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The “Scientific Method” and Quantitative &


Qualitative Research
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Prof. Wanda Jiménez, MSN, BSN, IQCI, Ph.D. Std.


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Quantitative and Qualitative Research

 Research methods are the techniques used by researchers to


structure a study and to gather and analyze information relevant to
the research question. The two alternative paradigms have strong
implications for the research methods to be used.
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 The methodologic distinction typically focuses on differences between


quantitative research, which is most closely allied with the positivist
tradition, and qualitative research, which is most often associated with
naturalistic inquiry although positivists sometimes engage in qualitative
studies, and naturalistic researchers sometimes collect quantitative
information.
Quantitative Research
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Quantitative researchers use mechanisms
designed to control the study. Control involves
imposing conditions on the research situation so
that biases are minimized and precision and
validity are maximized. The problems that are of
interest to nurse researches for example,
obesity, compliance with a regimen, or pain are
highly complicated phenomena, often
representing the effects of various force.
Quantitative researchers attempt to control
factors that are not under direct investigation.
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 Evidence for a study in the


positivist paradigm is gathered
according to a specified plan,
using formal instruments to
collect needed information.
Usually (but not always) the
information gathered in such a
study is quantitative which is
numeric information that results
from some type of formal
measurement and that is
analyzed with statistical
procedures.
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 Naturalistic investigations place heavy emphasis on understanding the


human experience as it is lived, usually through the careful collection and
analysis of qualitative materials that are narrative and subjective.
Naturalistic inquiry always takes place in the field (i.e., in naturalistic
settings), often over an extended period of time, while quantitative
research takes place both in natural as well as in contrived laboratory
settings. According to (Carey, 1997) qualitative methods will play a more
prominent role in health care policy and development in the future.
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 It is evidence that is rooted on objective reality and gathered directly or
indirectly through the senses. Empirical evidence consists of observations
gathered through: sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Observations of
the presence or absence of skin inflammation, the heart rate of a patient,
or the weight of a newborn infant are all examples of empirical
observations.

 The requirement to use empirical evidence as the basis for knowledge


means that findings are grounded in reality rather than in researchers’
personal beliefs.
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Positivist
Paradigm

Paradigms Paradigm

Naturalistic
Paradigm
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Positivist Paradigm

 One paradigm for nursing research is known as positivism. Positivism is


rooted in 19th century thought, guided by such philosophers as Comte, Mill,
Newton, and Locke. Positivism is a reflection of a broader cultural
phenomenon that, in the humanities, is referred to as modernism, which
emphasizes the rational and the scientific. Although strict positivist thinking
sometimes referred to as logical positivism has been challenged and
undermined, a modified positivist position remains a dominant force in
scientific research.
 The fundamental ontologic assumption of positivists is that there is a reality
out there that can be studied and known (an assumption refers to a basic
principle that is believed to be true without proof or verification).
If a person has a cerebrovascular accident, the
z scientist in a positivist tradition assumes that
z there must be one or more reasons that can be
potentially identified and understood. Much of the
activity in which a researcher in a positivist
paradigm is engaged and directed at
Example of a understanding the underlying causes of natural
phenomena.
Positivist
Investigation

Positivists attempt to hold their personal


beliefs and biases in check insofar as
possible during their research to avoid
contaminating the phenomena under
investigation.
• The naturalistic paradigm began as a countermovement to
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positivism with writers as Weber and Kant. The naturalism is

an outgrowth of the pervasive cultural transformation that is

usually referred to as postmodernism. Postmodern thinking


The
Naturalistic emphasizes the value of deconstruction which means of
Paradigm
taking apart old ideas and structures and reconstruction,

putting ideas and structures together in new ways. The

naturalistic paradigm represents a major alternative system

for conducting disciplined research in nursing.


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 Epistemologically, the naturalistic paradigm assumes that knowledge is

maximized when the distance between the inquirer and the participants in the
study is minimized. The voices and interpretations of those under study are
crucial to understanding the phenomenon of interest, and subjective
interactions are the primary way to access them. The findings from a
naturalistic inquiry are the product of the interaction between the inquirer and
the participants.
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Thank
You

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