This three part series of articles provides a brief overview of relevant research designs in nursing. The first article in the series presents the most frequently used quantitative research designs. Strategies for non-experimental and experimental research designs used to generate and refine nursing knowledge are described. In addition, the importance of quantitative designs and the role they play in developing evidence-based practice are discussed. Nursing care needs to be determined by the results of sound research rather than by clinical preferences or tradition.

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An overview of research designs relevant to nursing: part 1: quantitative research designs

Esta serie de tres artigos apresenta uma breve revisao dos desenhos de pesquisa relevantes para a enfermagem. Neste primeiro artigo da serie sao revistos os desenhos de pesquisa quantitativa mais utilizados atualmente nas investigacoes desta area de conhecimento. Sao apontados os tipos de estrategia que tais desenhos utilizam para gerar e refinar conhecimento e sao descritos os desenhos classificados como nao-experimentais e experimentais. A guisa de conclusao ressalta-se a importância da pratica baseada em evidencia para a profissao, de modo que o cuidado de enfermagem seja determinado por resultados de pesquisa solida e nao por preferencias clinicas ou por tradicao.

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Revisão dos desenhos de pesquisa relevantes para enfermagem: Parte 1: desenhos de pesquisa quantitativa

Esta serie de tres articulos muestra una breve revision de los disenos de investigacion resaltantes para Enfermeria. En el primer articulo de la serie son revisados los disenos de investigacion cuantitativa mas utilizados en la actualidad para las investigaciones en esta area del conocimiento. Son indicados los tipos de estrategias que tales disenos utilizan para generar y refinar conocimiento siendo descritos los disenos clasificados como no experimentales y experimentales. A modo de conclusion se resalta sobre la importancia de la practica basada en evidencia para la profesion, de forma que el cuidado de enfermeria sea determinado por resultados de investigacion solida y no de acuerdo con preferencias clinicas o tradicionales.

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Revisión de diseños de investigación resaltantes para enfermería. Parte 1: diseños de investigación cuantitativa

This paper discusses the challenges encountered by researchers while conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the efficacy of a healthy lifestyle educational and exercise intervention for people with serious mental illness. RCTs, even though considered the “gold standard” of research designs, are still prone to risks of potential bias and threats to their validity. Based on researcher reflexivity, the combination of reflection and action, during the conduct of the study, this paper outlines a number of challenges faced by the researchers. These included managing the need of participants to tell their story and be heard, reluctance of participants to remain in allocated groups, participant literacy, dual role of the nurse nurse-researcher, and reporting the benefits of nonstatistical results of a quantitative research project. Recommendations for conducting future behaviour intervention studies of this type include the incorporation of a reflexive component for the nurse nurse-researcher, highlighting the importance of taking a reflexive stance in both qualitative and quantitative research designs.

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The Challenges of Conducting a Nurse-Led Intervention in a Randomized Controlled Trial with Vulnerable Participants

Second language (English) learning of mathematics is common in South African mathematics classrooms, including those in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa where isiXhosa speakers are taught in the language that is not spoken at home by both teachers and learners. The purpose of this research was to investigate issues of language, both home (isiXhosa) and the language of learning and teaching (LoLT), i.e. English, when 9th grade second language learners engage in problem-solving and sense-making of wor(l)d problems in multilingual mathematics classrooms. In addition, the aim of the study was to explore whether the introduction of discussion and argumentation techniques in these classrooms can ameliorate these issues. The study used a pre-test – intervention – post-test mixed method design utilising both quantitative and qualitative data. The data collection strategies for the purpose of this study included interviews (learners [n=24] and teachers [n=4]), classroom observations, and tests (experimental [n=107] and comparison [69]) in four experimental and two comparison schools in townships of Port Elizabeth. This study is framed by socio-cultural perspective which proposes that collective and individual processes are directly related and that students‘ unrealistic responses to real world problems reflect the students‘ socio-cultural relationship to school mathematics and their willingness to employ the approaches emphasised in school. Analysis of the data generated from pre- and post-tests, interviews and classroom observation schedule suggest that the interventional strategy significantly improved the experimental learners‘ problem-solving skills and sense-making abilities in both English and isiXhosa (but more significantly in English). The statistical results illustrate that the experimental group performed statistical significantly (p < .0005) better in the English posttest compared to comparison group. The data also suggests that the interventional strategy in this study (discussion and argumentation techniques) positively influenced the participating learners‘ word problem-solving abilities. The experimental group appeared to show a tendency to consider reality marginally better than the comparison group after the intervention. In particular, learners seemed to make realistic considerations better in the isiXhosa translation post-test compared to the English post-test. A large practical significant (d = 0.86) difference between the experimental group and the comparison group was also noted in the isiXhosa translation compared to a moderate practical significance (d = 0.57) noted in the English tests after the intervention. As such, the results of the study suggest that the introduction of discussion and argumentation techniques in the teaching and learning of mathematics word problems had a positive effect on learners‘ ability to consider reality during word problem-solving in both languages. Analysis of learners‘ interviews suggests that, although English is the preferred LoLT, they would prefer…

Grade 9 second-language learners in township schools : issues of language and mathematics when solving word problems

This paper gives an overview of the main quantitative research designs relevant to nursing and healthcare. It outlines some strengths and weaknesses of the designs, provides examples to illustrate the different designs and examines some of the relevant statistical concepts. The paper concludes with a brief discussion about the place of quantitative research in nursing.

Kate Seers

Papers

Quantitative research: Designs relevant to nursing and healthcare: