Critique: Mature students Perspectives of Studying Radiography by Williams and Decker - Article Example

Health sciences and medicine, Essay   Topic:  Research Methods; Article Critique of a Qualitative Journal paper Journal Williams,M. and Decker, S. (2009). Mature students’ perspectives of studying radiography. Radiography, 15: 77-85. 6th November 2012 This paper titled “Mature students’ perspectives of studying radiography” seeks to investigate personal experience of mature students in a diagnostic radiography course. There is clarity in the general purpose of the study on what it attempts to achieve. The objectives are accurately stated thereby providing an interested reader with a fast glance of what the study is all about. The aims are further backed by methods that were used so as to extract the data for this qualitative study. Scientific studies may be grouped into two distinct phases that apply a variety of tools in accomplishing observation and testing that are the tradition of any research. This study has enlisted a sample of 12 mature students from a specific area frame (radiography class) and attempted to understand their experience. This study, in all aspects qualifies as a qualitative study in contrast to quantitative study that just inquires on an existing problem. The authors are seeking to inquire about phenomenon “the experience”. This cannot be measured in numeric values as in quantitative research rather it is done in a natural setting where the study subjects give different perspectives of the study in question. This paper, at best, adhered to guidelines of a qualitative study concentrating on getting the experiences of mature radiography students and what they go through. The authors have attempted to unearth the experience of this particular group by implementing a research design comprising of one-to-one interviews. The study consults necessary background literature in the view of enlightening the interested reader on what has been done so far in relation to mature student experience, especially, in the nursing field. This literature survey is relevant since it forms the benchmark or the background onto which the two authors base their argument of undertaking this study on mature student in the radiography class. Gap of knowledge is the driving force behind any meaningful research questions. A poorly structured literature review does not bring clearly the research question. Various study designs are used in qualitative research which includes ethnography, phenomenology, grounded and participatory research. In this study, the research design comes out strongly as ones which seek to deeply understand the experience that mature student encounter in their course of study. Engnes and coworkers (2012) termed such research design as phenomenological. This is noted in their study on experiences of being exposed to intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Phenomenology qualitative studies achieve their purpose by describing a phenomenon as it is lived by individuals (Dahlberg et al., 2008; Giorgi, 2009). As described by Rose et al (1995), it is a qualitative research design which enables a research gain insight into the essence of the lived experience. In this work, studying mature student is regarded as the object, and the study seeks to understand how the study subjects (12 individuals) cope with this. However, the goal of a phenomenological study is to research a small group of people, intensively so as to understand their “lived experience.” This paper achieves this important feature as it explores intensively the experience of the 12 participants in their study as mature student, their families and also avails freedom for the subjects of the study to provide more information which therefore may increase the understanding of the experience. These are all tenets of a qualitative study. The theoretical perspective was identified in this piece of work as the first author adopted a neutral position and remained passive throughout the interview. This was to make sure that the researcher views are not incorporated in the study so that they may not influence the overall goals of the study. According to Dwyer and Buckle (2009), in qualitative research the researcher may be an outsider or insider. Though the paper clearly indicates the authors’ opinion were not factored, an insider knowledge and experience may prove to be a potential risk as the researcher may not necessary gather data with his/her “eyes open”. The study clearly outlines the data collection tools engaged namely, a pilot study and an interview guide for the researcher based on the pilot guide. Presentation of the interview guide is a pillar of any information since it affords interested reader/researcher a chance to carry further research and also confers reliability and transferability of the results so far gathered in the research. The interviews carried in this research involve verbal discourses recorded over tape and later coded. The research designs in qualitative studies are aimed at consolidating enough information, in this case, in terms of experience that will give the researcher the course of action as pertains to research question in place. This paper extends this feature of qualitative research by even adopting a one-to-one interview model which ensures that factors such as reluctance on the part of members of the focus group does not lead to withholding of vital information the study is seeking. Therefore, it is arguably without doubt that this appraisal confirms Williams and Decker (2008), adopted the most appropriate study design. The study employs a purposive sampling method to pick the 12 participants in the research. All the members were colleagues of one of the researcher and therefore it was a group that the researcher had interacted with. In the view of the fact that one of the researchers is an insider in the sample chosen for this study, there is the advantage of enhancing the depth and breadth of understanding of this focus group (Dwyer and Buckle, 2009). This benefit, however, according to Kanuha, (2000), may be subject to questioning on the authenticity and objectivity of the study since the researcher may know too much about the subjects or in some way may be too similar to the subjects. This is one of the shortcomings of this study. The study has used a purposive sampling method targeting participants not only on the basis of age (mature students) but also in terms of culture (radiograph students in the same class with author). This places the first author in advantageous position to have an intense study since as an assumption, the subjects are known to him and therefore, he is able to formulate more insightful questions as opposed to a researcher who is a non-native. The sampling technique is in line with the objectives of the study; which is to explore experience of mature students, identification of the challenges they encounter and a recommendation on possible solution. However, a significant limitation of the study is the sample size. The population of interest (mature radiography student) may not be adequately represented in the sample and therefore inferences of the sample data findings to the population of interest may not be authentic. Although it is argued that a qualitative research relies on quality of information obtained by sampling as opposed to the number of subjects per sample, Sandelowski (1995) contends that an inadequate sample size will ultimately undermine the credibility of a research finding. Since power analyses cannot be applied in qualitative research to determine the minimum number of subjects in a sample or else the maximum, adequacy in these kinds of samples is relative. They will depend on the intended purpose of the study. In this paper, the author seeks to gain knowledge on “lived experience of mature students specifically those belonging to radiography. The author concentrates on a sample from one university as a representative of all UK universities. This is a critical misjudgment, since even though the sample is convenient to get, it may be inadequate in representing the population interest. The results and conclusion made may therefore be confined only within the university. On the other hand, a theoretical saturation of the sample is achieved as the researcher maximizes on the subject available through purposive sampling. In their purposive sampling of the study, the authors have went ahead to maximize the variation by selecting the largest minimum sample size. This largest minimum size was the 12 mature students available from the first author’s class. This was to ensure that there was variability in the cases, “lived experiences”, demonstrated by the study subjects. In seeking to have this sample, the authors may have made a decision priori so that there was a representative coverage of the variables. This may have been implemented in the form of the pilot study they undertook. However some studies have recommended different sample sizes depending on the type of qualitative study. For instance, Morse, 1994 recommends that phenomenological studies may engage at least 6 participants. Ethical consideration is of essence in qualitative research especially where in-depths interviews are done. In this paper, ethical consideration just informs us of how the researchers sought permission from the relevant authority of the school and informed consent was by way of approaching candidate study subjects. The paper does not clarify how informed consent was sought. Informed consent entails that the participants of any research are provided with adequate information regarding the research (Polit and Hungler, 1999). This information is crucial in informing them of whether to continue being in the study or quit. However, data collection from the participants is clearly outlined and the site and participants and researchers’ qualification are also indicated. Since the data had carried a preliminary study beforehand, this is justified or backed by a robust and intense data collection in the actual study of the participants. Clear protocol is also availed to the reader of this work on how the data was collected in tapes, coded and even reviewed by an external reviewer. This increases the authenticity of the data presented here. Data collection was in line with study objectives and analyses henceforth were also well executed in this paper. The findings of the study were then corroborated with similar studies in mature students especially in nursing that was reported here to be well covered. All the findings presented in the paper; were a reflection of the data availed by the participants in the recordings. Theoretical connections in general was prominent as the study alluded to the existence of literature reports of a perspective perceived among mature students such as a high drop-out rate. These rates were also high in others fields meaning it were rather not a unique challenge in the radiograph class. Trustworthiness of this study is based on the different sources of information. In engaging 12 participants, the researcher’s aims at increasing the validity of the data provided. This eliminates bias towards the results. The article concludes with key highlights for theory development such as points on lived experienced of mature students of radiograph class. As indicated early in the study, this group has never been studied and therefore the research has developed a theory that can be linked or corroborated with similar studies on mature students in other professionals. Possible solutions to curb the drop-outs and the challenges that mature students face have also been fronted as recommendations from this study. Reference Dahlberg, K., Dahlberg, H. and Nystrom, M. (2008). Reflective lifeworld research, 2nd. Lund, Sweden: Studentlitteratur. Dwyer, S.C. and Buckle, J.L. (2009). The space between: On being an insider-outsider in qualitative research. International journal of qualitative methods, 8 (1) Engnes, K., Liden, E. and Lunjdgren, I. (2012). Experiences of being exposed to intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Int J Qualitative Stud Health Well-Being 2012, 7: 11199 - DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v7i0.11199 Giorgi, A. (2009). The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified Husserlian approach. Pittsburgh: Duquesne. Kanuha, V. K. (2000). “Being” native versus “going native”: Conducting social work research as an insider. Social Work, 45(5): 439- 447. Morse, J.M. (1994). Designing funded qualitative research. In N.K. Denzin & Y.S.Lincoln (Eds.). Handbook of qualitative research, 220-235. Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage. Polit, D.F. and Hungler, B.P. (1999). Nursing research: Principles and methods, 6th Ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Rose, P. et al (1995). Academic rigour in the lived experience of researchers using phenomenological methods in nursing. Journal of Advanced nursing, 21 (6):1123-1129. Sandelowski, M. (1995). Focus on qualitative methods: sample size in qualitative research. Research in Nursing & health, 18 (2):179-183. Williams, M. and Decker, S. (2009). Mature students’ perspectives of studying radiography. Radiography, 15: 77-85. Read More