Methods Used in Qualitative and Quantitate Research - Essay Example

Assignment Research Methods Critical review: Baccalaureate nursing studies: voyaging ttowards discovery, by Melanie Birks, Ysanne Chapman, Karen Francis International Journal of Nursing Practic 2006 12: 267–272 INTRODUCTION The research study by Birks, Chapman & Francis (2006) involved an assessment of post-registration degree courses designed to provide nurses with the opportunity to increase their educational standards to include a baccalaureate degree certification. The research specifically addressed this educational curriculum as it pertains to developing countries where this opportunity for educational advancement and specialization has been far less accessible than in more developed nations of Western Europe and the USA. The focus of this journal article is the issue of post-registration nursing degree opportunities in Malaysia. Malaysia is currently enrolled in the Vision 2020 project to upgrade to fully developed nation status. Educational opportunities in the healthcare profession comprise an important component of these efforts to improve nation status in the world community. The paper addresses the scope of these efforts to address post-registration degree course student participant evaluation in this developing nation. The research presented in this paper describes the results of a qualitative study of the personal and professional experiences of a group of nurses enrolled in a two year post-registration degree course offered in Malaysia by an Australian University that was administered as an off-campus teaching module. 1. Was there a clear statement of the aims of the research? The stated goal of this research was to assess the opinions of nursing professionals enrolled in a post-baccalaureate research program offered in Borneo by an Australian University. The overall purpose of this research endeavour was well-stated and clearly introduced in light of the importance of integrating such programmes into the nursing education programmes of developing nations. The authors cite the dearth of studies on post-baccalaureate nursing education in developing nations as most of the current studies of this important area of nursing education have been conducted in Western nations. The paradigm that the data on these nursing programmes from Western nations may be broadly applied to other areas of the world in regard to addressing critical issues in nursing education was questioned by these researchers, who decided to explore issues of postgraduate nursing education in the context of a developing nation with limited access to these opportunities for advanced education in nursing to explore the specific issues that may specifically need to be addressed in these area. The bulk of the existing research has focused on post-baccalareate conversion programs in the US, UK and Australia. The authors believe that it is important to explore these educational needs in the context of developing nations and geographically isolated areas. Borneo provided an excellent resource for this type of assessment. 2. Is a qualitative methodology appropriate? The study reports the evaluation of this educational opportunity by nurses who participated in this educational programme on the island of Borneo by means of personal interviews whose responses were analysed for common emerging themes that describe the perceptions and attitudes of the study respondents. This research approach is widely used to obtain clinical data based on non-quantifiable perceptions and attitudes. The social sciences depend heavily on this clinical research approach in evaluating issues that require an understanding of individual perceptions, attitudes and personal history that affect social conditions. The medical sciences also relay on qualitative research studies to assess critical areas of patient care, including pain scales in pain management research, patient satisfaction assessments and in all types of psychological testing and evaluation. Thus, there is extensive precedent for this research modality, although it may be subject to criticism if the studies are not carefully controlled and subject to comprehensive assessment of study results. 3. Was the research design appropriate to address the aims of the research? The research design employed in this study involved an assessment of an off campus post-baccalaureate degree program offered by an Australian University in the remote island of Borneo by the interview method to obtain information relevant to nurses’ attitudes and experiences associated with programme enrollment. This general approach is considered highly appropriate to obtain qualitative information that is open-ended at the initial stages and utilises subject responses to develop a categorical analysis of issues and concepts relevant to the study purpose. 4. Was the recruitment strategy appropriate to the aims of the research? The study involved a descriptive representation of these issues based on personal responses to exploratory questions on the part of eight students who were recruited from a larger group of students enrolled in the post-registration programme In addition, students who had previously completed the program within the past 5 years were interviewed to assess the longer term impact of the program on professional development. The study size was very small comprised of only eight student selected from a larger pool. There was no indication of how these students were chosen; there were no inclusion or exclusion criteria even mentioned by the authors. Students’ demographics were not stated. It is not at all clear that a recruitment strategy existed, beyond the state inclusion of current and post attendees of the post-registration programme. The failure to demonstrate that an effective recruitment strategy was utilized seriously undermined the study outcome as it made it far more difficult to assessss the relevance of respondents’ assessment in the absence of information on how participants were chosen or on any background demographics. 