NR 443 EPB QUIZ
Qualitative Research:
● Phenomenology develops understanding of experiences through the perception of those
living them.
● Ethnography involves the researcher becoming immersed in the culture to describe the
phenomena.
● Grounded theory seeks connections or links between ideas and concepts and is
grounded in the subject’s reality.
● Historical research looks for connections or links by exploring the past.
Quantitative Research:
● Descriptive research examines a process, event, or outcome and is chosen when little is
known about the topic. It seeks to understand what is happening. Descriptive questions
are asked more frequently in qualitative studies; however, descriptive questions may be
asked in quantitative studies, too.
● Correlation research asks descriptive questions about what is occurring in a situation
and tries to determine if there is a relationship among the variables. One using this type
of research cannot predict or infer a cause-and-effect relationship; one simply
acknowledges that a relationship exists.
● Predictive research is similar in that it poses descriptive questions, but it goes beyond
correlation research in that it not only searches for relationships among variables, but it
also seeks to determine if a change in one variable may be used to predict a change in
another. No claim is made that this is a cause-and-effect relationship, just that one exists
that can lead to a prediction.
● Quasi-experimental research looks for a cause-and-effect relationship among variables.
It does not manipulate the variables to cause the effect, but it tries to determine if an
effect exists. Analytic questions are posed that compare the interventions to the
outcomes.
● Experimental research asks analytic questions in quantitative studies to find out if there
is a causal relationship between the variables, that is, if the intervention or comparison
(independent variable) causes the effect or outcome (dependent variable). The research
question may form a hypothesis that describes the relationship among variables and the
direction that the relationship may take. The researcher can never be certain that a
relationship exists; therefore, the null hypothesis may be offered that indicates that there
is no relationship between two variables, or no differences between groups. The
researcher uses inferential testing to reject the null hypothesis, indicating that a
relationship probably exists. The second type of hypothesis is the directional hypothesis,
which predicts that there is a relationship between or among variables and the direction of
the relationship. The third type of hypothesis is the nondirectional or alternative
hypothesis. This is a statement predicting that there is a relationship between or among
variables, but it does not predict the direction of the relationship. This type of hypothesis
may be used when the actual effect of a treatment cannot be predicted.
Qualitative Research:
● Phenomenology develops understanding of experiences through the perception of those
living them.
● Ethnography involves the researcher becoming immersed in the culture to describe the
phenomena.
● Grounded theory seeks connections or links between ideas and concepts and is
grounded in the subject’s reality.
● Historical research looks for connections or links by exploring the past.
Quantitative Research:
● Descriptive research examines a process, event, or outcome and is chosen when little is
known about the topic. It seeks to understand what is happening. Descriptive questions
are asked more frequently in qualitative studies; however, descriptive questions may be
asked in quantitative studies, too.
● Correlation research asks descriptive questions about what is occurring in a situation
and tries to determine if there is a relationship among the variables. One using this type
of research cannot predict or infer a cause-and-effect relationship; one simply
acknowledges that a relationship exists.
● Predictive research is similar in that it poses descriptive questions, but it goes beyond
correlation research in that it not only searches for relationships among variables, but it
also seeks to determine if a change in one variable may be used to predict a change in
another. No claim is made that this is a cause-and-effect relationship, just that one exists
that can lead to a prediction.
● Quasi-experimental research looks for a cause-and-effect relationship among variables.
It does not manipulate the variables to cause the effect, but it tries to determine if an
effect exists. Analytic questions are posed that compare the interventions to the
outcomes.
● Experimental research asks analytic questions in quantitative studies to find out if there
is a causal relationship between the variables, that is, if the intervention or comparison
(independent variable) causes the effect or outcome (dependent variable). The research
question may form a hypothesis that describes the relationship among variables and the
direction that the relationship may take. The researcher can never be certain that a
relationship exists; therefore, the null hypothesis may be offered that indicates that there
is no relationship between two variables, or no differences between groups. The
researcher uses inferential testing to reject the null hypothesis, indicating that a
relationship probably exists. The second type of hypothesis is the directional hypothesis,
which predicts that there is a relationship between or among variables and the direction of
the relationship. The third type of hypothesis is the nondirectional or alternative
hypothesis. This is a statement predicting that there is a relationship between or among
variables, but it does not predict the direction of the relationship. This type of hypothesis
may be used when the actual effect of a treatment cannot be predicted.
