REACH Dictionary
Q
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Q-sort, or Q-method, is a form of qualitative research in which researchers have participants organize prepared statements according to instructions provided by the researcher and then analyze patterns in the resulting arrangements.
Trautmann, J., Ho, G. W. K., & Gross, D. (2018). Parenting needs among mothers of young children during military deployment. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 54(4), 392-402. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12395 Shinebourne, P. (2009). Using Q method in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(1), 93-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800109
Qualitative studies involve researchers' collection of information on the participants and then categorization of those results into themes to present researchers with a better understanding of the participants' conceptions of their social worlds. Types of qualitative research include narrative analysis, focus groups, oral history, and participant observation
Maruyama, G. and Ryan, C. S. (2014) Research Methods in Social Relations. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
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Study methods and variables
Quantitative studies involve the use of theory to test particular variables through a statistical approach. Researchers create hypotheses, themes, and categories to categorize participants' responses and make conclusions about the relationships between variables based on those responses.
Oliver, P. (2010). Understanding the research process. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446279373
Questionnaires are the most commonly used mode of data collection, through which researchers gather information from a sample by having participants answer a series of questions related to the researchers' topic of interest.
Maruyama, G. and Ryan, C. S. (2014) Research Methods in Social Relations. West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.