carry out during their day to day work
Strengths of action research
Highly relevant to research to improve the HSC sector
Can use mixed methodology
Can gain in-depth knowledge on issues in HSC sector
Weaknesses of action research
Difficulty distinguishing between research and job
Time-consuming
Bias may be present
What is experimental method
Used to investigate different observations and hypotheses
Strengths of experimental method
Usually accurate
Highly reliable
Weaknesses of experimental method
Expensive
TIme-consuming
Mistakes can be made
What are structured observations?
Uses a pre-determined checklist of behaviours and involves a coding system to record participants behaviour
Strengths of structured observations
Reliable-data can be replicated
Comparing and analysing data is easier
Can quantify data
Weaknesses of structured observation
Lack of validity- no reason for behaviour
Only useful for studying small-scale interaction
Strengths of literature review
Enables researchers to keep up to date with new developments
Enables researchers to collate into a single source
Provides a range of different sources, increasing validity
References
Credentials
Forms a basis into own research
Ethical issues are issues due to conducting primary research
Weaknesses of literature reviews
No primary research meaning researcher is unaware if there are any ethical issues
May be bias
Time-consuming
Complex terminology
May be costly or outdated
