u10d2 Methodological Evaluation and Your Research Topic

For this final discussion, compare and evaluate the use of qualitative and quantitative methods to
investigate your research topic. Refer to the research idea you developed in the SMR for your
quantitative research example. For the qualitative research example, use the qualitative research
idea from your final paper. Compose your discussion post as follows:

Briefly describe the research topic addressed by both your quantitative and qualitative
research ideas presented in your paper. Limit this description to one paragraph.

Present the research question, or questions, you used for your quantitative research idea
and describe the methodology you proposed in the SMR form. Limit this part of the
discussion to one paragraph.

Present the research question, or questions, you used for your qualitative research idea
and describe the methodology you proposed, as described in your paper. Limit this part of
the discussion to one paragraph.

For both of these research ideas, evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology in
answering the research question.

For both of these research ideas, evaluate the overall scientific merit in terms of
contribution to the knowledge base, advancement of theory, and the hallmarks of good
research.

Ensure that your post includes proper APA citations. Provide an APA References list at the end of
your post.
Response Guidelines
Read your peers' discussion posts and respond to at least two of them. Ask questions of
clarification or interest and provide feedback on the substance of their posts. In addition, share
any relevant resources with your peers that might be helpful. Your responses are expected to be
substantive in nature and should reference the assigned readings, as well as other theoretical,
empirical, or professional literature to support your views.
1) Briefly describe the research topic addressed by both your quantitative and qualitative
research ideas presented in your paper. Limit this description to one paragraph.

Reiki bio-therapy is a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment modality

intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround and penetrate the human body
(NCCAM, 2012, p. 1). According to survey research, hospitals, clinics and prestigious
healthcare facilities and institutions throughout the United States offer Reiki treatments as an
alternative to conventional treatment protocols with favorable healthcare benefits (DiNucci,
2005). However, the body of research on the efficacy of Reiki treatments is constrained by
limited quantitative research analysis on specifically whether Reiki treatments assist clients, who
have been diagnosed with a variety of illnesses and disorders, in managing anxiety and stress
(Tsang, Carlson, Olson, 2007; Vandervaart, Gijsen, Saskia, 2009; Cindy, Andrew, & Wayne,
2003). Moreover there is insufficient emphasis and understanding on the variable facets of the
qualitative phenomenological lived experience of Reiki treatment participants (Ellison, 2012;
Ring, 2009; Engebretson & Diane, 2002). Therefore, the research problem statements for the
quantitative and qualitative research designs are: 1) Quantitative Previous research has not
investigated the effectiveness of Reiki interventions related to anxiety and stress management
and 2) Qualitative- Previous research has not investigated the lived experience of participants in
Reiki treatments.
2) Present the research question, or questions, you used for your quantitative research idea and
describe the methodology you proposed in the SMR form. Limit this part of the discussion to one
paragraph.
The central research question for this quantitative research study is: Can stress and anxiety
management be predicted from pain in participants receiving Reiki energy healing treatments?
This is a quantitative experimental study using a randomized control group pretest-posttest
design. Pretest data collection will be conducted using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)
(0-no pain, 10-extreme pain) for pain assessments of Reiki clients and an adjusted NPRS will
also be used to measure posttest anxiety and stress. There will be two randomly assigned groups,
Group 1: the treatment group will be individuals who have demonstrated statistically significant
evidence of pain, anxiety and stress; and Group 2: the control group will also consist of
individuals from the same populations as the treatment group with the same inclusion criteria of
pain, anxiety and stress. The treatment group will be given a one hour Reiki treatment everyday
for 2 weeks and the control group will not be given treatment, but engage in closely monitored
one hour rest periods for 2 weeks. Specific instruments used in the pretest measures will be
adjusted (adjusted NPRS) for posttest measures to determine post treatment differences in
anxiety and stress between the two groups. The quantitative research methodology, involving
two dependent variables stress and anxiety (Y1, Y2) and one independent variable Reiki
treatments (X1), includes computing a MANOVA procedure to predict stress (Y1) and anxiety
(Y2) management.

