Research Approaches: Understanding and Exploring Natural Phenomena

1. Session 2 Dr Asha P Shetty

2. Research Approaches • Research approach is a systematic, controlled, empirical and critical investigation of natural phenomena guided by theory and hypothesis about the relation among such phenomena Choice of approach – the fun part!

3. Basic Types of Approaches • Historical • Survey • Experimental

4. Research Approach • Time • Availability of data • Relative manipulation of data by researcher • Issues of sampling • Process of data collection • Role of researcher

5. Purposes of Research Identification : What is the phenomenon? What is its name? to clearly identify the phenomena or to fully conceptualize it For e.g:- Identification of health problems among adolescents. Issues and challenges in healthcare systems on in India

6. Description: Researchers observe, count, delineate and classify phenomena. E.g.:A study of opinion of mothers on the use of particular type of family planning device. Quantitative description focuses on prevalence, incidence, size and measurable attributes of phenomena.

7. Description • How prevalent is the phenomenon? • How often does the phenomenon occur? • What are the characteristics of the phenomenon? • What are the dimensions of the phenomenon? • What is important about the phenomenon?

8. Purposes of Research(Contd.) Exploration:exploratory research investigates the full nature of the phenomenon, the manner in which it is manifested, other factors to which it is related. Qualitative research is best suited to fulfill the above purpose.

9. Exploration • What factors are related to the phenomenon? • What are the antecedents of 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?

10. Purposes of Research(Contd.) • Qualitative researchers use in depth methods to describe the dimensions, variations and importance of phenomena. For eg: - How prevalent is the phenomenon? • How often does the phenomenon occur? • What are the characteristics of the phenomenon • What are the dimensions of the phenomenon?

11. Purposes of Research(Contd.) Explanation:understand the causative factors or determining influences of a particular phenomena and to explain systematic relationships among phenomena. Explanatory research offers understanding of the underlying causes or full nature of a phenomenon.

12. Explanation • What is the causal pathway through which the phenomenon unfolds? • Does the theory explain the phenomenon? • How does the phenomenon work? • Why does the phenomenon exit? • What does the phenomenon mean? • How did the phenomenon occur?

13. Explanation • For eg :- what are the measurable associations between phenomena? What factors cause the phenomenon? Does the theory explain the phenomenon? (Quantitative) • Qualitative: How does the phenomenon work? Why does the phenomenon exist?

14. Purposes of Research(Contd.) Prediction and control : to make predictions and to control phenomena based on research findings, even in the absence of complete understanding.

15. Prediction • What will happen if we alter a phenomenon or introduce an intervention? • If phenomenon X occurs, will phenomenon Y follow? • For e.g: Advancing maternal age .. increased risk of bearing a child with Down’s syndrome. • we can predict that a woman aged 40 years is at higher risk of bearing a child with down’s syndrome than a woman aged 25 years .

16. Control • How can we make the phenomenon happen or alter its prevalence ? • Can the occurrence of the phenomenon be prevented or controlled? • We can partially control the outcome by educating older women about the risks and offering amniocentesis to women older than 35 years of age.

17. Research Process: Components

18. Research process • Process=a course of action or proceeding, which can be followed for doing something. • The research process describes the steps that one needs to follow for conducting research. • The progression of activities differs for qualitative and quantitative

19. Phase 1:The conceptual phase • Formulating and delimiting the problem • Reviewing the related literature • Undertaking clinical field work • Defining the framework / developing conceptual definitions • Formulating hypothesis Phase 2:The design and planning phase • Selecting a research design • Developing a intervention protocols • Identifying the population • Designing the sampling plan • Specifying methods to measure research variables • Developing methods to safe guard subjects • Finalizing the research plan Phase 3:The empirical phase • Collecting the data • Preparing the data for analysis Phase 4:The analytic phase • Analyzing the data • Interpreting the results Phase 5:The dissemination phase • Communicating the findings • Utilizing the findings in practice

20. Phases in a Quantitative Study • Phase 1: Conceptual Phase • Phase 2: Design and Planning Phase • Phase 3: Empirical Phase • Phase 4: Analytic Phase • Phase 5: Dissemination Phase

21. Phase 1: Conceptual Phase • Involves activities with strong conceptual or intellectual element. E.g. Reading, theorizing, reviewing ideas with colleagues or advisors. • Involves in skills such as creativity, deductive reasoning, insight and firm grounding in previous research.

22. Phase 1: Conceptual Phase • Formulating/delimiting the problem • Reviewing related literature • Undertaking clinical fieldwork • Defining the framework and developing conceptual definitions • Formulating hypotheses

23. Step I: Formulating/delimiting the problem • Identify an interesting , significant research problems and good research questions. criteria of good research problem

24. Step 2: Reviewing related literature Well before any data is collected • What is already known • Gives the base for new evidence

25. Step 3: Undertaking clinical fieldwork • Clinical field work provides perspectives on recent clinical trends, current diagnostic procedures, relevant health care delivery models. • Helps to understand clients and their settings.

26. Step 4: Defining the framework and developing conceptual definitions • Theory is the ultimate aim of science • Develop conceptual definitions.

