A Comparison of Three Studies Employing Different - Coursework Example

Qualitative Research Designs: A Comparison of Three Studies Employing Different Qualitative Approaches al Affiliation: Introduction Qualitative research has greatly gained popularity and usage across many study fields. This type of research has the ability to capture real-time events and incorporate them in the data analysis and decision making phases of a study. Various qualitative research designs have their perceived advantages based on the type of evidence needed, the type of analysis, expected outcomes, and characteristics of participants; which explains why they employ different approaches to the kinds of research questions asked, the preferred sample sizes, types of data collected, analysis procedures and methods, and presentation of the results obtained from the analysis. This underlines why it is important to consider these varied factors when selecting a suitable type of research design. In this analysis, three studies designed to suit three different qualitative designs are evaluated on the basis of the types of questions they help to answer, the problems that each addresses, the sample sizes and how the samples are selected, the types of data collected, analysis of the data obtained and how the results are presented. Background to the Studies The three studies are drawn from case study, grounded theory, and ethnographic qualitative study designs. The case study in this analysis is Simovska (2012) published in the journal Democracy and Education. The study explores processes that involve young learners (aged between 4 and 16 years) in bringing about change in health promotion in the Netherlands. The study by Heggdal (2013) was adopted for the grounded research design. The study is published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion. The study explores the relatively new field of “bodily knowledge”. It attempts to search for a befitting theoretical approach that would explain patterns in patients’ anatomical knowledge in terms of how such awareness contributes to engagement in health-motivated activities. The ethnographic study by Deitrick, Baker, Paxton, Flores and Swavely (2012) is also explored. It is published in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality. The study explores problems associated with effecting hourly-rounding schedules in two different inpatient units in the same hospital. Comparative Analysis Types of Questions Answered by Each Study Design The type of question answered by a study is a powerful factor for determining the type of study design to adopt. In the case study by Simovska (2012), the researcher’s aim was to answer the question “does active participation in a community-based road safety awareness actions increase their levels of empowerment?” In this case study, the researcher is mainly concerned with the in-depth experiences of the group of pupils. Capturing individual and community-level experiences requires a qualitative approach that is cognizant of the participants’ uniqueness (brought about by geographical location, shared experiences, among other factors) (Frels, Sharma, Onwuegbuzie, Leech & Stark, 2011). This is reflected in the current study, with the question capturing the localized nature of the research within the question. Though not explicitly stated, the grounded theory study by Heggdal (2013) was built around the question “does improved body knowledge influence participation in health motivated activities; and does the evidence align with the developing theory of “Bodyknowledging”?” The question is correctly founded along the prescribed structure of associating participants’ actions with a theoretical framework, as described by Rafii, Seyedfatemi and Rezaei (2013) and Evans (2013). In the ethnographic study by Deitrick et al. (2012) the researchers aimed at answering the question “what are the cultural inter-unit barriers into the implementation of an hourly rounding practice?” The role of ethnographies is to investigate the cultural aspects of a group that lead to specific patters in behavior, response, attitudes among other community-level factors (Campbell et al, 2011). The study by Deitrick et al. (2012) is correctly based on the cultural barriers to implementation of the hourly rounding practice among workers in two hospital units. It is upon this cultural background that the study question is based. Types of Problems Addressed by Each Type of Design A case study is designed to explore the experiences of a group of participants or a single individual in a defined environment or with a specific characteristic (Brown & Gould, 2013). Simovska (2012) was particularly concerned about the experiences of the young learners in traffic awareness practice, and how their experiences had impacted their levels of empowerment in recognizing and addressing traffic related issues. Through the findings, the researcher is able to recommend measures that will address the identified problem. In the present case, the researcher is interested in ascertaining whether introducing students into such traffic-related programs would mitigate the problem of unawareness of rules that often results in higher rates of road accidents. Heggdal (2013) approached the issue of body knowledge influence on participation in health motivated activities by seeking evidence at two levels. These are the levels at which she solved the hypothetical problems at two levels. At the first level she addressed the uncertainty (hypothetical problem) of whether anatomical awareness is indeed associated with improved health motivated activities. At the second level she sought to establish whether the evidence can be associated with the “bodyknowledging” theory. Perfect alignment of the findings with the theory indicates that the theoretical model can be applied as an effective approach to address the gap between anatomical awareness and response to health-promoting activities. Essentially, grounded theory designs address problems of how fairly a practical situation fits into a theoretical model (Charmaz, 