Select one research report with a qualitative design and one with quantitative design and answer the following questions regarding the following categories:
1. Discuss what is meant by the term Qualitative Research
o Briefly, describe the characteristics of qualitative research and identify nursing issues/phenomena that lend themselves to a qualitative research approach.
o Compare and contrast three different qualitative research methodologies.
o Briefly, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research evidence for informing nursing practice.
o Communicate how this research design used in research.
2. The study, sampling, data collection, analysis, rigor, findings and limitations
o Identify the purpose of the study.
o Briefly, describe the design of the study and explain why you think it is either appropriate or inappropriate to meet the purpose.
o Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed.
o Identify the sampling method and recruitment strategy that was used.
o Discuss whether sampling and recruitment were appropriate to the aims of the research.
o Identify the data collection method(s) and discuss whether the method(s) is/are appropriate to the aims of the study.
Sample Answer
. Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a systematic approach to understanding the meaning of human experiences. It focuses on in-depth understanding rather than numerical data. It seeks to explore complex phenomena, personal perspectives, and social interactions within their natural context.
Characteristics and Nursing Applications
The core characteristics of qualitative research include:
Naturalistic Inquiry: The research takes place in the real-world setting where participants live or work.
Inductive Reasoning: The researcher starts with specific observations and builds toward a broader theory or understanding.
Emphasis on Meaning: The goal is to uncover the "why" and "how" of human behavior and experience, not just what happened.
Holistic View: The researcher aims to understand the phenomenon in its entirety, considering all influencing factors.
Researcher as Instrument: The researcher's own experiences and interpretations are part of the data collection and analysis process.
Nursing issues that lend themselves to a qualitative approach include:
Understanding the lived experience of chronic illness, such as what it's like to live with a new cancer diagnosis.
Exploring patient and family perspectives on end-of-life care.
Investigating the emotional and psychological experiences of nurses working in high-stress environments.
Examining the meaning of health and wellness from the perspective of a specific cultural group.
Qualitative Research Methodologies
1. Phenomenology: This methodology aims to describe the lived experience of a specific phenomenon. It seeks to understand the world from the perspective of the participant. The core concept is "bracketing," where the researcher sets aside their own preconceptions to understand the participant's reality fully. This is ideal for studying personal, subjective experiences, such as the lived experience of a mother caring for a child with a rare genetic disorder.
2. Grounded Theory: This methodology aims to develop a new theory from data collected in the field. The researcher systematically collects and analyzes data, building a theory that is "grounded" in the participants' experiences. The process is cyclical, involving continuous data collection, coding, and analysis until a point of "theoretical saturation" is reached, where no new themes emerge. This is useful for exploring social processes or behaviors where existing theories are insufficient, such as how nurses develop resilience in a critical care setting.