Qualitative research methods and applications

Politics & Ethics in Qualitative Research.

The setting for this research facility will be on or off-campus facilities that offer testing complying with the requirements of the Elsevier Reach Exit Examination board. Such a place may be located on or off campus, or in a hospital or other facility as required by the test administrator.

Access Strategies

To access this site, the researcher will need to talk with the head or chief administrator of the student organization and the individuals conducting and maintaining the exit examination and data. Problems that may be encountered include questions of ethics and morality. To help assuage some concerns, the researcher will present the institution with an outline of the study including the research objectives and goals, and provide the institution with copies of the results to disseminate appropriately as requested. All participants will be given the opportunity to participate in the study anonymously to prevent any unnecessary fear or bias from influencing the results of the study. The researcher will also inquire with multiple institutions, in the event one facility will not allow the researcher to conduct study. The researcher has an obligation to meet with examiners and to sign contracts or NDA regarding the subject matter of the tests and the identity of test or study participants. A full disclosure of the study purpose and methods will be provided to all parties involved in the research to help establish trust among participants and governing bodies.

Issues

For this research, a phenomenological study of a population of student nurses that have utilized the Elsevier Reach case will be conducted. To achieve the researcher's aims, access to the Elsevier Reach Exit Examination is necessary. This will require exploration and examination of a small subject population extensively to develop and discover distinct patterns of meaning (Finlay, 1999). The goal of the research includes defining the experience of nursing students using the Elsevier Reach standardized case studies in preparing for the exit examination. Issues the researcher may face when gathering data may include: having access to an adequate sample size that is representative of a "typical" nursing student, defining the "typical" nursing student, distinguishing other factors that may predispose someone to benefiting or failing to benefit from the NCLEX-RN examination to name a few. To resolve these problems the researcher will seek to gather evidence from as large a population sample as possible using randomized selection to help eliminate bias when observing nursing student testimonials.

Exit Plans and Ethical Considerations

To exit the field gracefully and to close out individual interviews, the researcher will ask study participants to fill out a review form. This form will allow students the opportunity to rate the study and the examiner participating in the study. The students will have an opportunity to reflect on their experiences, allowing them the "benefit of the doubt" and ample consideration before the researcher exits the student environment. The researcher may also offer students an opportunity to identify whether they desire copies of the results sent to them, which will often appease students that are hesitant to participate in the study. The researcher in doing so will appear more confident and confident when interacting with students.