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School of Nursing and Midwifery

Course title:

Qualitative and quantitative Research methods in nursing

∗ Semester: 1st. Mondays: 8-10 am. ∗ Point: 2 Credit ∗ Pre-requisite Courses: Participation in a research methology workshop

∗ Subjects:

Quantitative and qualitative research methods: principles, issues and their critiques. Lecturers:

Zohreh Parsa Yekta, Ph.D, Associate Professor Tehran School of Nursing and Midwifery Tel/Fax: 0098-21-66927171 Email: zparsa@sina.tums.ac.ir

Alireza Nikbakht Nasrabadi, Ph.D, Associate Professor Tehran school of Nursing and Midwifery Tel: 0098-21-66921144 Fax: 0098-21-66904252 Email: nikbakht@sina.tums.ac.irHomepage: http://www.tums.ac.ir/english/faculties/cv.asp?facultyID=613

Mohammad Ali Cheraghi, Ph.D, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Cell Phone: +98 9122060739 Phone (Office): +98 2166933600 Fax: +98 2166941668 Email: Ali Cheraghi cheraghiali2000@yahoo.com

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will provide an overview of research methods and issues within the caring sciences. After a brief introduction the course will focus on the research process. The various stages of research from problem formulation to data analysis will be examined in turn. At the same time, the course will help the students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to implement various aspects of the research process through the completion of various fields and class assignments. Thus, the course will encourage critical thinking and writing skills that demonstrate the students’ abilities to understand and evaluate caring related researches.

PURPOSE: The course will introduce students to use qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to analyze caring phenomena and provide opportunities for students to gain some experiences in conducting research at the various stages of the research process. Furthermore the course will assist students to develop their capabilities in understanding, doing and evaluating highly qualified nursing research.

OBJECTIVES:

The course is designed to give students an opportunity to: 1) Enhance awareness and understanding of the nature and development of nursing research. 2) become familiar with principles and different methods of qualitative research in nursing and allied health. 3) become familiar with principles of doing and analysing quantitative research methods in the field of caring sciences and nursing. 4) Develop and enhance their skills in applying critical judgement to concepts and issues relevant to the development of nursing research.

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Course Structure: Classes include teaching with debates, student presentations and exercises, and group/individul work assignments.

Detailed Lesson Plans and Resources ProfileThe aim of this course is to make the students acquainted with: • Key questions and basic concepts of quantitative and qualitative

research methods • How to use and critically appraise existing research in the fields of

caring, health, and nursing both in education and practice. • How to plan, design, carry out and evaluate empirical and qualitative

researches. The course falls in three parts: • Classes in quantitative research methods • Classes in qualitative research methods • Classes for integrating qualitative and quantitative research methods

(Triangulation) Lesson topics Week 1:

� Introductions: Instructors & participants; � Students organiz to plan this course;

� Take a moment to reflect on a possible area of interest. � What are some interesting situations for you to look at? � What is it that you want to know about? � What are the real needs of students (content, process) and how

are these best met? � What are modes of interactions that best address the needs of

students and instructor in this class? Week 2: Minilectures:

� Whole-class session: Quantitative v.s qualitative research, 1. What is qualitative research? 2. What is quantitative research? 3. Does counting make a study quantitative? 4. How is qualitative research distinct/ different from quantitative

research? 5. Which is more difficult, qualitative or quantitative research? Why?

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Week3: Minilectures:

� The importance, philosophy and issues in quantitative researches. Student questions arising from the previous studies.

Week 4: Minilectures: Introducing different methods of quantitative researches.

Student seminars #1(Cross-sectional, Case-Control)

Week 5: Minilectures: Introducing different methods of quantitative methods Student seminars #2(Quasi-Experiment, Cohort studies) Week 6: Minilecture Design of Research. Student seminars #3(RCT, Feild trials) Week 7: Student seminars #4(Sampling in quantitative methods) Week 8: Student seminars #5(Data Interpretation in and report of quantitative researchs)

Week 9: Minilectures: Student seminars #6(Meta Analysis) Week 10:

� The importance, philosophy and issues in qualitative researchs � Introducing different methods of qualitative researchs

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Week 11: Minilectures: Phenomenology, hermaniutic.

Week 12: Minilecture: Grounded Theory.

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Week 13: Minilecture:Ethnography, Cross-cultural nursing, Historical reserach.

Week 14: Minilecture: Action research Week 15:Minilecture: Sampling,data gathering and interpretation in qualitative research. Week 16:Minilecture: Mixed methods:qualitative and quantitative (triangulation) Wekk 17:

� Validation in qualitative research � Research Ethics

Key elements to be considered in the application

� Students-teacher discussion

A detailed time table is enclosed in Farsi language

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING (Student Assessment): The following components comprise the course grade along with the weight specified: Seminar/Group discussion, Participation (2 for every student) 40%

Assignment # 1 30% Assignment # 2 30%

Description of the compulsory written reports: At the beginning of the course the lecturers will go through the guidelines for the compulsory reports in quantitative and qualitative research methods respectively. The lecturers will tutor the students during the process. The courses are concluded by an evaluation of the reports and written assignments. The written reports will be marked passed / not paased firstly and then scored according to their soundness and rigority. The not passed reports must be reworked and handed in again.

