This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Walker, W. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The strengths and weaknesses of research designs involving quantitative measures

Faculty of Health and Sciences, Staffordshire University

This paper presents a critical review of the strengths and weaknesses of research designs involving quantitative measures and, in particular, experimental research. The review evolved during the planning stage of a PhD project that sought to determine the effects of witnessed resuscitation on bereaved relatives. The discussion is therefore supported throughout by reference to bereavement research. Three levels of quantitative research are presented: descriptive, correlational and experimental. The findings suggest that experimental research is subject to a number of methodological limitations that may jeopardise internal and external validity of the research results and, consequently, limit their applicability for practice. Nurses are therefore encouraged to carefully consider the virtues of experimental designs, in their quest for evidence-based practice and in the planning of future research.

Key Words: evidence-based practice • experimental research • positivism • bereavement • witnessed resuscitation

Journal of Research in Nursing, Vol. 10, No. 5, 571-582 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/136140960501000505


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?