Critical Research Appraisal Assignment NUR 501 Philosophy and Theory class.
Critical Research Appraisal Assignment Goal & Content Requirements:
You will critically appraise a research design. You will select one research report with a qualitative design and one with quantitative design and answer the following questions regarding the following categories:

Discuss what is meant by the term Qualitative Research

• Briefly, describe the characteristics of qualitative research and identify nursing
• issues/phenomena that lend themselves to a qualitative research approach.
• Compare and contrast three different qualitative research methodologies.
• Briefly, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research evidence for informing nursing practice.
• Communicate how this research design used in research.

The study, sampling, data collection, analysis, rigor, findings and limitations

• Identify the purpose of the study.
• Briefly, describe the design of the study and explain why you think it is either appropriate or inappropriate to meet the purpose.
• Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed.
• Identify the sampling method and recruitment strategy that was used.
• Discuss whether sampling and recruitment were appropriate to the aims of the research.
• Identify the data collection method(s) and discuss whether the method(s) is/are appropriate to the aims of the study.
• Identify how the data was analyzed and discuss whether the method(s) of analysis is/are appropriate to the aims of the study.
• Identify four (4) criteria by which the rigor of a qualitative project can be judged.
• Discuss the rigor of this study using the four criteria.
• Briefly, describe the findings of the study and identify any limitations.
• Use the information that you have gained from your critique of the study to discuss the trustworthiness and applicability of the study. Include in your discussion any implications for the discipline of nursing.

Discuss what you understand by the term Quantitative Research

Use the following dot points to guide your discussion (give reasons for your argument and support with references):

• Describe the characteristics of quantitative research.
• Identify nursing issues/phenomena that lend themselves to a quantitative research approach.
• Differentiate between observational and interventional research designs and also between
• experimental and quasi-experimental designs.
• Briefly, outline the difference between inferential and descriptive statistics and their
• relationship to levels of measurement.
• Communicate how this research design used in research.

Critique the Quantitative Research Report

Use the following headings to guide your critique (in all discussions and explanations give reasons for your argument and support with references):

• The study
• Identify the purpose and design of the study.
• Explain what is meant by ‘blinding’ and ‘randomization’ and discuss how these were
• addressed in the design of the study.
• Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed.
• Sampling
• Explain the sampling method and recruitment strategy that was used.
• Discuss how the sample size was determined – include in your discussion an
• explanation of terms used.
• Data collection
• Briefly, outline how the data was collected and identify any data collection instrument(s).
• Define the terms validity and reliability and discuss how the validity & reliability of the
• instruments were/were not addressed in this study and why this is important.
• Data analysis
• Outline how the data were analyzed.
• Identify the statistics used and the level of measurement of the data described by each
• statistical test – include in your discussion an explanation of terms used.
• Findings and limitations
• Briefly, outline the findings and identify any limitations of the study
• Use the information that you have gained from your critique of the study to briefly discuss the trustworthiness and applicability of the study.
• Include in your discussion an explanation of the term statistical significance and name the tests of statistical significance used in this study.

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Submission Instructions:

• The Critical Research Appraisal paper is to be clear and concise and students will lose points for improper grammar, punctuation and misspelling.
• The Critical Research Appraisal paper should be formatted per current APA and 7-10 pages in length, excluding the title, abstract and references page.
• Incorporate a minimum of 3 current (published within last five years) scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions) within your work.
• Complete and submit the Critical Research Appraisal assignment by 11:59 PM ET Sunday.
• Late work policies, expectations regarding proper citations, acceptable means of responding to peer feedback, and other expectations are at the discretion of the instructor.

Grading Rubric

• Your Critical Research Appraisal assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.
• No late submissions will be accepted!
• This Critical Research Appraisal assignment DOES generate a TII score. It is the student’s responsibility to review your score and make appropriate adjustments.
• Students who use AI for writing their papers will receive an automatic zero (0) for a grade.

Final Critical Research Appraisal Essay/Paper Rubric

SAMPLE Critical Research Appraisal ANSWER

Critical Research Appraisal

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research uses non-statistical data to understand people’s experiences, opinions, and beliefs about a topic or phenomenon (Bozhkova et al., 2021). Researchers can use this method to gain a deeper understanding of problems and develop new ways of addressing them by understanding how people feel about them. In most cases, the method is used in social sciences and humanities to study subjects such as health sciences, sociology, history, and education (Levonian et al., 2020; Gilad, 2020). 

