Introduction
Research in nursing adopts two primary approaches; qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative research is usually objective, formal and deductive. Alternatively, qualitative research is subjective, informal and inductive. Quantitative research is often said to be more rigorous than qualitative research, but recent years have seen qualitative research attain more credibility in the world of nursing. Therefore, both have been heralded as appropriate methods for research, and each contributes significantly to the nursing body of knowledge. This paper will analyze two research articles; one that is quantitative in nature and another that is qualitative in nature.
The first article is titled “Learning advanced cardiac life support: a comparison study of the effects of low- and high-fidelity simulation” and is authored by Hoadley T A (2009). To increase the chances of cardiopulmonary arrest survival, advanced and basic cardiac life support (ACLS) classes are normally used by the American Heart Association to expose participants to real or actual learning situations. This study was therefore conducted to compare the results of two advanced cardiac life support classes on resuscitation skills (performance exam) and measures of knowledge (content exam) on a group of participants (53 in number) composed of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, emergency medical personnel and advanced care nurses. The experimental group used high fidelity simulation while the control group was exposed to low-fidelity simulation. The findings from this study indicated that there was an enhanced co-relation between learning and enhanced practice, but there was no observable correlation between skills and posttest scores for both the high fidelity and the low fidelity simulation groups. The conclusion was that learning using high fidelity simulation was ultimately more enjoyable, and the recommendation was that this is the only method that should be used to teach ACLS.
This particular research is quantitative in nature. There are several elements that make this research quantitative. One of this is that the analysis of data was statistical. In addition, the aim of the study was to predict particular trend or parameter, in this case, the effectiveness of particular ACLS classes. The method of analysis was also highly structural. The other aspect of this research that proves that it is quantitative in nature is that the synthesis of data was done using deductive reasoning. Conclusions were directly deduced from the results of the study.
This quantitative research adopted an experimental design. In this design there was a random assignment of subjects to a particular element of the study, in this case, subjects were either assigned to the HFS or the LFS stimulation. In addition, there was manipulation of the intervention method used, in this case, for one group, the method of intervention was HFS while, for the other group, the method used was LFS.
This type of research design has several advantages or strengths. The primary advantage is that this type of research design produces convincing evidence to make viable conclusion and recommendations. Since it is experimental in nature, the measurements or results exhibited are very precise and accurate.
The primary limitation from this design however is it may be difficult to implement since it takes a lot of money and time. This design may also be plagued by ethical concerns especially in cases where actual experiments are conducted on patients. For instance, in this case, the study on resuscitation conducted on actual patients may be unethical.
The second article is qualitative in nature. It is titled “The experience of black fathers concerning support for their wives/partners during labor and is authored by Sengane M.L (2009). The article seeks to establish the experiences of black fathers in regard to their support to their female partners or wives during labor. The study utilized unstructured interviews to establish these experiences. A total of ten black fathers were interviewed, and all described their experiences. Two groups were utilized whereby one group consisted of five fathers who gave support to their partners during labor and the other group was composed of five fathers who did not support their partners during labor. It was found that the first group went through negative feeling of helplessness, nervousness and anxiety as they awaited childbirth. At the same time, they experienced positive feelings of overwhelming delight and excitement Most of the fathers in the second group expressed that they wanted to be there.
There are several elements within this research that qualify it as qualitative research. The most dominant of these element is that the study did not involve any form of statistical analysis of data. Most of the data was theoretical in nature that is, the experiences of black fathers. In addition, the research used inductive reasoning to make conclusions and recommendations. Since the responses were varied, the researchers had to use inductive reasoning to come up with the most viable conclusions. In addition, the main aim of this study was to establish the meaning of a certain trend without performing any mathematical measurements or manipulations.
The design adopted in this qualitative research is the phenomenology design. This is a quantitative study design that seeks to explore the everyday experiences of people. Subjective phenomena are investigated via this research design. Here, the participant interacts with the researcher and the latter collects data and information from the former by using interviews. This is what happened in this study whereby the researchers interviewed a total of ten subjects who recounted their experiences in regard to supporting their pregnant partners during labor.
The strength of this design is that it leads to the collection of a wide array of information from which a viable conclusion can be drawn. In addition, findings and conclusions from the research conducted using this design is representative and can be applied to the entire population. The fact that the research does not concentrate on one single aspect increases the potential and probability of accuracy.
However, this type of design also has a limitation. The data collected cannot be subjected to any statistical analysis to determine its authenticity. In addition, in the course of conducting interviews, there is a high likelihood of some of the respondents giving biased responses that, for example, may be meant to appease the researcher.
References
Hoadley, T. A. (2009). Learning advanced cardiac life support: a comparison study of the effects of low-and high-fidelity simulation. Nursing education perspectives, 30(2), 91-95.
Sengane, M. L. (2009). The experience of black fathers concerning support for their wives/partners during labour. Curationis, 32(1), 67-73.
