Week 5

PNUR 129
Foundations of Research
and Evidence-Based
Practice for Practical
Nurses
 Learning Objectives
1.Define qualitative research.
2.Identify the steps in the qualitative research process.
3.Discuss the qualitative research designs of
phenomenological research, grounded theory
research, ethnography, and exploratory descriptive
qualitative research and their intended outcomes.
4. Identify differences in sampling, recruitment, data
collection, and data analysis for quantitative and qualitative
research.
5. Describe the strategies used in qualitative research
studies to increase credibility and transferability of findings.
6.Read and appraise qualitative research studies.

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 Qualitative Research
Applied when little is known about a subject. Still
a systematic approach but one that is
subjective.

Helps us understand human experiences from

the participants perspective.

Relationship between researcher and participant

vital but the researcher has to maintain enough
objectivity to observe and collect data clearly

The goal is not hypothesis testing. 3

 Qualitative Research con’d

Qualitative Designs do not have random allocation of

their sampling, they do not have blinding and have no
need to ensure accurate sampling. They deal with
“meaningful areas of human existence,” USUALLY ONE
GROUP.

Qualitative research does not have statistical data

(number data or graphs) to represent its results.

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 Qualitative Research con’d
Qualitative studies DO NOT claim that the results of the study can
be generalized back to the population the way quantitative studies
aim to do with an accurate sampling.
‣Qualitative studies are small and are often less than 10 people.
‣Qualitative researchers watch for data saturation amongst their
participants.
‣Once data starts to repeat itself from the participants the data is
said to be saturated and is stopped.
‣There are no control or experimental groups and most qualitative
studies have one group.
‣Data can be collected in interviews, focus groups depending on
what the researcher’s aim is.
‣Qualitative data comes from the participants’ words and
thoughts. It is collected, analyzed, coded and given themes.
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 Qualitative Research con’d
So just as with quantitative research, qualitative research studies
select a topic, state the problem or question, give rationale for
significance of study, choose a design, use data sources and
select study subjects. See page 92 of Gray and Grove textbook.

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Common Approaches to Qualitative
Research
 Phenomenological
 Grounded theory
 Ethnography
 Exploratory-descriptive-qualitative
 Historical

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 Phenomenological
Attempts to describe lived experiences of the
participants. For example, Survivor Loneliness of Women
following Breast Cancer by Mary Rosendale
Purpose/Objectives: To describe the experience of loneliness for
women more than a year following breast cancer treatment.
Research Approach: Qualitative, phenomenologic.
Setting: Interviews conducted in women’s setting of choice (e.g.,
home, library).
Participants: Purposive sample of 13 women, 1–18 years following
breast cancer treatment.
Methodologic Approach: Streubert’s descriptive phenomenologic
method based on Husserl’s phenomenology.
Main Research Variables: Phenomenon of loneliness

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 Grounded theory research
Used to explore new areas of human
experience. There is no theoretical framework
and it aims to generate new theories. For example,
a) with the Mary Rosendale study, her interpretations include the
statement “Grounded theory studies are needed to delineate the
phases and challenges of breast cancer survivorship, including
survivor loneliness.

b) Studying the stages adult learners go through when they enter a

nursing program. This helps us identify and predict so that we can
better support through the stages.

c) Textbook uses the example of that strives to better understand

nurses’ decision-making regarding error reporting
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 Ethnographical research
Focuses on culture and examines peoples
behaviour within that culture or an aspect of
culture. How are cultures developed and
maintained.

For example,

a) your text discusses a research project that examined

infant feeding beliefs and day-to-day feeding practices of
NICU nurses to improve breast-feeding.

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 Exploratory-descriptive-qualitative

Often done to solve a problem. Usually

occurring in a natural setting with very little
control over variables. Often done to obtain
information needed to develop a program or
intervention for a specific group of patients. We
use it when we need a new approach. For
example, understanding drinking behaviours.

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 Historical

This type of research strives to understand the

meaning of past events in an attempt to interpret
the facts and explain the cause of events, and
their effect on present day events.

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 Question
Which of the following is true about qualitative
research?

a.Categories are established for analysis purposes.

b.Data are usually collected in a laboratory setting.
c.Focus is on studying the “whole.”
d.Intuition and abstraction are suppressed.

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 Which Methods Are Unique to
Qualitative Research?
 Selection of subjects
 Researcher-participant relationship
 Data collection methods
 Data management
 Data analysis
 Interpretation

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 How Are Subjects Selected?
 Subjects are referred to as participants.
 May volunteer to be involved in study
 May be selected by researcher because of
their particular knowledge, experience, or
views related to study

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 What Is Purposive Sampling?
 May select individuals typical in relation to the
phenomenon under study
 May seek out individuals different in some
way from other participants to get diverse
perspectives
 Snowballing technique is commonly used.

