MAJOR STEPS IN A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Phase 1: The Conceptual Phase

Step 1: Formulating and Delimiting the Problem

- Identify an interesting and significant research problem and good
research questions.
- Pay attention to the following issues:
1. Substantive issues
2. Theoretical issues
3. Clinical issues
4. Methodologic issues
5. Ethical issues
***critical ingredient in developing good research question is
__________________

Step 2: Reviewing the Related Literature

- Understand what is already known about a research problem.
- Refresh and update clinical knowledge based on written work
- A thorough literature review provides a foundation on which to
base new evidence and usually is conducted well before any data
are collected

Step 3: Undertaking Clinical Fieldwork

- Spend time in clinical settings, discussing the topic with clinicians
and health care administrators and observing current practices
- Clinical fieldwork provide perspectives on recent clinical trends,
current diagnostic procedures and relevant health care delivery
models. It can also help researchers better understand affected
clients and the settings in which care is provided. Can also be
valuable in developing methodologic strategies for strengthening
the study.

Step 4: Defining the Framework and Developing Conceptual definitions

- Theory broad and abstract characterization of a phenomenon
- Theory is the ultimate aim of science in that it transcends the
specifics of a particular time, place and group of people and aims to
identify the regularities in the relationships among variables
- Researchers must have a conceptual rationale and a clear sense of
the concepts under study. (development of conceptual definitions)

Step 5: Formulating Hypotheses

- Hypothesis is a statement of the researchers expectations about
relationships between study variables.
- Hypothesis is the predicted answer on how the concepts under
investigation might be related.

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Example:
1. Is Virgin coconut oil effective in weight reduction?
Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________
Is exposure to media violence related to aggressive behavior among
adolescents?
Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________

Phase 2: The Design and Planning Phase

Step 6: Selecting a Research Design

- Research Design is the overall plan for obtaining answers to the
questions being studied and for handling some difficulties
encountered during the research process.
- Experimental and non-experimental designs
- Research design is the architectural backbone of the study.
Step 7: Developing Protocols for the Intervention
- Necessary step for experimental research only
- Specifies exactly what the treatment would entail, and what the
alternative condition would be

Step 8: Identifying the Population

- Identify the population( ALL individuals or objects with common
defining characteristics.)

Step 9: Designing the Sampling Plan

- Researchers typically collect data from the SAMPLE, which is the
subset of the population
- Using samples: more practical and less costly but might not
adequately reflect the populations traits.
- REPRESENTATIVENESS samples characteristics are comparable
to those of the population from which it is drawn.
- Sampling plan specifies how the sample will be selected and
recruited, and how many subjects there will be.

Step 10: Specifying Methods to measure the Research Variables

- Quantitative researchers must develop or borrow methods to
measure the research variables as accurately as possible.
- Based on the conceptual definitions, the researcher identifies or
designs appropriate methods to operationalize the variables and
collect the data.
- Quantitative data collection approaches:
o Self reports
o Observations

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 o Biophysiologic measurements

- Data collection plan is a complex and challenging process.

Step 11: Developing Methods to Safeguard Human or Animal Rights
- Ensure that the study adheres to ethical principles
- Formal presentation to an external review committee

Step 12: Reviewing and Finalizing the Research Plan

- Before actually collecting research data, researchers often perform
a number of tests to ensure that plans will work smoothly.
- Evaluate readability of written materials to determine
comprehension of participants.
- Pretest measuring instruments to assess their adequacy.
- Have research plan critiqued
- Submit a proposal

Phase 3: The Empirical Phase

** it is one of the most time consuming parts of the

investigation

Step 13: Collecting the Data

- The actual collection of data often proceeds according to a
preestablished plan.
- Plan typically specifies procedures:
o for actual collection of data (ex. When and where the data will
be gathered)
o for describing the study to participants
o for recording information

Step 14: Preparing the Data for Analysis

Preliminary steps
- Coding process of translating verbal data into numeric form
- Transferring the data from written documents onto computer files

Phase 4: The Analytic Phase

** the questions posed at the outset are answered

Step 15: Analyzing the Data

- Process and analyze data to answer research questions and test
hypotheses.
- Quantitative information is analyzed through Statistical
procedures. (simple and complex)

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Step 16: Interpreting the Results
- Interpretation is the process of making sense of study results and of
examining their implications
- Explain results in light of prior evidence, theory, clinical
experience and adequacy of methods used.
- Involves determining how the findings can best be used in
clinical practice, or what further research is needed before
utilization can be recommended

Phase 5: The Dissemination Phase

Step 17: Communicating the Findings

- Final task of a research project is the preparation of a research
report. (term papers, dissertations, journal articles, presentations
at conferences)
- Journal articles- most useful because they are available to a broad
international audience.

Step 18: Utilizing the Findings in Practice

- Concluding step of a high quality study is to plan for its use in
practice setting. How?
o Include in research report recommendations regarding how
the evidence from the study can be incorporated into practice
o Ensure that adequate information has been provided for
meta-analysis
o Vigorously pursue opportunities to disseminate the findings to
practicing nurses

/snickerdoodles143k