Types of Research Designs
This type of design can be used to investigate cause-effect relationships and involves some type of intervention.
What is experimental?
These are two databases that OT students often use to find articles relevant to their research questions.
What are CINAHL and PubMed (also OTSeeker, ERIC, Rehabdata, and other relevant databases are acceptable)?
In this type of sampling, each subject has an equal chance of being selected/participating.
What is simple random sampling (or probability sampling)?
A survey question that asks respondents to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1-10 would be considered this type of question.
What is close-ended or Likert scale?
This method to enhance trustworthiness involves the researchers setting aside their beliefs and biases so as not to influence their analysis of the data.
What is bracketing?
This is the type of non-experimental research that investigates relationships between variables.
What is correlational?
This is an important consideration when deciding whether to include an article in your written literature review.
What is (any of these): relevance of the article, quality of the article/study, age of the article?
This type of data represents the highest level of measurement. Range of motion and grip strength are examples.
What is ratio data?
This is the term for tests, surveys, questionnaires, or observational protocols that are used to measure the outcomes in a study.
What are instruments?
Focus groups usually involve asking participants these types of questions to gather qualitative data about their experiences.
What are open-ended questions?
This type of research involves elements of both quantitative and qualitative designs.
What is mixed methods?
This is the term for the extent to which an instrument or outcome measure is consistent and free of error.
What is reliability?
What is interval data?
This is the type of statistics used to test hypotheses (for example, about differences between groups or effects of interventions).
What is inferential statistics or statistical testing?
These are two types of qualitative data collection methods or sources.
What are (2 of these): interviews, focus groups, observations (QL), documents, artifacts, and oral histories?
This design is also called a true experiment.
What is a randomized controlled trial (RCT)?
This component of a research article provides a brief overview of the purpose of the study, the research methods, and the key findings.
What is the abstract?
In this type of probability sampling, whole groups from the population are randomly selected and sampled (e.g., everyone in one county or on one street in a neighborhood).
What is cluster sampling?
When researchers collect data repeatedly over a long period of time, they are conducting this type of study.
What is longitudinal?
This is the point in qualitative data analysis when new codes or themes cease to emerge.
What is saturation?
Which type of research design is suitable for a one- group pilot study to determine whether an intervention is effective (before conducting a larger and more rigorous study)?
What is pre-experimental (or pre-post)?
These are two functions of a literature review.
What are (2 of these): explain the problem/issue, summarize highly relevant sources, explain the relevance of these sources to your study, and assure the reader that the most important material has been analyzed?
These are two types of non-probability sampling.
What are (2 of these): convenience, snowball, and purposive?
A quasi-experimental study typically lacks this element of a true experiment.
What is randomization or random allocation/assignment to groups?
This is a system used to document researchers' thinking and decision-making during the data analysis process so that other researchers could redo the process later.
What is an audit trail?