3) Present the research question, or questions, you used for your qualitative research idea and
describe the methodology you proposed, as described in your paper. Limit this part of the
discussion to one paragraph.
The central research question for this qualitative study is: How do individuals experience and
describe Reiki treatments? A transcendental phenomenological research design will be used to
investigate, understand and describe the common meaning of the lived experience of
phenomena as it is understood, explicated and articulated by the Reiki participants of the sample
population (Patton, 2002). This process will involve investigating the perspectives, perceptions,
and understanding of a particular event, concept or situation only through the eyes of the Reiki
participants experience. Purposive or judgmental sampling will be used in this study to select
subjects who represent a sample population who have recently received Reiki treatments and
wish to share their experience. Prior to engagement in the data collection process, the researcher
will implement a phenomenological reduction process or epoche to minimize researcher bias and
presuppositions regarding the topic and research question (Moerrer-Urdahl & Creswell, 2004).
This phenomenological research study will use both descriptions and interviews as a means of
data collection among the sample population. There will be four main tasks of the data analysis
phase: epoche, transcendental-phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation and
determining the invariant essence of the experience (Moustakas 1994). The composite of the
final phenomenological research report will represent the invariant essence of the shared
experience of the phenomena experienced by Reiki treatment participants.
4) For both of these research ideas, evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology in answering
the research question.
A. Quantitative design:
A randomly assigned controlled experimental design is the scientifically preferred quantitative
methodology to ensuring statistical reliability, validity and causality; hence free of biased
estimates of the outcome effects of the treatment and control groups. According to Shadish,
Cook & Campbell (2002), random assignment increases an ability to handle attrition and
maintain the validity and causality of the research study, when the time and obstacles between
random assignment and treatment are minimized.
Researcher analysis will determine whether variables satisfy the assumption of implementing
only quantitative variables of scale measurements. Descriptive statistics will help determine if
there are any missing cases, as well as the presence of large variances in standard deviations
which could negatively influence homogeneity of variance. Visual examination of the frequency
distributions of variables using histograms will assist in determining whether these distributions
satisfy the assumption of normality. One of the strengths of MANOVA procedures is it provides
an opportunity to specify hypotheses concerning the nature of effects, as well as explanatory

factors with two or more dependent variables. When successfully executed MANOVA analysis
can produce a quantitative estimate of the net effects to determine whether there is statistically
significant predictability of Reiki participants to manage anxiety and stress.
B. Qualitative design:
Qualitative transcendental phenomenological inquiry must be unequivocally liberal in design to
allow a participant to choose from a full range of potential responses to probing research
questions. Each open ended interview question in this study is designed to resist and minimize
dichotomistic responses to provide for in-depth and information rich data collection (Patton,
2002). The interview sequencing of open ended questions will proceed from an informal,
conversational format beginning with simple, information gathering questions and gradually
progress to probing for more detail oriented, in-depth responses that specifically address the
research question. Both clarification and detail oriented probing questions will be utilized during
the interview process to maintain data quality and relevance to the research question.
The role of the researcher in this phenomenological study is to maintain objectivity and
sensitivity to the responses of participant while intuitively guiding the informal
phenomenological interview process in order to yield the maximum amount of in-depth data
collection of the lived experience of Reiki clients. Probing requires a significant skill
development of sensitivity, empathy and feedback to the participants response level of verbal
and non verbal cues. These skills, specifically in the use of both clarification and detail oriented
probing questions, will be utilized by the researcher during the interview process to maintain a
high level of data quality, quantity and relevance to the research question.
To increase utility, this study will adhere to specific methodological standards of evaluation
(Creswell, 2007). First, this study will ensure that the data collection and data analysis methods
are consistent with the research question, methodology, approach, and methodology model; and
are technically and circumspectly constructed. Secondly, researchers bias will be bracketed
through strategic implementation of analyst triangulation. Thirdly, this study will interface with
extant quantitative literature on the proposed topic and analyze research results based upon
tenable theoretical explanations. Lastly, the data presentation within this research study will
demonstrate its significance as expedient and pragmatic by providing substantive results to help
practitioners understand the lived experience of the sample population of Reiki clients.
5) For both of these research ideas, evaluate the overall scientific merit in terms of contribution
to the knowledge base, advancement of theory, and the hallmarks of good research.
A. Quantitative research design:

