Central Luzon Doctors Hospital- Educational Institution San Pablo, Tarlac City MSN Graduate Department

A REPORT ON QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Respectfully submitted by: Maria Victoria P. Bacani, RN Jackelyne May Gacosta, RN Crystalene M. Navaluna, RN

Respectfully submitted to:

Prof. Jay Manuel T. Galeon, RN,MSN

July 17, 2010

Central Luzon Doctors Hospital Educational Institution Graduate Department Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) COURSE TITLE: PROFESSOR: Reported by: Nursing Research
Prof. Jay Manuel T. Galeon, RN,MSN

Maria Victoria Bacani,, RN Jackelyne May Gacosta, RN Crystalene M. Navaluna, RN TOPIC: II. Quantitative and Qualitative Research TOPIC OUTLINE: a. Philosophical bases of Quantitative and Qualitative Research b. Importance of Quantitative and Qualitative Research to nursing practice c. The Building Blocks of a Study a. PHILOSOPHICAL BASES OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH Introduction to Quantitative and Qualitative Research Scientific method incorporates all procedures that scientists have used, currently use, or may use in the future to pursue knowledge. Since 1930, many researchers have narrowly defined scientific method to comprise only quantitative research. This research method is based in the philosophy of logical empiricism or positivism. Therefore, scientific knowledge is generated through an application of logical principles and reasoning; whereby the researcher adopts a distant and noninteractive posture with the research subject to prevent bias. Quantitative Research is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world. Qualitative Research is a systematic, interactive, subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning. This type of research is conducted to describe and promote understanding of human experiences such as pain, caring, and comfort. Philosophical Origin of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Quantitative approach to scientific inquiry emerged from a branch of philosophy called logical positivism, which operates on strict rules of logic, truth, laws, axioms, and predictions. Quantitative researchers hold the position that truth is absolute and that there is a single reality that one could define by careful measurement. Qualitative research evolved from the behavioral and social sciences as a method of understanding the unique, dynamic, holistic nature of human beings. The philosophical base of qualitative research is interpretative, humanistic, and naturalistic and is concerned with the understanding of the meaning of social interactions by those involved.

QUANTITATIVE and QUALITATIVE RESEARCH CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTIC Philosophical origin Focus Reasoning Basis of knowing Theoretical focus Researcher involvement Methods of Measurement Data Analysis Findings QUANTITATIVE >logical positivism >concise, reductionistic >logistic, deductive >Cause- and- effect relationship >tests theory >control >structured interviews questionnaires, scales >numbers >statistical analysis >generalization, accept or reject theoretical propositions QUALITATIVE >naturalistic, interpretive, humanistic >broad, subjective, holistic >dialectic, inductive >meaning, discovery, understanding >develops theory >shared interpretation >unstructured interviews and observations >words >individual interpretation >uniqueness, dynamic, understanding of phenomena and new theory

***Prepared By: Maria Victoria P. Bacani, R.N. Reference: Polit, D. F . and Beck, C.T (2004). Nursing Research: Principle and Methods (7th Edition).Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

b. IMPORTANCE OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TO NURSING PRATICE

The Importance of Research to Nursing Practice - A high expectancy of nurses increasingly adopting an evidence-based practice (EBP), which is broadly defined as the use of the best clinical evidence in making patient care decisions. There is general agreement that research findings from rigorous studies constitute the best type of evidence for informing nurses decisions, actions, and interactions with clients (Goode, 2000). Nurses are accepting the need to base specific nursing actions and decisions on evidence indicating that the actions are clinically appropriate, cost effective, and result in positive outcomes for clients.

Nurses who incorporate high-quality research evidence into their clinical decisions and advice are being professionally accountable to their clients. They are also reinforcing the identity of nursing as a profession. Research enables nurses to describe the characteristic of a particular nursing situation about which little is known; to explain phenomena that must be considered in planning nursing care; to predict the probable outcomes of certain nursing decisions; to control the occurrence of undesired outcomes; and to initiate activities to promote desired client behavior.

The general purpose of nursing research is to answer question or solve problems of relevance to the nursing profession. The specific purposes of nursing research include identification, description, exploration, explanation, prediction, and control. Within each purpose, various types of question are addressed by nurse researchers; certain questions are more amenable to qualitative than to quantitative inquiry, and vice versa. Research Purpose and Research Question Purpose Types of Questions: Quantitative Research Identification Description How prevalent is the phenomenon? How often does the phenomenon occur? What are the characteristics of the phenomenon? What factors are related to the phenomenon? What are the antecedents of the phenomenon?