Characteristics of Qualitative Research 

One of the key characteristics of qualitative research is that the data collected is in non-numeric form. Researchers in qualitative studies collect non-statistical data to understand the research topic and answer research questions (Levonian et al., 2020). The second characteristic is that it does not have variables. There are no variables in a qualitative study. Instead, the research is focused more on the cases. Third, a qualitative study does not calculate the mean of responses. Instead, the research studies the differences in the responses. Fourth, Bozhkova et al. (2021) noted that data collected in qualitative research is analyzed using the inductive method. Inductively or from discrete data, qualitative researchers construct themes, patterns, and categories into a comprehensive conclusion (Gilad, 2021). The fifth characteristic is that the interpretation of results in qualitative research is made by reporting what was heard and understood by the researchers and what they saw. Lastly, in a qualitative study, the researchers are often instrumental. They are significant in data collection because they participate in documentation, observation, and direct interviews with their respondents (Levonian et al., 2020). 

Nursing issues that lend themselves to qualitative research include patient satisfaction and experience, perception about end-of-life care, and quality of life dealing with diseases such as diabetes and heart conditions (Gilad, 2021). Nurses can use qualitative research to understand the experiences of patients dealing with chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. 

Qualitative Research Methodologies 

One of the qualitative research methods is focus groups. In this research, researchers put together a group of participants to discuss the research topic. In this method, researchers place themselves in group discussions focusing on the research topic (Levonian et al., 2020). The second method is a survey. In a survey, the researcher will distribute an open-ended questionnaire to participants. The difference between focus groups and surveys is that data is collected through group discussions in focus groups, and in surveys, respondents are provided with open-ended questions (Gilad, 2021). The third method is observation. In this method, the researchers record what they hear, see, or encounter in in-depth field notes (Bozhkova et al., 2021). This method differs from the other two since it requires the researcher to observe the participants and not interfere with them. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Research 

Qualitative study has many strengths. One of its strengths is that it provides more details to explain complex phenomena (Gilad, 2021). The second strength is that it provides researchers with many data-gathering methods that can be used to collect data on sensitive issues. Lastly, data collection methods in qualitative studies are cost-effective (Bozhkova et al., 2021). 

Though the method has many strengths, it also has some weaknesses. One of the areas for improvement is that data gathered using qualitative design is challenging to analyze because it does not fit into the categories that have been standardized (Levonian et al., 2020). The second weakness is that collecting data in qualitative research takes much time.

How the Design is Used in Research 

Qualitative research is used to understand and record expressive information about views and values that quantitative data cannot understand. It can also be used to understand people’s sentiments about phenomena (Gilad, 2020). For instance, the design can be used to understand patients’ feelings regarding treatment plans or diseases ailing them. 

Clinical Appraisal of Qualitative Research Study

The qualitative study appraised in this paper was done by Windle et al. (2020). The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of participants regarding musing therapy on their long-term depression symptoms. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design was used to conduct the study. This design was appropriate because it helped the researcher better understand the respondents’ experiences regarding songwriting groups. Through the design, the researchers could examine each individual’s experiences in songwriting groups. 

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One of the ethical issues related to the study is autonomy. This ethical issue was addressed by allowing patients to decide whether to be part of the study by providing informed consent forms to read and sign. Those who did not sign the consent were not included in the study. The second ethical issue was the privacy and confidentiality of the participants’ information. This ethical issue was addressed by using pseudonyms when analyzing data. The researchers protected the participants by not using their real names in data analysis. 

The sampling method used in convenience sampling. The researchers sampled respondents from participants in the Synchrony songwriting feasibility trial. Participants were recruited by being provided a consent form to read and give their consent whether to participate in the study. The sampling method and recruitment strategy used were convenient for this study. The study wanted to understand the experiences of patients with depression with music therapy. Therefore, convenience sampling aligns with its purpose. Obtaining informed consent was also needed to ensure that the participants understood the study they wanted to participate in. 

Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. The data collection method is appropriate for helping the researchers understand the participants’ experiences regarding music therapy. Data was analyzed using IPA. This data analysis method was appropriate in the study because it helped the researchers analyze the experiences of participants about music therapy on their depression. The analysis method also helped the researchers understand the meaning of the experiences. 

The rigor of a qualitative project can be judged based on its transferability, credibility, confirmability, and whether the results are dependable. Credibility is that the results of the study are consistent with reality. It also shows whether the findings can be believed. The study’s credibility is seen using IPA, a well-known qualitative design. The use of a semi-structured data collection method also improved its credibility. The study’s credibility was also increased when analysts with psychology and music therapy background independently coded data. The transferability of the study was seen in the extensive description of findings and study participants. The researchers included participants from different backgrounds, improving the study’s transferability. The study improved its dependability by allowing research analysts with knowledge and experience in the research study to code the data independently. Using independent analysts in research analysis also confirmed the study’s objectivity. 

According to the study, group songwriting in music therapy provided excellent attendance rates, safety, enjoyment, and a fresh collaboration approach. Musical improvisation evoked distinct and enhanced affective states, which could subsequently be reflected upon and – for two groups – shared through songwriting despite continued barriers from symptoms and social situations. One of the study’s limitations is that the researchers should have included people of all ages, making generalizability hard. 