This research study will add to this existing theory development by identifying how bio-energy
healing can assist in pain, anxiety and stress management among a broader sampling of
participants with various illnesses, disorders or troubling and traumatic cognitive and affective
symptoms than previously explored in extant quantitative research literature on Reiki treatments.
Amidst the growing use of bio-energy modalities such as Reiki, this research is important as it
provides additional data to further determine the valid and salient effects of Reiki treatments
across a broad spectrum of Reiki client interventions which increasingly demand more extensive
scientific knowledge and understanding to effectively provide healing, and anxiety and stress
management to clients. A randomly assigned controlled experiment is the scientifically preferred
quantitative methodology to ensure statistical reliability, validity and causal inference.
Moreover, future quantitative and qualitative investigative research based upon this research
study may continue to enhance theory development by measuring the effects of Reiki treatments
among individuals with specific DSM-IV psychopathological disorders, various addictions or
neurological and physiological disorders. Therefore, this study may expand theory development
on Reikis efficacy in treating physiological and psychological disorders related to stress and
anxiety through the potential introduction of new treatment applications.
The research results will also provide causal inferential data regarding Reikis effectiveness to
impact cognitive and neuropsychology in the scientific quest to discover how neural patterns and
electromagnetic energy inducements interface to produce neural action potentials that result in
positive affective and behavioral correlates. Furthermore, the research results will assist in
investigating and isolating inherent psychological constructs typically implemented in
psychological interventions through the use of such disciplines as developmental psychology,
counseling psychology and psychotherapy.
B. Qualitative research design:
Recent quantitative studies on the efficacy of Reiki treatments have indicated numerous and
favorable health benefits (Richeson et al., 2010). However, the result is a knowledge base that is
somewhat constrained by quantitative research analysis, thus lacking sufficient emphasis on the
variable facets of the lived experience of Reiki clients. Previous qualitative research studies on
the experiences of Reiki participants indicate the phenomenological experiences are holistic,
cognitive and affective sensory experiences that represent the embodiment of an integrated
pandimensional awareness of self, others and beyond. These experiences appear to be supported
by creative, diverse and affective innervating bioenergy waves described by some Reiki
participants as resulting in an etheric, harmonious and tranquil state of being (Ellison, 2012;
Ring, 2009; Vitale, 2008; Engebretson & Diane, 2002).
This qualitative transcendental phenomenological research study of Reiki clients will not only
provide further valuable insights on the effectiveness of Reiki treatments, but it will also further

inform the design of focused quantitative studies in the future aimed at testing hypotheses
generated by the proposed phenomenological qualitative research. Key elements of this
qualitative phenomenological research study will provide valuable insights for practitioners and
clients within formal CAM interventions by explicating the ideation, personality and behavior
through an exploration of the conscious and personal unconscious lived experiences of the
participants.
To achieve the highest level of integrity and scientific merit in qualitative research, the researcher
will maintain the purity of this phenomenological research design by strict adherence to the
concept of epoche (Giorgi, 1997). The challenge of epoche for the phenomenological researcher
is to meditatively engage in transparent solitude and allow both self dialogue and self evidence
of preconceived ideas, feelings, and preferences to consciously and repeatedly surface until there
is an internal sense of closure (Moustakas, 1994). By reflecting and bracketing sources of
meaning, presuppositions and potential biases regarding the research topic, the researcher
minimizes the chances of unwittingly injecting personal values and beliefs into the data analysis
process, thus enhancing the reliability of the research data analysis and thematic development.
Anthony Rhodes
General Psychology PhD.
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