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The allocation of a grade for assessment will give consideration to the following presentation/report criteria:

• Professional & logical rationality • Clear explanations • Demonstrates full understanding

More criterias include: ∗Content:

. demonstrates understanding of the topic . demonstrates original and creative thought ∗Evidence of research and reading

. research/reading cited . demonstrates good comprehension of cited material . citations appropriate and adequate in text and reference list � Evidence of analysis and synthesis . demonstrates ability to think critically about information

. demonstrates ability to relate topic to current nursing issues

Assignment # 1:Each student should change his/her oral presentations in a comprehensive written report with a complete soundness scientific maner (Topic, introduction, body, conclusion, references, appendixes, and...) Assignment # 2: Each student should prepare a qualitative research proposal.

Seminar topics:1. Quantitative Research data Analysis and Interpratation(P value)

2. Sampling methods in quantitative research.

3. RCT Research and field trials

4. Meta- analysis & Systematic review

5. Design for quantitative researches (case-control, cross sectional, longitudinal).

6. Design for quantitative researches (correlational, quasi-experimental, Cohort).

7. Qualitative data analysis (types, methods, merits ...)

8. Schools of qualitative research methods.

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Some useful referrences:

∗ Ayer AJ (1936/1990) Language, Truth and Logic. Harmondsworth, Penguin. ∗ Bond S (1993) Experimental research nursing: necessary but not sufficient. In:

Kitson A (Ed)Nursing. Art and Science. London, Chapman and Hall. ∗ Clarke AM (1998) The qualitative-quantitative debate: moving from positivism

and confrontation to post-positivism and reconciliation. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 27, 6, 1242-1249.

∗ Comte A (1853/1971) The positive philosophy. In: Thompson K and Tunstall J (Eds) Sociological Perspectives. Harmondworth, Penguin.

∗ Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (1998) The Landscape of Qualitative Research. London, Sage.

∗ Easterby-Smith M et al (1997) Management Research: an Introduction. London, Sage.

∗ Forbes DA et al (1999) Warrantable evidence in nursing science. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 29, 2, 373-379.

∗ Guba EG (1990) The alternative paradigm. In: Guba EG (Ed) The Paradigm Dialog. Newbury Park, Sage.

∗ Guba EG, Lincoln YS (1998) Competing paradigms in quantitative research. In: Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (Eds) The Landscape of QualitativeResearch. London, Sage.

∗ Letourneau N, Allen M (1999) Post-positivistic critical multiplism: a beginning dialogue. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 30, 3, 623-630.

∗ Mays N, Pope C (1995) Researching the parts that other methods cannot reach; an introduction to qualitative methods in health and health services research. British Medical Journal. 311, 42-45.

∗ Moccia P (1988) A critique of compromise: beyond the methods debate. Advances in Nursing Science. 10, 4, 1-9.

∗ Parahoo AK (1997) Nursing Research, Principles, Process, and Issues. London, MacMillan.

∗ Payle JF (1995) Humanism and positivism in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing.22, 979-984.

∗ Polit DF et al (2001) Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal and Utilisation.Philadephia, Lippincott.

∗ Proctor S (1998) Linking philosophy and method in the research process: the case for realism.Nurse Researcher. 5, 4, 73-90.

∗ Schumacher KL, Gortner SR (1992) (Mis)conceptions and reconceptions about traditional science. Advances in Nursing Science.14, 4, 1-11.

∗ Shih FJ (1998) Triangulation in nursing research: issues of conceptual clarity and purpose. Journalof Advanced Nursing. 28, 3, 631-641.

∗ Smith MJ (1998) Social Science in Question.London, Sage. ∗ Webb C (1989) Action research: philosophy, methods and personal experience.

In: Kitson A(Ed) Nursing. Art and Science. London, Chapman and Hall. ∗ Denzin, N. K., and Lincoln, Y. S. Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative

Materials. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998. ∗ Denzin, N. K., and Lincoln, Y. S. The Landscape of Qualitative Research:

Theories and Issues. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998. ∗ Denzin, N. K., and Lincoln, Y. S. Strategies of Qualitative Inqury. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998.

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∗ Merriam, S. B., ed. Qualitative Research in Practice: Examples for Discussion and Analysis. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002.

∗ Denzin, N. K., and Lincoln, Y. S., eds. Handbook of Qualitative Research. 2d ed.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000.

∗ Criteria for Evaluating Papers Using Qualitative Research Methods (published by the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology): http://www.bps.org.uk/publications/jOP_16.cfm

∗ An Introduction to Qualitative Research:http://www.uea.ac.uk/care/elu/Issues/Research/Res1Cont.html

∗ QualPage, resources for qualitative research: http://www.ualberta.ca/~jrnorris/qual.html

∗ Qualitative Research Web Sites: http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/web.html∗ qualitative-research.net, Online Gateway for Qualitative Research:

http://www.qualitative-research.net/∗ Research Methods Resources on the WWW:

http://www.slais.ubc.ca/resources/research_methods/index.htm∗ Action Research, ISSN 1445-6125, Southern Cross University

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/gcm/ar/ari/arihome.html∗ International refereed online journal of action research ∗ International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, ISSN 0951-8398,

Taylor and Francis http://www.tandf.co.uk/∗ Qualitative Inquiry, ISSN 1077-8004, Sage Publications; http://www.sagepub.co.uk/∗ Qualitative Research, ISSN 1468-7941, Sage Publications;

http://www.sagepub.co.uk/∗ The Qualitative Report, ISSN 1052-0147, Nova University;

http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/