Quantitative research methods involve collection and analysis of data in form of numbers while qualitative research methods involve collection and analysis of data in form of words (Bradley, Curry & Devers, 2007). Quantitative methods are more rigorous than the qualitative methods because they can test hypothesis in a research study. In addition, they can be used to analyze coded data obtained through qualitative methods. Nevertheless, it is not always good to assume that quantitative methods are more vigorous than qualitative methods. The aims and design of a study determine the type of research method used in a study (Bradley et al., 2007).
Article analysis on
Donnelly, F., & Wiechula, R. (2013). An example of qualitative comparative analysis in nursing research. Nurse researcher, 20(6), 6-11.
The study aimed at assessing the impact of nurse placement and education on patient care outcomes (Donnelly & Wiechula, 2013). The researchers used questionnaires and interviews to collect and analyze data. These methods were rigorous in the qualitative study because their strengths added up to make the research study powerful. The researchers’ conclusion was thorough because they concluded their findings based on the results in the study. They concluded that nurse placement and education play key roles in shaping the quality of patient care (Donnelly & Wiechula, 2013). The researchers could have made the study more vigorous by coding the data obtained using the qualitative methods, and analyzing them using quantitative methods (Smith & Firth, 2011).
A research question to address the problem
The research question that would address the problem using correlation statistics is:
How is patient care impacted by nurse placement and training?
Correlation tests are used to establish a relationship between variables. The independent variables in the research question are nurse placement and training while the dependent variable is patient care.
References
Bradley, E. H., Curry, L. A., & Devers, K. J. (2007). Qualitative data analysis for health services research: developing taxonomy, themes, and theory. Health services research, 42(4), 1758-1772.
Donnelly, F., & Wiechula, R. (2013). An example of qualitative comparative analysis in nursing research. Nurse researcher, 20(6), 6-11.
Smith, J., & Firth, J. (2011). Qualitative data analysis: the framework approach. Nurse researcher, 18(2), 52.