Challenges of Ensuring the Scientific Rigor - Assignment Example

 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 the use of appropriate internet software plus questionnaire templates (Munhall, 2012).  There will be a questionnaire provided via the internet that participants will fill out 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 the survey.  This is possible through advertisements on 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 respondents are eligible for the exercise (Munhall, 2012).  This is because the respondents required are those experienced with stressors.

What are the sources of qualitative research problems? Identify an issue from your clinical practice that could be studied using qualitative methods. Why do you think the 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.   The qualitative method will be suitable because there is no need for figures (Houser, 2009).  The 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 the case of small samples, qualitative research is effective. The quantitative method may pose problems because it is not time-saving.  Where the researcher’s interest in the study is theoretical, a 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 the investigation problem.  If the analysis of the problem requires quantization then, the quantitative technique is better.  Qualitative research is better for small chosen samples especially, those with a proper description (Houser, 2009).