Assignment:
Critiquing the validity and robustness of research featured in journal articles provides a critical foundation for engaging in evidence-based practice.
You will examine qualitative and mixed methods research designs. You will critique a quantitative and either a qualitative or a mixed methods research study and compare the types of information obtained in each.
To prepare:
• Select a health topic of interest to you that is relevant to your current area of practice. You can choose one of these three topics below. Select a different topic that might be easier for you to write about.
1. Compassion Fatigue: Caregivers at Risk
2. The value of RNs: How Can We Communicate our Economic Worth?
3. Nurse safety: Have We Addressed the Risks?
• Using a reliable source locate two articles in scholarly journals that deal with your topic. One article should utilize a quantitative research design while the other should utilize either a qualitative or a mixed methods design.
• Locate the following documents to access the appropriate templates, which will guide your critique of each article:
o Critique Template for a Qualitative Study
o Critique Template for a Quantitative Study
o Critique Template for a Mixed-Methods Study
Consider the fields in the templates as you review the information in each article.
Begin to draft a paper in which you analyze the two research approaches as indicated below.
Reflect on the overall value of both quantitative and qualitative research. If someone were to say to you, "Qualitative research is not real science," how would you respond?
To complete this Assignment:
• Complete the two critiques using the appropriate templates.
• Write a 3-page paper that addresses the following:
o Contrast the types of information that you gained from examining the two different research approaches in the articles that you selected.
o Describe the general advantages and disadvantages of the two research approaches featured in the articles. Use examples from the articles for support.
o Formulate a response to the claim that qualitative research is not real science. Highlight the general insights that both quantitative and qualitative studies can provide to researchers. Support your response with references to the Learning Resources and other credible sources.