• You need to decide on two factor in this section
  • How many research strategies will you use
  • What research strategy these are
  • Then state it within your research method e.g.
• You may write something like this…

Using a longitudinal approach a mixed method strategy will be used to collect the data.  The initial interview with the participant will use both a survey to collect personal information and medical history along with an interview to gain in-depth lifestyle choices and patterns which may influence the data collection.  During the tracking and monitoring stage the participant will complete a journal and daily health survey.

The advantages of using this mixed method approach are……

 

How Many Research Strategies?

• Mono-method
  • One strategy or
  • Just Qualitative data collection or
  • Just Quantitative data collection
• Mixed-method
  • Can be divided in to three areas
    • Mixed model research
      • Requires both qualitative and quantitative data collection
      • At any stage of the project
      • Data collection is dependent on each other
    • Mixed method research
      • Requires both quantitative and qualitative data
      • Where the data is collected concurrently or sequentially
      • Are not dependent on each other (projects in their own right)
      • But come together to support each other
• Multi-method
  • T

Which Research Strategy?

• Experimental Studies
  • Use a carefully controlled and structured environment (laboratory)
  • To isolate and control the variables
  • Each individual variable is control to observes effect (change)
  • However, these conditions can affect the way variable interact

• Survey
  • Descriptive survey:
    • Used to describe the topic/ subject
    • Identifies & counts the frequency of a particular response
  • Analytical survey
    • Used to analyse relationship or differences between variables
    • Identifies & counts the frequency of a particular response

• Case Study
  • Are used to create an in-depth analysis of a specific subject or group
  • Involves gathering and analysis information (qualitative and quantitative)
  • Can be used to
    • Descriptive what is happening in extreme detail
    • Illustrative (explain) new practices and their impact
    • Experimental case studies explore practices or procedure to increase their effectiveness
    • Explanatory case studies apply practices and procedure to theories

• Action Research
  • Involves changing or influencing a variable within a situation to monitor and evaluate the results
  • Used to refine practices and procedures
  • Requires active co-operation between researcher and clients
  • Is continual process of adjustment to the intervention based on feedback/ data

• Grounded Theory
  • Is used to test the validity of theoretical proposition (observed behaviour)
  • Used to challenge approaches, which look for evidence within data or experimentation
  • Research will always show you something (what you are looking for)
  • Can lead to new ways of understanding a subject

• Ethnographic
  • Used to observation participant (ethnography)
  • Researcher often becomes a participant
  • To experience what the participants are experiencing
  • Observation can be overt (participants know) or covert (participants don’t know)

• Archival Research