Quantitative Research Design

JOHN RHYAN M. CASALA, R.N.

Quantitative Research Design

'Quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic process in which numerical data are used to obtain information about the world. This research method is used:
to describe variables; to examine relationships among variables; to determine cause-and-effect interactions between variables.' (Burns & Grove 2005:23)

Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is:
A formal, objective, systematic process for obtaining quantifiable information about the world; Presented in numerical form, and analyzed through the use of statistics; Used to describe and to test relationships; Used to examine the cause-and-effect of relationships.

quantitative research is concerned with numbers, statistics, and the relationships between events/numbers.

Characteristics of a Quantitative Research Design

Controlled Objectivity valued Specific, small piece of reality Experimental, Quasi-experiment, Non experimental Short or long involvement Tool = instrument; Avoid researcher influence Data analyzed as specific time point Hypotheses possible Independent & dependent variables usually (may have only 1 variable) Typically within group or between group comparisons

Quantitative Study Study Design

Introduction
This is a quantitative experimental research study, and will use a structured questionnaire to collect data from the participants. The data will be generated from these questionnaires. The questionnaires will consist of a series of questions related to infections and immunoglobulin replacement therapy, namely covering the topics of:

 How many infections has the patient experienced over the past 12 months? What were these infections - number, severity, duration of infection? What were the infectious organisms causing these infections (if known)? Did the patient require antibiotic, antifungal or antiviral therapy - give details?

Research Design
The research will be conducted as a controlled quantitative research study in which data are collected before and after the intervention. In this study, the same sample of patients will be used for the pre intervention and the post-intervention. The intervention is the commencement of home visits by immunology nurse specialists who will give advice and encouragement, and be available to answer questions during actual infusions. Note that this does not override the status quo in which patients can contact the specialist nurse in the hospital, usually by telephone, for advice, etc. The study will last for 2 years, with the first year being before the intervention, and the second year being the intervention. This will allow for all the seasonal variations to be taken into account.

Intervention
The nurses will visit just 4 times during the second year, with a 3 month gap between the visits. They will visit during an infusion in order to observe and advise, as well as monitor the procedure. All nurse visits will be standardized duration of visit, role during visit (protocol to be confirmed) - note that the nurses will not undertake any of the practical care of the infusion during the visit (unless it is deemed dangerous for them not to intervene).

 Your research design has already been decided to a large extent by you earlier opting for either a research question or a hypothesis. If you decided upon a hypothesis, then you made this decision because you have already decided that your study will be an experimental study in which you will be testing cause and effect relationships.

Experimental Research

Experimental Research
Experimental research is the most appropriate method for testing cause-and-effect relationships. Experimental research involves observation for a scientific purpose, usually to test cause-andeffect relationships between variables under conditions which, as far as possible, are controlled by the researcher. It involves the use of scientific observation, but more than observation, it involves the manipulation and control of phenomena. A classic experimental research design involves the selection of subjects (a sample) who are randomly allocated to either an experimental group or a control group, in which only members of the experimental group are exposed to the variable that is the purpose of the study, whilst the control group do not come into contact with the variable, and so act as a control within the experiment (see chapter 5 in the accompanying book)

Experimental Group and Control Group

These different groups only usually occur in experimental research studies, for example when testing new drugs. In this case, the experimental group will be the group that is given the new drug, whilst the control group would continue with the original drug. This would then allow the researchers to compare the results from the two groups at the end of the study, and to be able to make a decision as to whether or not the new drug is better than the original drug.

 If, however, you decided on a research question, then you have far more options as to the research design, including:
Quasi-experimental research Descriptive research Correlational research Survey research Evaluation research

Quasi experimental Research

Quasi experimental Research

Quasi-experimental research may look very much like true experimental research in that it does involve the manipulation of an independent variable. However, it is not the same as true experimental research because quasi-experimental research studies lack one or both of the essential properties of randomization and a control group. The major drawback with quasi-experimental research is that, compared to experimental research, it has a weakness in that is not possible to deliver 'cause and effect' results. In other words, we cannot infer from quasi-experimental research that, for example, doing one thing causes a particular phenomenon (e.g. smoking cigarettes causes cancer).