5. Were the data collected in a way that addressed the research issue? The study authors chose to explore several important questions relevant to post-registration nursing education that include motivating factors for enrollment, challenges experienced by nurses who participated in the program, and the significance of this educational experience on their personal and professional lives. The process of obtaining data involved the use of personal interviews of 1 hour duration that were informally structured. Questions were asked of the interviewees on their personal motivations, challenges, experiences and professional results attributed to the course of study. The interviews were recorded and analysed subsequently using qualitative data analysis. This process of analysis involved the identification of major themes emerging from the interviews, labeling and interpreting those themes and summarizing the data findings. The general format of the personal interview, recorded for future assessment was appropriate means of obtaining information designed to explore nurses’ attitudes toward motivation, challenges, programme experiences and professional and personal outcomes. However, the authors provided no informal about the actual questions that were posed to study participants, the sequence of questions or any evidence of a structured and consistent mode of data collection that could as a reliable instrument for obtaining relevant data. 6. Has the relationship between researcher and participants been adequately considered? The authors failed to provide any information on the relationship between study participants and interviewers. This is a serious flaw since it is not clear whether a single individual conducted all of the interviews or whether several researchers conducted interviews. It is not clear whether the researchers shared a similar professional background to study respondents. These issues are extremely important, as responses to interview questions may be dependent or biased based on the nature of the researcher/participant relationship. 7. Have ethical issues been taken into consideration? The authors stated that standard ethical guidelines required by the university were followed in this investigation. There was no information provided as to the nature of these standards or how they were enforced by the research organizers. This is another weakness of the study, as it is important to address issues of confidentiality and participant anonymity for privacy reasons and also because they may affect participant’s responses if the study subjects are uncertain of the anonymity and protected status of study participants. 8. Was the data analysis sufficiently rigorous? The data analysis was affected by the overall poor quality of the methodological approach which was very vague and poorly explained. The research assessment tool consisted solely of interview responses obtained with no set questions and no standardised criteria. The actual responses were quoted in selected comments which were highly personal and of questionable relevance. The assessment tools cited by the authors were almost non-existent, and consisted only of identifying the most common themes cited by the interviewees. The criteria for response classification were not mentioned. There was no formal representation of the data. There were no charts, graphs or any attempts to quantify the data. The fact that the study size was so small and that no numerical assessment of data were completed makes this study of highly questionable relevance. 9. Is there a clear statement of findings? The authors classified the major findings of this study into 5 broad categories using the metaphor of a ship’s voyage, an approach that was highly unusual and undermined the focus of the study. Moreover, the statement of findings involved vague descriptions of study results that include direct quotes from selected study respondents. There was no primary data presented in this paper. Instead, vague, poetic categories were summarized in the absence of any classification criteria. The first was called “setting sail” and involved a motivational assessment. The study participants identified the need for knowledge as the major factor motivating them to seek this educational opportunity. The second category was termed, “finding your sea legs”. This category involved an assessment of challenges encountered upon enrollment. Here the primary response addressed the enormous amount of course material required to complete the program, which was somewhat unexpected and difficult to accomplish given job and family requirements. The third category was entitled, “all in the same boat” and addressed the issue of support from others during this experience. Many respondents cited the emotional support and camaraderie experienced as a group as important factors in achieving a successful outcome to this educational experience. The fourth category, entitled “a one-way voyage” described the attitudes of nurses upon completion of the programme. Increased knowledge of clinical practice issues as well as ethical and legal issues were often-cited outcomes of this educational process. Skills development was also very much cited by the respondents, suggesting a direct effect on the quality of patient care as a result of programme participation. The final category, “discovering the treasure” involved an assessment of longer term effects of the educational programme on personal and professional advancement. Many respondents cited the attainment of a degree as a source of great personal satisfaction. In addition, many spoke of their greater awareness of the value of their profession as an important long-term result of this educational experience. The results section was assessed using a ship’s voyage as a metaphor, which contributed to the unscientific and vague descriptive mode of representing and evaluating the data obtained in this study. Besides confirming general sentiments of educational enhancement and personal growth, little could be ascertained as a study conclusion. The most erroneous assertion was the attribution of direct evidence of enhanced patient care resulting from this educational experience based on students’ statements that they felt that their had improved as a result of their educational training . The author’s conclusions were grandiose in stating that such studies highlight the importance and relevance of post-baccalaureate training programs in underdeveloped areas. 