Pico question: For a population of a 40 year old woman with hypertension, Does a low sodium diet compared to a standard diet lead to lower blood pressure?
Why would a researcher (or researchers) choose to conduct mixed methods research?
There are several advantages to conducting a mixed-methods research study. This assignment aims to explore Mixed Methods Research and help you develop an understanding of how it can provide a more thorough and complete view of a research problem or question.
INSTRUCTIONS:
The student will complete a paper answering a set of questions about one (1) of their original PICO questions. Please review all assignment guidelines carefully and make sure all components are included. The Mixed Methods Rubric can be found here.
APA formatting is required, and the paper should include an introduction and conclusion. In the introduction share why you choose the topic or why it interests you. As we are asking you to be creative, this the ONE paper where we will allow you to use personal pronouns such as “I” and “my”.
You may use any resource you wish (websites, your textbook, a journal article, lecture notes, or even an expert opinion from someone you know that has conducted or is actively conducting research) to support your comments. Be sure to cite your sources appropriately and include a reference page.
All assignments must be submitted in MS word format (doc or docx) or as a PDF.
UMMC faculty do not have access to MAC/APPLE computers at work. If you upload an assignment in the wrong format, we cannot open it. It is not the responsibility of the faculty to notify you that your assignment cannot be opened, or that your assignment is late. If a corrected assignment is uploaded past the due date, late penalties will apply. Review the late penalty here.
The assignment should be more than six (6) pages and less than ten (10) pages including the title page and reference page.
ASSIGNMENT
STEP 1: Reflection and Planning (no writing):
Reflect on the three PICO questions you developed for the PICO assignment at the beginning of the semester.
Pick one of the questions. Determine if the question is a quantitative or qualitative question based on the structure you used to write it.
Recall quantitative research measures and uses numbers to describe the measurements. Examples of measurement: a weight scale used to record weights to determine if exercise is effective; blood pressure checks to evaluate the effectiveness of a drug, and a survey tool that allows participants to rank their satisfaction with a course.
Qualitative research seeks to understand the whole in a holistic fashion. Researchers seek to uncover participants’ feelings or perceptions of an experience. Examples: 1) Interviewing nurses on the MS gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina to explore their feelings when caring for patients; or 2) asking mothers of young children to describe their coping with typical childhood illnesses during the pandemic.
1. If you chose one of your PICO questions that is quantitative you will begin your assignment by 1) addressing the quantitative component, and then 2) answering the questions addressing the qualitative component as shown below.
OR
2. If you chose one of your PICO questions that is qualitative you will begin your assignment by 1) addressing the qualitative component, and then 2) answering the questions addressing the quantitative component as below.
Be creative! You can use existing measurement tools that you may be aware of (give credit to the source article) or make up a name for one of your own and describe it briefly.
Be sure to include your original PICO question (in question form) and the new alternative question you develop.