The theoretical foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods differ, but many researchers believe both methods should be used in the research study to increase validity and reliability. What are your advantages or disadvantages in using both methods in a nursing study? Support your answer with current evidence-based literature.

Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Nursing Study

Practice in the nursing profession needs to be based on scientific evidence. Accordingly, the development of evidence-based practice requires nursing professionals to critique research in nursing or engage in research. The majority of studies in nursing have been conducted using quantitative and qualitative research paradigms separately. However, it is arguable that the use of both theoretical foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods in nursing research may improve the validity and reliability of the research findings. Due to the differences in the research methods, it is important to identify the advantages of mixing both research methods.

Generally, quantitative research aims to identify the causal and correlational relationships between dependent and independent variables by testing hypotheses (Grove & Gray, 2019). On the other hand, the qualitative research approach explores a phenomenon using interviews and stakeholder participation to contextualize the phenomenon in the real world. A mixed-methods study in nursing research utilizes both the quantitative and qualitative approaches. Although the mixed methods approach may be considered complex due to the resources allocated and its procedures, it has various advantages that go beyond the independent research methods.

Mixing the qualitative and quantitative research methods means the collection of qualitative and quantitative data concurrently (Younas et al., 2019). Data is also analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, thus making it easy to explain quantitative data qualitatively. Using a mixed-methods approach in nursing studies allows multidisciplinary researchers to interact, share, and explore findings as a team, promoting diverse scholarly and practical views of the nursing profession (Grove & Gray, 2019). Therefore, mixed methods research in nursing studies explains the causal relationships between various factors in healthcare and behavioral patterns in healthcare based on lived experiences. It also helps develop new theoretical and practical nursing practices and compare and design new interventions.

References

Grove, S. K., & Gray, J. R. (2019). Understanding Nursing Research – eBook: Building an Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier.

Younas, A., Pedersen, M., & Tayaben, J. L. (2019). Review of Mixed-Methods Research in Nursing. In Nursing research (Vol. 68, Issue 6, pp. 464–472). https://doi.org/10.1097/