I have selected research articles as the initial part of Assignment 1 that will demonstrate three of the five main types of research designs
Non-Experimental / Exploratory research As an example of non-experimental, exploratory research; the article entitled ‘Adoption and Use of Social Media Among Health Departments’ (Thackeray et al, 2012) was chosen. One of the purposes of a non-experimental / exploratory research paper is the description of a phenomenon (Israel et al, 2005 p59 – 77); in this instance the authors (Thackeray et al, 2012) are identifying the potential use of Social Media for communication in public health departments as a possible phenomenon. When considering other purposes of non-experimental research (Israel et al, 2005 p59 – 77) indicate that influence and interaction drive the motivation of the research. Thackeray et al, 2012 explore the possible influence of social media in State Public Health Departments (SHD’s) and their interaction with the public. Thackeray et al, 2012 have chosen to document existing conditions, attitudes and characteristics of SHD groups. This was achieved by taking a cross sectional study of pre-existing social media sites owned or operated by the various SHD’s. This non-manipulation of data and examination of variables exhibited by groups over time is a clearly implies the execution of non-experimental / exploratory research. This article can be found on the following website, linked directly to the text: http://www.biomedcentral.com/.
Blinded and/or Randomised controlled trial A Randomised Control Trial (RCT) can be considered an authoritative method of research. In effect a RCT, is a study in which people are administered at random to receive one of several clinical treatments. (Concato et al. 2012) Studies in which people are allocated at random to receive one of several interventions or treatments where there are two or more groups, one of which is a controlled group studied but not provided with the same treatment, often conventional treatments are administered or a placebo may be used (Greenhalgh 2001 and Kendall 2003). As an example of an RCT I have found that, A Randomized, Wait-List Controlled Clinical Trial: The Effect of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Program on Mood and Symptoms of Stress in Cancer Outpatients is a sound example. Besides the clear indication in the title of the article there are several identifying factors such like there was a control group which did not received the treatment and there was a group that was administered the treatment and all individuals enrolled in the trial were randomly allocated into the different groups.
Literature Review A literature review can be described as a detailed and analytical evaluation of research that has been previous conducted. It can be a summary and outline of a specific area of research. A literature review should be able to clearly illustrate to the reader why it has been written or why the review has been undertaken. (Kane 2004) As an example of a Literature Review I have opted to present: The Obesity Epidemic: Should We Believe What We Read and Hear? written by Jack Samuels (Samuels) in 2004. In this instance Samuels has utilised many articles and research that has been conducted to support and present his personal belief that MSG, other preservatives and chemical substitutes can be attributed to the growing obesity epidemic in the United States of America (U.S.A.). He has explored in great detail and has presented an analytical evaluation of the research. This article can be found on the following website, linked directly to the text: http://www.westonaprice.org/.
References
|Rosemary Thackeray, Brad L Neiger, Amanda K Smith and Sarah B Van Wagenen, 2012, Adoption and Use of Social Media Among Health |
|Departments, BMC Public Health, Volume 242, Issue 12,