Variables
Qualities, properties, and or characteristics of persons, things, or situations that change or vary, and that can be manipulated, measured, or controlled in a research study.' (Burns & Groves 2005:755) There are different types of variables, namely:
dependent variables; independent variables.

A dependent variable is the response, the behavior, or the outcome that is predicted and measured in research. Changes in the dependent variable are presumed to be caused by the independent variables. An independent variable is the treatment, the intervention, or the experimental activity that is manipulated or varied by the researcher during the research study in order to create an effect (i.e. change) on the dependent variable.

Randomization
In research, we think of randomization in terms of sampling. Randomization just means that we choose the units/subjects of the sample in a random way. This means that each individual in a population has an equal opportunity to be selected for the sample. One of the reasons that we would indulge in randomization (known as random sampling) is that it will help to eliminate bias which could distort our findings. In experimental studies, we may use an experimental group and a control group - for example if we were testing a new drug. In this case, then subjects would be randomly selected initially for the study, and then further selection would take place when the subjects initially selected for the study would be randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group.

Descriptive Research

Descriptive Research
This type of research describes what exists and may help to uncover new facts and meaning. The purpose of descriptive research is to observe describe document aspects of a situation as it naturally occurs (Polit & Hungler 1999)

 This involves the collection of data that will provide an account or description of individuals, groups or situations. Instruments we use to obtain data in descriptive studies include questionnaires interviews (closed questions) observation (checklists, etc.) There is no experimental manipulation or indeed any random selection to groups, as there is in experimental research.

Correlational Research

Correlational Research
Quantitative correlational research aims to systematically investigate and explain the nature of the relationship between variables in the real world. Often the quantifiable data (i.e. data that we can quantify or count) from descriptive studies are frequently analyzed in this way. Correlational research studies go beyond simply describing what exists and are concerned with systematically investigating relationships between two or more variables of interest (Porter & Carter 2000). Such studies only describe and attempt to explain the nature of relationships that exist, and do not examine causality (i.e. whether one variable causes the other).

Survey Research

Survey Research
According to Polit and Hungler (1999), a survey is used to obtain information from groups of people (i.e. populations). The information that is obtained may be concerned with the prevalence, the distribution, and/or the interrelationships between variables within these groups. Data collection tools include:
personal interviews telephone interviews questionnaires

As pointed out in the accompanying book (chapter 5), depending upon the problem being investigated, this type of research may be better explored by means of a qualitative paradigm.

Evaluation Research

Evaluation Research
This is an applied form of research that involved finding out how well a programme, practice, procedure or policy is working (Polit & Hungler 1999:201).The aim of this type of research is to assess/evaluate the success of a particular practice or policy, etc. Examples of this type of research can be seen in various types of analysis/evaluation, including:
process/implementation analysis (the analysis of process and the implementation of treatments/nursing cares, etc. - similar to audits) outcome analysis (the analysis of the outcome of changes in processes, treatments, etc. - again, similar to audits) impact analysis (the analysis of the impact that, for example, a new treatment will have on the patients) cost-benefit analysis (the analysis of the cost to benefit ratio of , again for example, the introduction of a new drug)

As with the survey research methods, this type of research may best be carried out as a qualitative piece or research, depending upon the original research question.

References
Reference: Polit DF, Hungler BP (1999) Nursing Research: Principles and Methods (6th. Ed.) Philadelphia, Lippincott Reference: Porter, S., Carter, DE (2000) Common terms and concepts in research. In Cormack, D. (Ed.) The Research Process in Nursing (4th Ed.). Oxford, Blackwell Science (pp. 17-28) Reference: Burns N, Grove SK (2005) The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique, and Utilization (5th Ed.) St. Louis, Elsevier Saunders