Full Answer Section

Purpose:

• To explore a problem or phenomenon in depth.
• To understand underlying reasons, motivations, and perspectives.
• To generate hypotheses or theories.
• To describe experiences in rich detail and context.

Common Methods:

• Interviews: One-on-one, in-depth conversations (structured, semi-structured, or unstructured) to gather detailed insights from individuals.
• Focus Groups: Discussions among a small group of people (typically 6-10) to explore a specific topic, allowing for group dynamics and diverse perspectives to emerge.
• Observations: Researchers immerse themselves in a natural setting to observe behaviors, interactions, and contexts.
• Case Studies: In-depth examination of a single individual, group, event, or organization.
• Content Analysis: Analyzing text, images, or other media to identify patterns, themes, and meanings.
• Ethnography: Immersive study of a particular culture or community over an extended period.

Analysis: Involves identifying themes, patterns, and categories within the textual or visual data. This often requires interpretation and a degree of subjectivity.

Example of Qualitative Research:

Research Question: “How do patients in Kisumu Community Hospital perceive the quality of communication they receive from nurses during their inpatient stay?”

Method: The researcher would conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of patients who have recently been discharged from Kisumu Community Hospital’s inpatient wards. Questions would be open-ended, such as:

• “Can you describe your experience communicating with the nurses during your stay?”
• “What do you feel worked well in terms of communication, and what could be improved?”
• “How did the communication you received impact your sense of understanding about your treatment?”
• “Were there times you felt you didn’t receive enough information, or too much?”

Data Analysis: The interviews would be transcribed, and the researcher would then read through the transcripts, identifying recurring themes, common phrases, and significant narratives related to communication quality. They might categorize responses into themes like “clarity of information,” “nurse attentiveness,” “frequency of updates,” or “feeling heard.” The findings would be presented using descriptive language and direct quotes from patients to illustrate the themes.

Quantitative Research Methods

Focus: Quantitative research focuses on measuring variables, testing hypotheses, and examining relationships between variables using numerical data. It aims to quantify, generalize, and establish statistical relationships. It seeks to answer “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how many” questions.

Nature of Data: Numerical data that can be counted, measured, or expressed in numbers.

Purpose:

• To test a specific hypothesis or theory.
• To measure the incidence or prevalence of a phenomenon.
• To establish cause-and-effect relationships.
• To generalize findings from a sample to a larger population.

Common Methods:

• Surveys/Questionnaires: Using structured questionnaires with closed-ended questions (e.g., multiple-choice, rating scales, Likert scales) administered to a large sample.
• Experiments: Manipulating one or more independent variables to observe their effect on a dependent variable in a controlled environment.
• Quasi-experiments: Similar to experiments but without random assignment to groups.
• Correlational Studies: Examining the statistical relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them.
• Observational Studies (Structured): Systematically counting or categorizing behaviors or events using predefined criteria.
• Secondary Data Analysis: Analyzing existing numerical datasets (e.g., hospital records, national statistics).

Analysis: Involves statistical analysis (e.g., descriptive statistics like means, medians, frequencies; inferential statistics like t-tests, ANOVA, regression analysis) to identify patterns, relationships, and significance.

Example of Quantitative Research:

Research Question: “What is the average patient satisfaction score regarding nurse communication at Kisumu Community Hospital, and is there a statistically significant difference in satisfaction scores between male and female patients?”

Method: The researcher would develop a structured survey with a section specifically addressing nurse communication, using a 5-point Likert scale (e.g., 1 = Very Dissatisfied, 5 = Very Satisfied). The survey would be administered to a large, randomly selected sample of patients discharged from Kisumu Community Hospital over a specific period.

• Example survey question: “Overall, how satisfied were you with the clarity of information provided by nurses during your stay?” (1-5 scale)
• Example survey question: “How often did you feel nurses listened attentively to your concerns?” (1-5 scale)
• The survey would also collect demographic data like gender.

Data Analysis: The numerical responses from the surveys would be entered into a statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R, Excel). The researcher would then calculate:

• Descriptive Statistics: The mean (average) satisfaction score for nurse communication across all patients.
• Inferential Statistics: A t-test would be performed to determine if there is a statistically significant difference between the mean satisfaction scores of male and female patients.
• The findings would be presented using numbers, tables, and graphs (e.g., “The average patient satisfaction score for nurse communication was 4.2 out of 5. A t-test showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in satisfaction scores, with female patients reporting higher satisfaction (mean = 4.4) than male patients (mean = 3.9).”).

In summary, qualitative research provides depth, understanding, and context, while quantitative research provides breadth, generalizability, and statistical insights. Often, researchers use a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a research problem.