10. How valuable is the research? The choice of venue and subject group was highly appropriate to assess the proposed research question. The island of Borneo in Malaysia is a geographically remote area that presents many challenges to the delivery of high quality healthcare as well as training and educational opportunities for professional advancement. The goal of this research was laudable as it attempted to address a critical need for advanced educational opportunities for nursing professionals in developing nations. The choice of venue was excellent, in that Borneo is a geographically remote area that encompasses many of the challenges to healthcare delivery and instruction that are common to developing area. Limited educational resources represent an area that must be addressed if healthcare services in remote and underdeveloped areas are to experience growth in the 21st century. The choice of venue was the only area in which this research excelled. The authors presented a compelling case for exploring issues of motivation, educational challenges and outcome as they pertain to post-baccalaureate nursing programmes in developing nations. They also cite the importance of conducting studies that are drawn directly from these areas of the world rather than simply extrapolating and extending the data from advanced nations to address issues of healthcare education in areas that may have different educational and practical requirements. Beyond the statement of purpose, the research study as presented appears highly flawed. The goal of the study was identify significant issues experienced by nurses who live and work in this remote area. This is an important area worthy of extensive research study. Unfortunately, the study methods and assessment tools utilized in this study were too vague and imprecise to permit relevant study conclusions. Alternative methods for qualitative assessment that would provide more relevant data include a larger study sample size, randomized sampling, a statement of inclusion/exclusion criteria and an assessment of student demographics. Demographic areas should include level of training prior to enrollment, years of clinical experiences, nursing area and specific areas that students would like to develop in their professional profile. Methodology should include standardized questions that be identified in the methods section. In addition, questionnaires that involved scaled responses can be very useful in data quantification and representation. Data should have represented in tabular form and the use of scaled and graded responses can be used to construct graphical representations of data trends. The results should indicate the percentage of respondents that identify a given issue or response to provide a more accurate representation of data responses and trends. Reviews of previous student regarding longer term benefits of this type of educational program should include the assessment of promotion, increased salary and other tangible indications of professional advancement resulting from the educational programme certificate. Each of these changes would provide a more accurate and significant assessment of the major areas of motivation, achievement and challenges that are experienced by nurses attempting to enhance their educational and professional experiences despite the challenges encountered in developing areas of the world. CONCLUSION The research studies reviewed in this essay are based on two fundamentally different modes of research inquiry: quantitative versus qualitative research study designs. Each of these research approaches is designed to address specific areas of inquiry. Qualitative research studies involve descriptive assessments of variables that cannot be addressed by empirical methods, such as personal experience, perceptions and attitudes that comprise important research areas in clinical and social sciences. Quantitative research, on the other hand, is a highly useful mode of inquiry to assess variables that are measurable because they have a numerical basis, such as physiological measurements of blood pressure or heart rate or incremental measures such as number of years of experience or test scores. The quantitative research study by Hayes (1998) involved a comparative analysis of two theories of learning in the elderly, geragogy and schema-based educational methods versus traditional approaches. The relative efficacy of this instructional methodology was evaluated by means of a quantitative assessment that involved a controlled two group trial of elderly patients; one group received the usual discharge instructions while the second were instructed using the gerogogy schema methodology, A post-test trial was used to generate quantitative data regarding the relative effectiveness of each of these approaches. This quantitative research study was superior to the study of the qualitative assessment of nurses’ attitudes and perception of a nursing education program conducted by Birks, Chapman & Francis (2006) in almost all areas. The research design was more focused and included both a control and an experimental group of study subjects. The nursing study utilized only a single subject group; there was no control group. The quantitative study had clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria for subject enrollment, and the demographics were clearly stated and justified. Furthermore, the subject groups were randomized. The study was also larger than the nurse education study. The latter recruited only eight subjects and there were no documented inclusion criteria or randomisation of study subject participants. In the Hayes study (1998), the data were presented with appropriate statistical calculations in analyzing the test responses in elderly patients. A clear conclusion was reached in regard to the correlation between training session type and posttest scoring data. In contrast, the data obtained from the nursing study interview were not summarised appropriately and were presented in a vague, highly subjective narrative. In conclusion, each of these research study approaches has an important place in clinical research in the health professions. Although one cannot analyse the data measurements obtained by qualitative assessment of unquantifiable research areas with the same statistical rigour as employed in quantitative data assesments, it is necessary that both types of research adhere to rigorous, organized approaches to study design, methodology and data analyses. 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