Research

Research What are the challenges of ensuring the scientific rigor in qualitative research? What are some techniques used by researchers to ensure scientific rigor in qualitative research?
Qualitative research entails an analysis of facts that are impossible or complex to analyze by employing quantitative methods. The emphasis of this research is to examine the behavior of persons in their natural environment (Munhall, 2012). Challenges of enhancing rigor in qualitative research are evident in research methods. Most qualitative methods present negative aspects, especially when reliability plus the validity of research becomes problematic. Qualitative methods do not possess the certainty of figures as is with quantitative methods. In order to ensure rigor, scientists employ techniques that are reliable and valid. These include audit trails, checks in times of coding, correct referencing and results evaluation (Munhall, 2012).
You decide to conduct a qualitative study aimed at determining the influence of life stressors on graduate nursing education. You plan to collect the data using an Internet survey. How do you collect qualitative data using an Internet survey? Would the data be credible? Why or why not?
Collection of qualitative data will be possible via use of appropriate internet software plus questionnaire templates (Munhall, 2012). There will be a questionnaire provided via the internet that participants will fill and submit. The questionnaires are to have a certain number of questions, which the participants will complete in conformance to the instructions. First, there should be recruitment for respondents willing to join in the survey. This is possible through advertisements in various sites such as yahoo and Google (Munhall, 2012). Offering prizes or incentives for participants would encourage several people to join the exercise. The data will be credible if the selected responds are eligible for the exercise (Munhall, 2012). This is because the respondents required are those experienced on stressors.
What are sources of qualitative research problems? Identify an issue from your clinical practice that could be studied using qualitative method. Why do you think qualitative method is appropriate to study the problem?
Research problems emanate from various sources, for example; the skeptical nature of individuals each day provides a research topic (Houser, 2009). Qualitative research issues may stem from practical aspects, for instance, in nursing a skeptical individual may develop a question that concerns nurses in the provision of health care (Houser, 2009). In clinical practice, an issue such as the problems encountered by nurses as they deliver care to patients is suitable for qualitative research. Qualitative method will be suitable because there is no need of figures (Houser, 2009). Qualitative method will allow methods such as observation which may not suit other methods. It will be easy to enhance the validity by incorporating the research technique (Houser, 2009).
What are some of the reasons that researchers may choose to conduct a qualitative rather than a quantitative nursing research study? Is one method better than the other? Why?
While conducting a nursing investigation, researchers may prefer qualitative to quantitative methods during sampling, especially when the sample under the study has a proper description (Houser, 2009). In case of small samples, qualitative research is effective. Quantitative method may pose problems because it is not time-saving. Where researcher’s interest of study is theoretical, qualitative study is suitable because it does not quantize the research (Houser, 2009). The suitability of the method in use will depend on the nature of investigate problem. If, the analysis of the problem requires quantization then, quantitative technique is better. Qualitative research is better for small chosen samples especially, those with a proper description (Houser, 2009).
References
Munhall, P. L. (2012). Nursing research: A qualitative perspective. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Houser, J. (2009). Nursing Research: Reading, Using, and Creating Evidence. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.