2012). The study by Deitrick et al. (2012) addresses the problem of cultural barriers to adoption of a new “hourly rounding” practice. Explaining the role of ethnographic studies, Higginbottom, Pillay and Boadu (2013) explained that such studies address problems built along cultural values that define a community. They explain that such identifying characteristics are sometimes sources of rigidity in attempts to introduce new practices and values. Sample Sizes and Selection In the case study by Simovska (2012), the researcher had a sample of 262 participants, mainly drawn from the pupils. Unlike quantitative studies whose rigor is a product of sample sizes, qualitative case studies can take sample sizes as small as one participant, and as many as determined by a population size (Jansen, 2012). The sampling technique was purposive. In the grounded theory study by Heggdal (2013), the researchers picked on a sample of 56 patients identified by hospital staff. Thus, the sampling technique was not random but purposive. Based on the sensitivity in generalizing findings on a population to a theory, this type of research sometimes requires relatively large sample sizes (Hyett, Kenny & Dickson-Swift, 2014). Based on the inclusion criteria for the study by Heggdal (2013), the researchers based their research on all the questionnaires that were returned. An appropriate sample for ethnography should represent the population whose culture is being studied (Oladele, Ritcher, Clark & Laing, 2012). Thus, selecting a sample is based on the number of individuals in a population. Moriarty (2011) advised that for relatively smaller populations, it is sometimes convenient to conduct interviews on all willing and able members. Deitrick et al. (2012) had a sample of 61 staff members from the two affected departments (introduction of the hourly rounding system was least effective in the two units), out of all other units in the hospital. The researchers used purposive sampling, ending up with samples that covered almost the entire workforce in the units. Types of Data Collected There is great similarity in the data collected for different types of qualitative analyses. However, data components differ based on situations and specific types of analysis required (Hyett, Kenny & Dickson-Swift, 2014). In the case study by Simovska (2012) data were gathered from different sources and condensed into recorded notes and transcribed verbatim. In the grounded theory study by Heggdal (2013), the qualitative interviews were transcribed into text. Deitrick et al. (2012) recorded their data as observational field notes and also recorded background settings in photographs. As indicated by Hyett, Kenny and Dickson-Swift (2014), there is a relatively high level of likeness in the data collected in the three studies. Analysis of Data According to Toye et al. (2014), thematic mapping and generation of patterns are the two main tasks in analysis of qualitative data. In conformation with this statement, the researchers in the three studies employed only these two approaches in their data analyses. Simovska (2012) used thematic mapping of transcribed text to identify major themes and patterns in awareness levels among the participants. The patterns were then interpreted in terms of growing awareness and subsequent success of the program. In the study by Heggdal (2013), the researcher performed three main roles concurrently – data collection, data analysis and inductive development of the conceptual framework. This is the procedure that mainly sets grounded theory aside from other types of qualitative data analysis (Cho & Lee, 2014). Comparison of incidents informed the realization of various categories of themes. The researcher was able to update data as weak areas were identified as data collection and analysis went on. In the ethnography by Deitrick et al. (2014), the researchers used the NVivo software to code and analyze the transcribed notes. They then identified themes in the transcripts and photographs. A second phase of coding was done to identify broader themes from the already identified themes. Presentation of Results Like we often back up our findings in quantitative analysis with essential figures and outputs, it is equally necessary to provide evidence of themes and patterns or other type of output in qualitative analysis (Frels et al, 2012; Evans, 2013). The themes were indicated and transcribed notes were added to back them up in the study by Simovska (2012). Themes pertaining to different levels of interviewees (teachers, pupils and management) were recorded separately to show inter-group differences in perceptions. Equally, Heggdal (2013) presented transcripts alongside themes alongside their transcribed evidence. However, she used a more predictive approach; often stating possibilities indicated by the themes. This was necessary to support her theoretical model. Deitrick et al. (2014) identified the main themes, then discussed them alongside the transcriptional evidence fro each. Conclusion The three studies present various similarities and differences. In this review, the case study by Simovska (2012) employed the largest sample while the other two had almost equal samples. However, review of literature indicates that qualitative case studies have the highest likelihood of using only one participant (n = 1). All studies employed purposive sampling. There were major differences observed in the questions addressed and problems solved by each type of study. However, there was a significant level of convergence in the data collection, analysis and presentation stages. References Brown, I. & Gould, J. (2013). Qualitative studies of obesity: A review of methodology. Health. 5(8A3): 69-80. Campbell, R., Pound, P., Daker-White, G., Britten, N., Pill, R., Yardley, L.,…& Donovan, J. (2011). Evaluating meta-ethnography: Systematic analysis and synthesis of qualitative research. Health Technology Assessment. 15(43). ISSN: 1366-5278. Charmaz, K. (2012). The power and potential of grounded theory. 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