Discussion: Qualitative Research Designs

For you have focused on the features and considerations of quantitative research designs.

However, quantitative designs are not appropriate for all research questions. Perhaps you are concerned with how patients react when confronted with negative test results, or you wish to study how views on a certain health topic change over time.

In each of these cases, the emphasis is more on understanding the thinking and experiences of an individual or group than on numerical measurements. For these types of questions, a qualitative or mixed methods research design is the most appropriate.

For this Discussion, you focus on the different types of qualitative research designs, when they are used, and why they are important.

To prepare:

Reflect on the comments made by Dr. Mauk in this week's media presentation on the value of qualitative research in nursing.

Locate the journal Qualitative Health Research in the Sage Premier database in the Walden Library.

From this journal, select an article of interest to you that was published within the last 3 years.

Review the information on different qualitative research designs in Chapter 21 of your course text.

Determine what qualitative research design was used in your selected article and evaluate whether it was the best choice.

Consider ethical issues involved in the study and how the researchers addressed them.

Think about how using a quantitative design would have affected the type of data gathered.

Post an APA citation for the article that you selected and provide a brief summary of the content and the qualitative research design used.

Evaluate the appropriateness of the design, and explain how ethical issues in the study were addressed. Analyze how the study would have been different if a quantitative design had been used.

Read a selection of your colleagues' responses.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, and evidence.

Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.

Expand on your colleagues' postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.