Textbooks:

Roberts, P., & Priest, H. (Eds.). (2010). Healthcare research: A textbook for students and practitioners. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Cunningham, C. J. L., Weathington, B. L., &Pittenger, D. J. (2013). Understanding and conducting research in the health sciences. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & sons.

Instructions: Please ensure to substantiate your response with scholarly sources or a personal account of your own experience in the work place.

1. In any research you have read for this class or others, do you recall if the author discussed sampling methods? 150 words

2. Chap 7 ECL: Describe and explain 7 Quantitative Research Methods: Gathering and Making Sense of Numbers using your own personal account of your own experience in the work place or ensure to substantiate your response with scholarly sources. 200 words

3. In the research articles you have read, either for this course or others in the past, was there a discussion of reliability &/or validity of the data collection tool? Do you recall what the authors said about this? 150 words

4. Chapter 8 discusses important points about Qualitative Research methods. What did you find most interesting? (For e.g. Talk about Focus groups or Phenomenology) Have you ever completed a questionnaire using this method of data collection? 150 words

5. Social media is part of the 'social research' done for job candidates. I believe there is a lawsuit in process about this, though, as people see it as an 'invasion of privacy' & unrelated to how one performs on-the-job. We all have a side which is not apparent in professional circles, for sure:) Stay tuned for further details coming out of this lawsuit (I believe it is in Calif).....
Has anyone else heard about this in the press?

6. What are the difference between anecdotal evidence and scientific sampling? What are the potential problems relying on personal experiences to make decisions?

Describe the similarities and differences among simple random sampling, sequential sampling, stratified sampling, and cluster sampling? 200 words

7. One experience with someone does not 'make' for the 'general population'. That reflects the importance of having as large a population size in one's research. Certainly studying 2500 over a period of 6 months is more credible than 10 over 2 months. One exception to consider--when one is studying a very 'particular/ specific' topic, such as how a patient responds to a particular drug for a rare illness, consider that having 10 patients over a period of 6 months may be a very good size 'sample' for the given topic being studied, as there are so few people with that illness, trying that drug. So, we see the difference in how 'numbers' certainly make for more 'generalizable' findings, not all topics allow entrance into the study based on SPECIFIC criteria. In any research you have read, for this course or others, do you recall how the author determined who was allowed to participate in the data collection phase?

8. Describe the reification problem in your own words. What is meant by the phrase "mystique of quantity"? How are the concepts of reification and mystique of quantity related?

Can a science exist without measurements? Justify your opinion. 150 -200 words

9. Watch the video "Exploring Qualitative Methods. Discuss your thoughts in 150 words. http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=36202

10. Explore the Methods Map Visual Search Tool. Discuss your thoughts in 150 words. http://srmo.sagepub.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/methodsmap

11. Variables in a Research Study : There are often questions re the identification of variables, e.g., the Independent Variable (IV) & Dependent Variable (DV). In a research study entitled 'Do cigarettes cause Cancer?', the IV would be the use of cigarettes & the DV is the developmt of cancer. Think : Cause (IV) & Effect (DV).

Pls note: not all studies have IV/DV identified. For ex., if the study is titled "Why do children cry?", the word 'why' would not be an IV as the researchers are seeking the reasons. Thus, IV is being determined by doing the study. Yet if the title is "Does hunger cause crying in babies under 6 months of age?", the IV is 'hunger'
(cause) & DV is the 'crying' (effect of the hunger).

Using the example above: Give an example of variables in research. 150 words

12. Read the article "Data Collection Methods for Program Evaluation: Observation" from the Department of Health and Human Services. Discuss your thoughts in 150 words. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief16.pdf

13. Read the article "Mixed Methods: Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis While Studying Patient-Centered Medical Home Models" on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website. 150 words https://pcmh.ahrq.gov/page/mixed-methods-integrating-quantitative-and-qualitative-data-collection-and-analysis-while

14. Create a 700-word study guide on the Research Process.
Include the following:
• State the steps in the research process.
• Define a 'hypothesis' & a 'research question'.
• State & explain 2 types of research methods.
• Explain 2 types of data collection tools which are used in healthcare research.