Based on the information from the article, it is trustworthy and can be applicable in nursing. The researchers clearly explained the research method, data collection, and analysis. Independent analysts were used to analyze the study, which increased its objectivity and made it trustworthy. The results provide credence to earlier research and writings regarding the characteristics of groups that may be beneficial or detrimental. Building group cohesion is essential to fostering group safety. Thus, enough time should be allocated to allow the group to define its borders and sense of self.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is a study used to collect statistical data about a research topic. This type of research is used in economics, chemistry, psychology, and other sciences. One of the characteristics is that it involves hypothesis testing (Bozhkova et al., 2021). Second, it allows a researcher to use a large sample size, which is one of its strengths. Third, data collected in this method is easily measured because it involves numerical information. Fourth, data collected using this method can be reused (Levonian et al., 2020). Close-ended questions can also be used in this research method to collect data. 

Various nursing issues can lend themselves to a quantitative research approach. One of the issues is understanding the causal relationship between interventions and medical problems (Bozhkova et al., 2021). Nurses can use the method to understand the impact of hand hygiene on hospital-site infections. It can also be used in health education and promotion (Levonian et al., 2020). Quantitative studies can also be used to identify clinical outcomes. For instance, quantitative research can be used to determine the clinical outcomes of medications. 

Difference Between Observational and Interventional Research Designs 

Observational design is a type of study design where participants in a clinical study are identified as belonging to a group in the research interest (Aleksandrova et al., 2021). For instance, they can be patients who are scheduled to have their teeth removed or are about to receive COVID-19 shots. In this study, the researchers will observe how the participants react to the treatment plan. Intervention design is a type of research where participants are assigned to groups purposefully (Aleksandrova et al., 2021). For instance, diabetes patients can be purposely selected to receive diabetes education so that the researcher can evaluate how they respond to the intervention. 

Difference between Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs

One of the differences between the two designs in the experimental design is that participants are assigned to groups randomly (Miller et al., 2020). However, participants in the quasi-experimental design are assigned to groups with the non-randomization method. The second difference is that the researcher develops treatment in experimental design, while in quasi-experimental design, the researcher does not control treatment (Miller et al., 2020). Lastly, control and intervention groups are needed in experimental design but are not mandatory in a quasi-experimental design. 

Difference between Inferential and Descriptive Statistics 

Descriptive statistics is used to state proven outcomes and facts from a population. However, inferential statistics is used by researchers to make predictions about larger populations by analyzing samplings (Siedlecki, 2020). Their relationship to levels of measurement can be linked to a nominal level. In descriptive statistics, mean, frequencies, and percentages are used to measure outcomes, while in inferential statistics, measurement is done using tests such as the chi-square test. Also, descriptive statistics measure ordinal variables using methods such as dispersion and central tendency, while non-parametric tests measure ordinal variables in inferential statistics (Siedlecki, 2020). 

Communicate How this Research Design is Used in Research

It is used in research to make predictions. Statistical data can be collected to predict patterns in a given phenomenon (Levonian et al., 2020). For instance, statistical data about the prevalence of obesity can be used to predict the prevalence of the problem in the next five years. It is also used in research to find averages and patterns about an issue. It is also used to find relationships between variables in research (Levonian et al., 2020). For instance, it can test relationships between diseases and interventions. 

Clinical Appraisal of Quantitative Research Study

The quantitative study that is appraised in this paper was done by Lund et al. (2023). The purpose of the study was to examine “the efficacy of a music intervention on insomnia, depression symptoms, and quality of life in adults with depression-related insomnia” (pg. 188). The design used to conduct the study was a randomized control trial. Blinding, also known as masking, keeps information from one or more research study participants that could impact the study’s findings (Monaghan et al., 2021). Randomization is assigning research participants to intervention and control groups with the assumption that each participant has an equal chance to be in any of the groups (Deaton, 2020). The researchers noted in the report that blinding was impossible in the study. Participants were randomized to treatment and control groups in the study in a 1:1 ratio to music intervention and waitlist control group.

One of the ethical issues related to this study is informed consent. Researchers are required to seek participants’ consent before including them in a study. The researchers obtained written consent from participants. Another ethical issue was the participants’ privacy. The researchers protected the participants’ information by not including their names in the report or data analysis. 

Sampling 

Sampling and recruitment of respondents were done using a single randomization method. The researchers assessed the sample size by anticipating that 120 patients would give their permission to take part in the trial with a 20% dropout rate, based on patient flow in the Unit for Depression and recruitment resources. At a 5% confidence level, the researchers calculated the study’s power to be 76% using Satterwhite’s two-sample t-test.

