Provide a 1-2 paragraph response to include intext citation and minimum of 2 references
Every study should include a description of the population of interest, an explanation of the process used to select study subjects, definitions of key variables and concepts, descriptive statistics for main variables, and a description of the analytic techniques.
A valid study answers research questions in a scientifically rigorous manner (Heale, R., & Twycross, A., 2015). Threats to a study's validity are found in three areas:
Internal Validity
To determine whether a research study has internal validity, a research consumer should ask whether changes in the outcome could be attributed to alternative explanations, which are not explored in the study (Heale & Twycross, 2015).
For example, a study may show that a new curriculum preceded a significant increase in children's reading comprehension (Heale & Twycross, 2015). The study must rule out alternative explanations for the increase in reading comprehension, such as a new teacher, in order to attribute the increase in reading comprehension to the new curriculum (Heale & Twycross, 2015).
External Validity
To assess whether a study has external validity, a research consumer should ask whether the findings apply to individuals whose place, times, and circumstances differ from those of study participants (Heale & Twycross, 2015). A study's external validity is closely related to the generalizability of the findings (Heale & Twycross, 2015).
For example, a research study shows that a new curriculum improved reading comprehension of third-grade children in Iowa. As a research consumer, you want to ask whether this new curriculum may also be effective with third graders in New York or with children in other elementary grades.
Construct Validity
To assess whether a study has construct validity, a research consumer should ask whether the study has adequately measured the key concepts in the study (Heale & Twycross, 2015). For example, a study of reading comprehension should present convincing evidence that reading tests do indeed measure reading comprehension (Heale & Twycross, 2015).
In my opinion, the most critical components for evaluating the quality of qualitative research are reliability and validity (Morse, 2015). Reliability and validity are often viewed as the primary standards for judging research findings (Morse, 2015). Generally, reliability, or the consistency and stability of a research instrument, is often an indicator of validity, or the accuracy and truthfulness of research findings (Morse, 2015).
Since quantitative studies are frequently based upon standardized instruments that are administered to randomly selected sample populations, issues of reliability and validity can be assessed in a relatively forthright manner (Morse, 2015).
In contrast, qualitative studies are usually not based upon standardized instruments and often utilize smaller, nonrandom samples (Morse, 2015). Hence, assessing the accuracy of qualitative findings is less straightforward (Morse, 2015).
In my opinion, the most critical components for evaluating the quality of quantitative research are Population and Sample, Measurement, and Analysis.
Population and Sample
Does the population that was eligible to be selected for the study include the entire population of interest (Heale & Twycross, 2015)? Or, is the eligible population a selective subgroup of the population of interest (Heale & Twycross, 2015)?
For example, are all the children in the nation eligible to be selected for the study (the entire population of interest)? Or, were only children in New York City eligible to be selected for the study (a selective subgroup)? Or, were only children in one day care center in New York City eligible to be selected (a very selective subgroup)?
Measurement
Are each of the main variables or concepts of interest described fully (Heale & Twycross, 2015)? Can the main variables or concepts be matched to the variables in the tables (Heale & Twycross, 2015)?
Did the authors choose variables that make sense as good measures of the main concepts in the study (Heale & Twycross, 2015)? Have these variables been used in previous studies or are they an improvement over previous studies (Heale & Twycross, 2015)?
Analysis
Are the means and standard deviations/standard errors for all the numeric variables presented (Heale & Twycross, 2015)? Does the study describe the statistical technique used (Heale & Twycross, 2015)?
Does the study explain why the statistical technique was chosen (Heale & Twycross, 2015)? Does the study include caveats about the conclusions that are based on the statistical technique (Heale & Twycross, 2015)?
As a global change agent, I will you ensure research quality in my doctoral research study to promote positive social change by ensuring that the data is complete, verified, and undistorted.
This is essential because progress understanding the world requires that knowledge be shared (Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A., 2015).
This process of submitting research data and results derived from those data to the scrutiny of others provides for a collective means of establishing and confirming data integrity (Saunders et. al, 2015).
When others can examine the steps used to generate data and the conclusions drawn from those data, they can judge the validity of the data and results and accept (perhaps with reservations) or reject proffered contributions (Saunders et. al, 2015).
Of course, the collective scrutiny of research results cannot guarantee that those results will be free of error or bias (Saunders et. al, 2015).
References
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited.
Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2015). Validity and reliability in quantitative studies. Evidence Based Nursing, 18(3), 66-67. doi:10.1136/eb-2015-102129
Morse, J. M. (2015). Critical analysis of strategies for determining rigor in qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Health Research, 25(9), 1212-1222. doi:10.1177/1049732315588501