27. Step 5: Formulating hypotheses • Statement of researchers expectations about relationships between study variables. For e.g.: Is preeclamptic toxemia related to stress factors during pregnancy? • H1:Women with higher incidence of stressful events during pregnancy will be more likely than women with lower incidence of stress to experience preeclamptic toxemia.

28. Phase 2: Design and Planning Phase • Make decisions about the methods and procedures to be used. • Plan of actual data collection

29. Phase 2: Design and Planning Phase 6. Selecting a research design 7. Developing intervention protocols 8. Identifying the population 9. Designing the sampling plan 10. Specifying methods to measure variables and collect data 11. Developing methods to protect human / animals rights 12. Finalizing the research plan

30. Step 6. Selecting a research design • The research design is the architectural backbone of the study. • Over all plan for obtaining answers to the questions being studied. • Specify which design is adopted • What will be done to minimize the bias? • How often data will be collected? • What type of comparisons will be made? • Where the study will take place?

31. Step 7. Developing intervention protocols • Develop intervention protocol • For e.g. if we are interested in testing the effect of biofeedback in treating hypertension. • Specify what biofeedback treatment would entail- who would administer, how frequently, over how long period…

32. Step 8: Identifying the population • Characteristics of study participants • Whom to generalize findings?

33. Step 9:Designing the sampling plan • Representativeness • Sampling plan specifies in advance how the sample will be selected and recruited, and how many subjects will be there.

34. Step 10: Specifying methods to measure variables and collect data • Self reports- interviews • Observation • Bio-physiologic measurements • The task of measuring research variables and developing a data collection plan is a complex and challenging process

35. Step 11: Developing methods to protect human/animals rights • Most studies involve human subjects. • Develop procedures to ensure study adhere ethical principles • Each aspect to be scrutinized to determine rights of subjects adequately protected

36. Step 12: Finalizing the research plan • Readability of written material • Pretesting measuring instruments • Critique by colleagues, peers to get substantive, clinical or methodologic feedback • Proposal for funding.

37. Phase 3: Empirical Phase • Collecting the data Procedures for actual data collection Where and when data will be gathered? • Preparing data for analysis • Coding- process of translating verbal data into numeric form • Patient response to Gender • A. Male-----------1 • B. Female --------2

38. Phase 4: Analytic Phase • Analyzing the data Statistical analyses 16. Interpreting results Interpretation: process of making sense of study results and of examining their implications. Determine how findings can best be used in clinical practice. What further research is needed before utilization can be recommended

39. Phase 5: Dissemination Phase • Communicating the findings: RESEARCH REPORT- term papers, dissertations, journal articles, presentations at conferences. 18.Utilizing findings in practice Plan for its use in clinical settings

40. Criteria of Good Research • What is a research problem? • Any situation that needs answering • It is a felt difficulty or obstacle to a goal • A question requiring an answer or solutions. • A situation involving a doubt • It lacks an available known answer but can be submitted to the process of scientific inquiry

41. Research questions • The specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the research problem. • Are sometimes direct rewordings of statements of purpose, worded as questions • Are sometimes used to clarify or lend specificity to the purpose statement • In quantitative studies, pose queries about the relationships among variables

42. In qualitative studies, pose queries linked to the research tradition • Grounded theory: process questions • Phenomenology: meaning questions • Ethnography: cultural description questions

43. Importance of Problem Statement • They direct investigation i.e. it serves as a guide to the researcher in the course of designing the study. • They help in specifying precisely the situation under study • As they are ordinarily generalized rational statements, they enable the researcher to deduce specific empirical manifestations implied by the hypothesis

44. Sources of Research Problems • Previous research • Empirical interests ,curiosity • Experience, clinical fieldwork and practical need • Research literature • Social issues • Theory • Ideas from external sources

45. Criteria of good research problem • Significance of the problem • Research ability of the problem • Feasibility • Time & timing • Availability of subjects • Cooperation of others • Facilities & equipment • Money Cost • Experience of the researcher • Ethically approved • Interest of the researcher

46. Problem Statements • Declarative form E.g:A study to investigate the relationship between the dependency level of renal transplant patients and their rate of recovery • Interrogative form • What is the relationship between dependency of renal transplant patients and their rate of recovery? • Or What are the factors that affect insight in psychosis patients?

47. Questions to evaluate a research problem • Does the problem stated clearly, concisely and unambiguously? • Does the problem expresses a relationship between two or more variables? • Does the problem show the direction for empirical testing? • Is it specified the nature of population and the setting? • Has the researcher appropriately delimited the scope of the problem?

48. References • Talbot,L.A. Principles and Practice of Nursing Research. Missouri: Mosby Publication. First Edition;1995 • Polit,D.F., Beck,C.T. Nursing Research Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice. NewDelhi: WoltersKluwerPvt.Ltd.Publication.Eigth Edition;2008 • Burns,N., Grove,S.K. Understanding Nursing Research. New Delhi: Saunders Publication. Second Edition; 2005 • Kothari .C.R. Research methodology, methods and technique. New Delhi: New age international limited publishers. 2nd edition.2005 • Treece&Treece