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How Does Sample Size Differ From
Quantitative Studies?
 Decisions regarding sample size differ
 Based on needs related to study purpose
 Number of subjects is usually smaller.
 Case studies with only one subject may be used.
 6 to 10 subjects not unusual

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 What Are the Characteristics of
Researcher-Participant Relationships?

 Participants are treated as colleagues rather

than subjects.
 The researcher must have the support and
confidence of participants to complete the
study.
 Maintaining relationships is of utmost
importance.

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 What Does Observation Entail?
 What is going on here?
 Look and listen carefully.
 Note routine activities.
 Focus on details.
 Note processes as well as discrete events.
 Note unexpected events.

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 What Does Interviewing Entail?
 Open-ended format
 Researcher defines focus.
 No fixed sequence of questions
 Questions tend to change as researcher
gains insights from previous interviews and/or
observations.
 Respondents are encouraged to raise issues
not addressed by researcher.

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 Question

Data for qualitative studies are

a. based on words rather than numbers.

b. easy and straightforward to interpret.
c. gathered quickly from large numbers of people.
d. precisely analyzed on a computer.

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 How Is Text Collected?
 May be written by participants on a particular
topic at request of researcher
 Narratives may be solicited by mail rather
than in person.
 Text developed for other purposes, such as
patient records or procedure manuals, can be
accessed for qualitative analysis.
 Published text (books, newspapers, etc.)

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 What Characteristics Are Unique to
Qualitative Research?
 Qualitative data analysis occurs concurrently
with data collection rather than sequentially,
as in quantitative research.
 The researcher is simultaneously gathering
data, managing a growing bulk of collected
data, and interpreting the meaning of data.

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 What Are the Four Types of
Descriptive Analysis?
 Reflexive thought
 Bracketing
 Data reduction
 Coding

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 What Is Bracketing?
 Used in some phenomenological research to
help researcher avoid misinterpreting
phenomenon as it is being experienced by
participants
 Bracketing is suspending or laying aside what
researcher knows about experience being
studied.

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 How Is Data Reduction
Accomplished?
 Analysis focuses on reducing the large
volume of acquired data to facilitate
examination.
 Researcher begins to attach meaning to
elements of data.
 Researcher discovers classes of things,
persons, events, and properties.

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 How Is Coding Accomplished?
 Way of indexing or identifying categories in
data
 Codes may be placed in data at time of data
collection, when entering data into computer,
and during later examination of data.
 Data segments can then be retrieved by
coding category.

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 What Are the Four Types of
Data Analysis?
 Coding
 Memos
 Storytelling
 Narrative analysis

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 What Is Coding?
 Coding, used earlier for description, also
can be used to expand, transform, and
reconceptualize data, providing opportunities
for more diverse analyses.

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 How Are Memos Helpful?
 Used to record insights or ideas related to
notes, transcripts, or codes
 Move researcher toward theorizing and are
conceptual rather than factual
 May link data or use specific piece of data as
an example of conceptual idea

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 Audience Response Question
Which of the following is not a common data
collection method in qualitative research?

a.Examining written text

b.Interviewing participants
c.Observing participants
d.Obtaining written surveys

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 What Is Storytelling?
 Can be instructive in understanding a
phenomenon of interest
 Includes a sequence of events with a
beginning, middle, and end
 Stories have their own logic and are
temporal.

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 What Is Narrative Analysis?
 A qualitative means of formally analyzing
stories
 Researcher unpacks story structure.
 Can be used to determine how people tell
stories
 How they shape the events
 How they make a point
 How they “package” events and react to them
 How they communicate their stories to audiences

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 How Does the Researcher Interpret
Qualitative Results?
 The researcher offers his or her interpretation
of what is going on.
 The focus is on understanding and explaining
beyond that which can be stated with
certainty.
 May focus on usefulness of findings for
clinical practice
 Researcher develops hunches about
relationships that can be used to formulate
tentative propositions.
Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved. 34
 How Is Rigor Obtained in
Qualitative Research?
 Openness
 Scrupulous adherence to a philosophical
perspective
 Thoroughness in collecting data
 Consideration of all data in subjective theory
development phase

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 What Are the Causes for
Lack of Rigor?
 Inconsistency in adhering to philosophy of
approach being used
 Failure to get away from older ideas
 Poorly developed methods
 Insufficient time spent collecting data
 Poor observations
 Failure to give careful consideration to all
data

Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved. 36