Quantitative research - Term Paper Example

Quantitative Research A research design describes a plan for conducting a study. This could be categorizedas either qualitative or quantitative. This paper evaluates quantitative research in nursing, analyzing the three involved designs - experimental, non-experimental and quasi-experimental -, their strengths and weaknesses.IntroductionQuantitative research refers to the traditional scientific method involving objectively gathering data in a systematic, organized and controlled manner so as to generalize the findings to other populations.

Therefore, quantitative research design would define the systematic and objective plan for gathering data that could be applied to the general population. Quantitative designs include experimental, non-experimental and quasi-experimental.Experimental designThis examines the cause and outcome relationship between the independent and dependent variables in conditions under high control. According to Polit and Beck (2009), an outcome has to be preceded by a cause without any influencing variable so as to confidently conclude the existence of a cause-outcome relationship.

With this design, manipulation could not be possible on all variables. The most classic of these designs according to Cannon (2011) is the pre-test/post-test design where subjects would be assigned to a control or experimental group which does not receive and receives treatment respectively. Other designs include posttest only and factorial designs.This design has been highly regarded due to its strength in demonstrating cause outcome relationship between independent and dependent variables. It gives highest quality evidence concerning intervention effects.

Randomization and applications of control group conditions yield almost ideal counterfactual. It offers the greatest corroboration. Even so, it has limitations including the inability of manipulating some variables. The design suffers from ethical constraints when experimenting on humans. It could fail to be feasible as it would be impractical in many healthcare settings. It suffers Hawthorne effect, described by Polit and Beck (2009) as the tendency to change behavior by the people having the knowledge that they are being studied.

Non-experimental designThe non-experimental design would be applied in situations where manipulation of independent variables could be difficult and randomization uncontrolled but the outcome of some conditions occurring naturally could be studied. Studies adopting this design would be more observational than international. Under this could be various designs including descriptive research, ex post facto, evaluations, surveys and outcomes research.This design plays a critical role in nursing according to Polit and Back as many problems “are not amenable to experimentation” (2009, p.238). Nonetheless, this design suffers the limitation of being unable to establish causal relationship.

Secondly, the ex post facto research could be subject to misinterpretation. Other variables could also explain the interrelationships existing between the variables under study.Quasi-experimental designJust like experimental design, this design examines the cause-outcome relationship between dependent and independent variables. However, it differs from the latter in that it lacks the randomness of assigning subjects to groups and the control group. It has been widely applied in nursing research and involves manipulation of variables (Cannon, 2011).

The designs available in this case include non-equivalent control group and time series.Quasi experimental design has the advantage of being practical for nursing in the context of natural settings. Its lack of random assignment makes it largely acceptable to the study group. Polit and Back (2009) observe that this design suffers the threat of external and internal validity which could decrease the confidence in a study and its subsequent generalization. Rival hypotheses compete with experimental manipulation due to lack of control.

ConclusionQuantitative research occurs in three designs. Experimental designs have at least one variable that could be manipulated, a control group and involve randomization. Quasi-experimental research design resembles the experimental design but lacks the control group and randomization. Non-experimental design serves in the context of difficult manipulation of independent variables and lack of controlled randomization.ReferencesCannon, S. (2011). Quantitative research design. In C. Boswell & S.

Cannon (Eds.), Introduction to nursing research: incorporating evidence based practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 171 – 179). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 171 – 179.Polit, D. F. & Beck, C. T. (2009). Essentials of nursing research: appraising evidence for nursing practice (7th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.