Types of Questions: Qualitative Research What is this phenomenon? What is its name? What are the dimensions of the phenomenon? What variations exist? What is important about the phenomenon? What is the full nature of the phenomenon? What is really going on here? What is the process by which the phenomenon evolves or is experienced? How does the phenomenon work? Why does the phenomenon exist? What is the meaning of the phenomenon? How did the phenomenon occur?

Exploration

Explanation

Prediction

What are the measurable associations How between phenomena? What factors cause the phenomenon? Does the theory explain the phenomenon? What will happen if we alter a phenomenon or introduce an intervention? If phenomenon X occurs, will phenomenon Y follow? How can we make the phenomenon , happen or alter its nature or prevalence? Can the occurrence of the phenomenon be prevented or controlled?

Control

Identification Qualitative researchers sometimes study phenomena about which little is known. In some cases, so little is known that the phenomenon has yet to be clearly identified or named or has been inadequately defined or conceptualized. The in-depth, probing nature of qualitative research is well suited to the task of answering such questions as, What is this phenomenon? and What is its name? In quantitative research, by contrast, the researcher begins with a phenomenon that has been previously studied or definedsometimes in a qualitative study. Thus, in quantitative research, identification typically precedes the inquiry. Qualitative example of Identification Weiss and Hutchinson (2000) investigated people with diabetes and hypertension to discover the basic social problem that affects their adherence to health care directives. Through in-depth interviews with 21 clients, the researchers identified that warnings of vulnerability was the basic problem undermining adherence. Description - In it, researchers observe, count, delineate, and classify. Nurse researchers have described a wide variety of phenomena. - It provides new information. Examples include patients stress and coping, pain management, adaptation processes, health beliefs, rehabilitation success, and time patterns of temperature readings. Description can be a major purpose for both qualitative and quantitative researchers. Quantitative description focuses on the prevalence, incidence, size, and measurable attributes of phenomena. Qualitative researchers, on the other hand, use in depth methods to describe the dimensions, variations, and importance of phenomena. Example Of Description Quantitative Bohachick, Taylor, Sereika, Reeder, and Anton (2002) conducted a study to describe quantitative changes in psychological well-being and psychological resources 6 months after heart transplantation. Qualitative Bournes and Mitchell (2002) undertook an in-depth study to describe the experience of waiting in a critical care waiting room.

Exploration Like descriptive research, exploratory research begins with a phenomenon of interest; but rather than simply observing and describing it, exploratory research investigates the full nature of the phenomenon, the manner in which it is manifested, and the other factors to which it is related. For example, a descriptive quantitative study of patients preoperative stress might seek to document the degree of stress patients experience before surgery and the percentage of patients who actually experience it. An exploratory study might ask the following: What factors diminish or increase a patients stress? Is a patients stress related to behaviours of the nursing staff? Is stress related to the patients cultural backgrounds? Qualitative methods are especially useful for exploring the full nature of a littleunderstood phenomenon.

Exploratory qualitative research is designed to shed light on the various ways in which a phenomenon is manifested and on underlying processes. Example Of Exploration Quantitative Reynolds and Neidig (2002) studied the incidence and severity of nausea accompanying combinative antiretroviral therapies among HIV infected patients, and explored patterns of nausea in relation to patient characteristics. Qualitative Through in-depth interviews, Sadala and Mendes (2000) explored the experiences of 18 nurses who cared for patients who had been pronounced brain dead but kept alive to serve as organ donors.

Explanation Goals: -

to understand the underpinnings of specific natural phenomena to explain systematic relationships among phenomena.

It is often linked to theories, which represent a method of deriving, organizing, and integrating ideas about the manner in which phenomena are interrelated. Whereas descriptive research and exploratory research provides promising insights, explanatory research attempts to offer understanding of the underlying causes or full nature of a phenomenon. In quantitative research, theories or prior findings are used deductively as the basis for generating explanations that are then tested empirically. That is, based on a previously developed theory or body of evidence, researchers make specific predictions that, if upheld by the findings, add credibility to the explanation. In qualitative studies, researchers may search for explanations about how or why a phenomenon exists or what a phenomenon means as a basis for developing a theory that is grounded in rich, indepth, experiential evidence. Example Of Explanation Quantitative Resnick, Orwig, Maganizer, and Wynne (2002) tested a model to explain exercise behaviour among older adults on the basis of social support, age, and self-efficacy expectations. Qualitative Hupcey (2000) undertook a study that involved the development of a model explaining the psychosocial needs of patients in the intensive care unit. Feeling safe was the overwhelming need of patients in the intensive care unit.

