Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Chapter 3 Generating Evidence: Key Concepts and Steps in Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Key Terms Used in Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Variable A characteristic or quality that takes on different values, i.e., something that varies from one person to the next Examples: –Blood type –Weight –Length of stay in hospital

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Types of Variables Continuous (e.g., height) Discrete (e.g., number of children) Categorical (e.g., marital status) Dichotomous (e.g., gender) Attribute variable vs. Active variable

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Types of Variables (cont’d) Independent variable—the presumed cause (of a dependent variable) Dependent variable—the presumed effect (of an independent variable) Example: Smoking (IV)  Lung cancer (DV)

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Definitions of Concepts and Variables Conceptual definition: the abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept being studied Operational definition: the operations (measurements) a researcher must perform to collect the desired information

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Relationships Relationship: a bond or connection between variables Cause-and-effect (causal) relationship (e.g., cigarette smoking and lung cancer) Functional (associative) relationship (e.g., gender and life expectancy)

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Classes of Quantitative Research Experimental research Researchers actively introduce an intervention or treatment Nonexperimental research Researchers collect data without intervening or introducing treatments

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Research Traditions in Qualitative Research Grounded theory research Phenomenological research Ethnographic research

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Steps in a Quantitative Study 1.Formulating the problem 2. Reviewing related literature 3. Undertaking clinical fieldwork 4. Defining the framework and developing conceptual definitions 5. Formulating hypotheses

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Steps in a Quantitative Study (cont’d) 6. Selecting a research design 7. Developing intervention protocols 8. Identifying the population 9. Designing the sample plan

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Steps in a Quantitative Study (cont’d) 10. Specifying methods to measure research variables and collect data 11. Developing methods to protect human/animal rights 12. Finalizing and reviewing the research plan

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Steps in a Quantitative Study (cont’d) 13. Collecting data 14. Preparing data for analysis 15. Analyzing the data 16. Interpreting results

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Major Steps in a Quantitative Study (cont’d) 17. Communicating the findings 18. Utilizing findings in practice

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Activities in a Qualitative Study 1. Conceptualizing and planning the study 2. Conducting the study 3. Disseminating the findings

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Research Journal Articles Summarize the context, design, and results of a study; the primary method of disseminating research evidence

Copyright © 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Content of Journal Articles Abstract Introduction Methodology Results Discussion