Data Collection

Data was collected using a self-report questionnaire. The self-report questionnaire was based on the instrument known as the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Secondary data was collected using the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), objective sleep measures from Actigraphy, depression, the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17). Reliability is the degree to which study findings can be replicated, and validity is the ability of the study findings to show genuine results from comparable people not involved in the study. Validity was addressed in the study by selecting a research design that fits the purpose of the study. The study sample was also significant, which improved the study’s validity. Validity was also addressed by ensuring that the measures were valid. Reliability was addressed by ensuring that the study findings could be generalized. The generalizability of the study was increased by including a large sample population. 

Data Analysis 

Data analysis followed the intention-to-treat principle. STATA (StataCorp. 2021. Stata Statistical Software: Release 17. College Station, TX: StataCorpLLC) was used to conduct data analysis. There were two sides to the statistical tests. The researchers ran a repeated measures ANOVA to assess the differences in all outcomes between the two treatment groups from baseline to follow-up. The researchers considered a p-value of less than 0.05 as statistical significance. The values were displayed as means, missing data, and percentages for every group during the descriptive analysis of the participants’ baseline characteristics. When the PSQI sleep quality ratings were compared, the music intervention group’s global scores decreased from the baseline to four weeks. A difference of 2.1 points (95% CI: 3.3; 0.9, p ¼ <.001) was observed in the change score.

Findings and limitations

The results provide credence to the theory that music therapy can be used to treat sleeplessness brought on by depression. Significantly, participants said that listening to music improved their well-being and quality of sleep, and there were no adverse side effects. Nevertheless, there was no evidence to support the theory that depression symptoms may be reduced. Actigraphy’s objective measures of sleep yielded unreliable results. The primary outcome’s results have a moderate clinical significance.

Participants could not be blinded, impacting their self-ratings and possibly leading to a Hawthorne effect. The actigraphy data did not objectively support the questionnaire data. One possible explanation for this could be the absence of sleep logs. The music intervention’s methods of action are yet unclear.

The information shows that the study is applicable and trustworthy. The applicability of the study’s findings is seen in the generalizability of the findings. The researchers included 120 people, and this improved its applicability. The trustworthiness of the study is improved with the use of a randomized-controlled design. Statistical analysis has also increased the trustworthiness of the study. 

Statistical significance is a term used to explain whether a result in a study occurred due to some exciting factor or chance. This study’s p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. This study positively impacts nursing practice. The findings of this RCT point to the potential use of music therapy as a low-cost, side-effect-free self-help intervention for treating depression-related insomnia. In other words, the study has recommended a cost-effective intervention that can be used to improve the mental health of individuals with depression. 

References

Aleksandrova, K., Koelman, L., & Rodrigues, C. E. (2021). Dietary patterns and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation: A systematic review of observational and intervention studies. Redox Biology, 42, 101869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2021.101869

Bozhkova, T., Musurlieva, N., & Slavchev, D. (2021). Comparative study qualitative and quantitative techniques in the study of occlusion. BioMed Research International, 2021, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/1163874

Deaton, A. (2020). Randomization in the tropics revisited: a theme and eleven variations (No. w27600). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w27600/w27600.pdf

Gilad, S. (2021). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods in pursuit of richer answers to real-world questions. Public Performance & Management Review, 44(5), 1075-1099. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2019.1694546

Levonian, Z., Erikson, D. R., Luo, W., Narayanan, S., Rubya, S., Vachher, P., & Yarosh, S. (2020, May). Bridging qualitative and quantitative methods for user modeling: Tracing cancer patient behavior in an online health community. In Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (Vol. 14, pp. 405-416). https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v14i1.7310

Lund, H. N., Pedersen, I. N., Heymann-Szlachcinska, A. M., Tuszewska, M., Bizik, G., Larsen, J. I., & Johnsen, S. P. (2023). Music to improve sleep quality in adults with depression-related insomnia (MUSTAFI): randomized controlled trial. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 77(2), 188-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2022.2080254

Miller, C. J., Smith, S. N., & Pugatch, M. (2020). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. Psychiatry Research, 283, 112452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.027

Monaghan, T. F., Agudelo, C. W., Rahman, S. N., Wein, A. J., Lazar, J. M., Everaert, K., & Dmochowski, R. R. (2021). Blinding in clinical trials: seeing the big picture. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(7), 647. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57070647

Siedlecki, S. L. (2020). Understanding descriptive research designs and methods. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 34(1), 8-12. https://journals.lww.com/cns-journal/citation/2020/01000/understanding_descriptive_research_designs_and.4.aspx

Windle, E., Hickling, L. M., Jayacodi, S., & Carr, C. (2020). The experiences of patients in the synchrony group music therapy trial for long-term depression. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 67, 101580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2019.101580