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week 6 Evidence assignment
Assignment: Critiquing Quantitative, Qualitative, or Mixed Methods Studies
Critiquing the validity and robustness of research featured in journal articles provides a critical foundation for engaging in evidence-based practice. In Weeks 5 and 6, you explored quantitative research designs. In Week 7, you will examine qualitative and mixed methods research designs. For this Assignment, which is due by Day 7 of Week 7, you critique a quantitative and either a qualitative or a mixed methods research study and compare the types of information obtained in each.
To prepare:
Select a health topic of interest to you that is relevant to your current area of practice. The topic may be your Course Portfolio Project or a different topic of your choice.
Using the Walden Library, locate two articles in scholarly journals that deal with your portfolio topic: 1) Select one article that utilizes a quantitative research design and 2) select a second article that utilizes either a qualitative OR a mixed methods design. These need to be single studies not systematic or integrative reviews (including meta-analysis and metasynthesis). You may use research articles from your reference list. If you cannot find these two types of research on your portfolio topic, you may choose another topic.
Locate the following documents in this week’s Learning Resources to access the appropriate templates, which will guide your critique of each article:
Critique Template for a Qualitative Study
Critique Template for a Quantitative Study
Critique Template for a Mixed-Methods Study
Consider the fields in the templates as you review the information in each article. Begin to draft a paper in which you analyze the two research approaches as indicated below. Reflect on the overall value of both quantitative and qualitative research. If someone were to say to you, “Qualitative research is not real science,” how would you respond?
To complete this Assignment:
Complete the two critiques using the appropriate templates.
Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
Contrast the types of information that you gained from examining the two different research approaches in the articles that you selected.
Describe the general advantages and disadvantages of the two research approaches featured in the articles. Use examples from the articles for support.
Formulate a response to the claim that qualitative research is not real science. Highlight the general insights that both quantitative and qualitative studies can provide to researchers. Support your response with references to the Learning Resources and other credible sources.
As you complete this Assignment, remember to:
Submit your paper to Grammarly and SafeAssign through the Walden Writing Center. Based on the Grammarly and SafeAssign reports, revise your paper as necessary.
Reminder: The School of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The School of Nursing Sample Paper provided at the Walden Writing Center provides an example of those required elements (available from the Walden University website found in this week’s Learning Resources). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
Combine all three parts of this assignment into one Word document including both critique templates and the narrative with your references. Submit this combined document.
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| Subject | Nursing | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Research Methods
Contrasting Information
Research in nursing takes various forms. The advancement of evidence based research in the current setting has rendered it necessary that researched information is backed up with credible evidence that advances quality health outcomes. In essence, the different researches that are conducted adopt different approaches such as quantitative research that is focused more on acquiring new information and qualitative research that relies on past research and uses such as points of reference to note any similarities and differences. In addition to this, mixed approaches are used such as the use of meta-analysis approaches to deriving and acquiring information on the research being conducted. In this directive, two articles based on two different topics; palliative care and evidence based nursing, were looked into to identify the different methods of research applied and how essential they are in providing the necessary information to advance nursing research. Based on the analysis of the articles, the type of information acquired differed slightly. This is such that, the evidence based nursing article featured a meta-analysis approach in which, the information contained involved the combination of results that had been obtained from other research studies including the statistical outcomes and used the information to analyze the efficacy of the interventions found across various studies on evidence based practice. Ideally, the method served to synthesize and integrate the empirical research from multiple other studies. The palliative care article, on the other hand, provided information that revealed how palliative care has improved and evolved over the years. This primarily involved the comparison and use of information from past research to understand the progress on the topic and the changes that have been witnessed over the years.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Qualitative and meta-analysis approaches to research in nursing have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of using qualitative approach to research include the fact that there is access to previous studies on the topic and the progress made in the research can be identified. Further, loopholes in the studies are easily identified and corrected. In essence, qualitative research is highly progressive and it is easy to track the developments made in an area of study. In addition to this, qualitative approach to research is less complicated as it involves due consideration of past studies and improving on them. The disadvantages of qualitative research however include the fact that the sources relied upon are subjective and thus prone to various interpretations. The nature of the research is often broad and complex and it would require a lot of time to narrow down the area of focus in order to derive the required information.
Meta-analysis research, also referred to empirical research, is advantageous in in that its focus of study is concise and narrow. Ideally, the scope of study using an empirical approach is usually direct and the area of focus is often known by the time of beginning research (Smith, 2015). Secondly, the basic element of analysis with empirical research is numbers and statistical analysis which makes it difficult for the results to be biased based on personal interpretations. The statistical analysis makes it possible for the results to be determined accurately and without bias. Thirdly, the nature of the research is objective meaning it is based on independent research as opposed to relying on past research. The disadvantages of empirical research are that first, it is considered to be a hard science. Many researchers would opt to use simpler approaches than quantitative analysis. Secondly, the approach is deductive and therefore, it would require that more time is spent on the analysis of data and information so as to derive accurate results for the research.
Significance of Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Qualitative research is perceived not to be a real science. This has been based on the premise that the approach of relying on past research does not constitute actual research and thus rendering qualitative research to be classified as a soft science. This is contrary to the truth. Qualitative research is progressive research in that, based on the development made in current research on a given topic, qualitative research provides an angle of the evolution over time (Lindlof & Taylor, 2017). Quantitative research may provide accurate results from a study that is conducted from the scratch and this is essential in the determination of potential outcomes in some situations. However, this does not rule out the efficacy of qualitative research.
Qualitative and quantitative research approaches are both essential to researchers following the roles that they play and the type of information and data that are availed through the methods of study. It is rather incorrect to deduce that qualitative research is not important. On the contrary, qualitative research can also contribute to the approach that is used to initiate quantitative research (Taylor, Bogdan, & DeVault, 2015). This is especially true with regard to evidence based practice where more accurate outcomes may be necessary to advance a given theory advanced from qualitative research. Therefore, both research approaches are significant to researchers based on the various areas of research in nursing.
References
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Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. (2017). Qualitative communication research methods. Sage publications. Smith, J. A. (Ed.). (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage. Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Appendix
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