Prediction and Control Many phenomena defy explanation. Yet it is frequently possible to make predictions and to control phenomena based on research findings, even in the absence of complete understanding. For example Result of a Certain Research: The incidence of Down syndrome in infants increases with the age of the mother. Prediction: A woman aged 40 years is at higher risk of bearing a child with Down syndrome than is a woman aged 25 years. Control: By educating women about the risks and offering amniocentesis to women older than 35 years of age, the outcome would be different.

Studies designed to test the efficacy of a nursing intervention are ultimately concerned with controlling patient outcomes or the costs of care. ***Prepared by: Jackelyne May L. Gacosta, RN Reference: Polit, D. F . and Beck, C.T (2004). Nursing Research: Principle and Methods (7th Edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Pages 3-4, 18-23

c. THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A STUDY

*** A study is an investigation or a research project used by researchers to address a problem or answer a question through disciplined research.
a. Clinical Studies are specifically designed to generate knowledge to guide

clinical practice.

b. Collaborative studies involve a research team with a mixture of clinical,

theoretical and methodological skills.

*** Key Terms Used in Quantitative and Qualitative Research CONCEPT Person contributing information Person undertaking the study That which is being studied Information Gathered Links between concepts Logical reasoning process Quality of evidence QUANTITATIVE TERM Subject Study Participant Respondent Researcher, investigator Concepts Constructs Variables Data ( numerical value) Relationships (causal, functional) Deductive reasoning Reliability,validity, generalizability QUALITATIVE TERM Study participant Informant, key informant Researcher, investigator Phenomena Concepts Constructs Data( narrative description) Patterns of association Inductive reasoning Trustworthiness

a. CONCEPTS In quantitative study, are all the abstractions of particular aspects

of human behaviour and characteristics.

b. PHENOMENA In qualitative study, ,are all the abstractions of particular

aspects of human behaviour and characteristics.

c. CONSTRUCTS are abstractions that are deliberately and systematically

invented or constructed by researchers and theorists for a specific purpose. (Kerlinger and Lee,2000)

d. THEORY is a systematic , abstract explanation of some aspect of reality. In a

theory, concepts are knitted together into a coherent system to explain some aspect of the world.
e. CONCEPTUAL MODEL / FRAMEWORK- is used in research to outline

possible courses of action or to present a preferred approach to an idea or thought.

f. VARIABLES- Concepts in quantitative study are usually referred as these. It is

something that varies such as weight, anxiety level, and body temperature. f.1.) Independent variable presumed cause f.2.) Dependent variable presumed effect These two terms are used to designate the direction of influence between variables rather than cause and effect.
g. CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS These are two types

of definitions which are of particular relevance in a study.

g.1) Conceptual definition is the abstract or theoretical concepts being studied.

meaning of the

Example: the concept of caring, as a human trait and a moral imperative. g.2) Operational Definition specifies the operations that researchers must perform to collect the required information. Example: the definition of weight as the amount that an object weighs in pounds, to the nearest full pound.
h. DATA are the pieces of information obtained in a study. All the pieces of data

that researchers gather for a study comprise their data set. h.1) Quantitative data- numeric information Example: Question- Thinking about the past week how depressed would you say you have been on a scale from 0-10, where 0 means not at all, and 10 means the most possible? Data: Subject 1: 9 ; Subject 2: 0 ; Subject 3: 4 h.2.) Qualitative data- narrative descriptions Example: Tell me about how youve been feeling lately-have you felt sad or depressed at all, or have you generally been in good spirits? Data: Participant 1: Ive been pretty depressed lately to tell you the truth. Participant 2: I cant remember ever feeling better in my life. Participant 3: Never been better, things are going my way.

i. RELATIONSHIPS is a bond or connection between two or more phenomena Example: There is relationship between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. g.1.) Cause-and-effect relationship Within the positivist paradigm, natural phenomena are assumed not to be haphazard, they have antecedent causes that are presumably discoverable. j. LOGICAL REASONING intellectual mechanisms used in quantitative and qualitative research. j.1) Inductive reasoning is the process of developing conclusions from specific observations. Example: Childrens separation from their parents is stressful. Inductive reasoning is an inductive tool in disciplined research and plays a special role in qualitative research. j.2.) Deductive Reasoning-is the process of developing specific predictions from general principles. Example: If we assume that separation anxiety occurs in hospitalize children (in general), we might predict that (specific) children in Memorial Hospital whose parents d not room in would manifest the symptoms of stress. ***Prepared by: Crystalene M. Navaluna, RN Reference: Polit, D. F . and Beck, C.T (2004). Nursing Research: Principle and Methods (7th Edition). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Pages 31-40