5.5 Key Takeaways

After completing this topic you should be able to:

• Describe the essential differences between Qualitative and Quantitative research methods
• Describe EBP and explain the shift in research methods to obtain this evidence
• Distinguish between ontology and epistemology
• Describe constructivism, positivism and pragmatism and how they relate to research methodology
• Compare qualitative and quantitative research terminology and definitions
• Describe what is meant by mixed methods and the strength of such an approach when conducting your research
• Describe how quantitative and qualitative research is evaluated for research rigour
• Describe probability, non-probability, purposive and convenience sampling – when these various methods are used and given an example be able propose the most appropriate method, giving a reason
• Differentiate between the sample sizes required for qualitative and quantitative research, explaining your reasoning
• Describe the four key ethical principles of research
• What persons should be included in an Ethics Committee according to the NHMRC guidelines?
• List 4 important components to be included in a Research Protocol for submission to an Ethics Committee
• Given a short case study you should be able to answer the question – is there anything questionable about the research
• Describe the potential risks to conducting a research project
• Given a scenario you can be asked to discuss the ethics
• Describe AUTONOMY as it applies to sensitive topics and risk and vulnerability
• Describe surveys and why they are used in quantitative research
• Describe the three main survey designs giving an example of when you would use a particular design
• Describe the steps involved in designing a survey
• Distinguish between the funnel and inverted funnel format of survey design
• Why is it important to optimize the length of a survey and how would you go about doing so?
• Describe the types of question content giving an example in each case
• Describe the use of standardised scales in surveys, including some examples of their purpose
• What do you understand by the terms reliability and validity in terms of standardized scales in surveys?
• List five basic principles for constructing a survey
• Understand the response formats for questions and be able to construct a question using each one of these formats.