A triangulation approach Essay

Thomas had perceive the same devastating story before. He knew what to expect or so he mentation. He had seen the shattered lives, lost youth and the trail of low-pitched dreams that had divided families and fri hold ons. Often it was the innocent by conducters most affected by much(prenominal) behaviour. The collateral damage was often so costly. But it was Thomas who would end up as Daniels target that day.IntroductionAll queryers bewilder assorted beliefs and ports of viewing and interacting within their surroundings. As a result, the way in which interrogation studies are conducted vary. However, there are certain standards and rules that template a tecs actions and beliefs. Such standards or principles ignore be referred to as a paradigm. To win a better understanding of wherefore and how the research worker chose the methodological systemal approach in this force field, an initial discussion go away be completed around the paradigm that best fits the focus of this culture. followers a discussion about the research paradigm, the aim of this chapter is to discuss the research design and methodology utilised in this strike. In outrank to nominate the variety of research activities undertaken during this theatre of operations, the info collection activities and associated analysis methods bequeath be systematically discussed under four phases. For ease of discussion, the study activities will be described in the order in which the researcher completed them. The order of the study activities have been outlined in Figure 3.Research ikon tally to Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts (2007, p. 5), a paradigm is a broad view or perspective of something. Additionally, weaverbird and Olsons (2006, p. 460) definition of paradigm reveals how research could be affected and use upd by a certain paradigm by stating, paradigms are patterns of beliefs and traffic patterns that regulate inquiry within a discipline by providing lenses, frames and process es through which investigation is accomplished.Therefore, to clarify the researchers organise of inquiry and methodological choices, an exploration of the paradigm adopted for this study will be discussed prior to any discussion about the specific methodologies apply in this study.This study utilised a triangulation approach to explore and guide the development and evaluation of a clinical forensic treat educational package. The use of both the soft and duodecimal methodologies was necessary to encompass the diametric aspects of forensic science and nursings holistic approach to patient role role care. accord to Lynch (2006), providing forensic patient care requires objectivity and neutrality while attending to the various human dimensions of health and sanitary-being. To address the regeneration and complexity of such nursing and forensic issues, a mixed methodology was necessary.According to Weaver and Olson (2006), the paradigms most comm altogether utilised in nursing research are positivist, postpositivist, interpretive, and critical social theory. The quantitative methodology shares its philosophical foundation with the positivist paradigm (Weaver and Olson). The positivist paradigm arose from the philosophy identify as logical positivism and is based on rigid rules of logic and measurement, truth, absolute principles and prediction (Halcomb and Andrew, 2005 Cole, 2006 Weaver and Olson). The positivist philosophy argues that there is nonpareil objective reality. Therefore, as a consequence, binding research is demonstrated only by the degree of proof that can be corresponded to the phenomena that study results stand for (Hope and Waterman, 2003).In this study, such rigid principles lend themselves much(prenominal) to the scientific forensic aspects such as scientific knowledge, logic and measurement incorporated into this study (Weaver and Olson, 2006 Lynch, 2006). However, such inflexible beliefs did not have the capacity to accommodate th e inquiring aspects of this study that dealt with the social and human experiences. As a result, soft methodologies were excessively incorporatedinto the research design (see Table 3.1). The qualitative methodology shares its philosophical foundation with the interpretive paradigm which supports the view that there are many a(prenominal) truths and multiple realities. This type of paradigm focuses the holistic perspective of the soul and milieu which is more congruent with the nursing discipline (Weaver and Olson, 2006). Additionally, the interpretive paradigm is associated more with methodological approaches that provide an opportunity for the voice, concerns and practices of research players to be heard (Cole, 2006 Weaver and Olson). Cole further argues that qualitative researchers are more concerned about uncovering knowledge about how people feel and think in the circumstances in which they find themselves, than making judgements about whether those thoughts and feelings a re valid (p. 26).Due to the complex nature of the research study, there was no mavin paradigm that could satisfactorily deal with all of the required methodological aspects. Therefore, the researcher found it necessary to combine the quantitative/positivist paradigm with the qualitative/interpretive paradigm.The blending of both paradigms provided the researcher with the top executive to statistically essay the scientific information whilst also recognizing the complex psychosocial and emotional factors that influence patient care issues. The discussion that follows will further elaborate and describe in detail how each paradigm and methodological approach was implemented in this study.Research DesignIn this descriptive study, qualitative and quantitative entropy collection techniques were used including semi-structured interviews, chart audits, pre and post-test questionnaires, focus group interviews, and the researchers field notes of personal observations and conversations. Additionally, to provide a more complete and 2-dimensional understanding of the issues, a triangulation methodology design was employed (Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). In the dent below, the discussion will be divided into two main headings that of descriptive research and triangulation.Descriptive ResearchIn order for the researcher to gain different perspectives and draw attention to different factors that affect forensic practice in westward Australia, descriptive research methods were employed in this study. According to Polit, Beck, and Hungler (2001, p. 180), descriptive methods are used when the researcher seeks to describe, observe, and document a course occurring phenomenon which cannot readily be ascribed an objective value. In other words, descriptive research deals with questions that look to explain what things are like and describe relationships that do not predict relationships between variables or the direction of the relationship. Depending on what is to be described, descriptive research can be very concrete or more abstract (DeVaus, 2002). At a concrete level, information put in is often strongly quantitative in nature (Polit, Beck, and Hungler, 2001).In this study, information will be self-contained in the form of participant demographics, chart audit data, monitoring of implementation tools, and data collected from the pre and post-test questionnaires. In addition, more abstract descriptive research, in the form of stakeholder interviews, was also included. According to Morse and Richards (2002), qualitative descriptive approaches are extremely helpful because cause of experience and knowledge can be easily missed when quantitative methods are used.In this study, semi-structured interviews were incorporated into the study design because the researcher believed that open air ended questions would be the most efficient way to collect data from stakeholder participants. Open ended questions are thought to allow an individual ca dence and scope to discuss their perception and knowledge (Morse and Richards, 2002). DeVaus (2002) believes that descriptive research can play a winder role in highlighting the introduction and extent of problems which can stimulate interventions and actions that lead to policy change. The intent of stakeholder interviews was to canvass and describe current forensic practices occurring in Western Australia.According to Taylor, Kerrmode and Roberts (2007), qualitative interviews attempt to make meanings from individual accounts and experiences. Forensic patients are usually tough in partnership by medical and legal professionals (Lynch, 2006). Therefore forensic and healthcare stakeholders who work in the field have the best ability to contribute, enhance links and increase the successful integration of services (Haddow, ODonnell, and Heaney, 2007). The incorporation of stakeholders in this study was to enhance the understanding of the current issues and experiences confronting f orensic and healthcare professionals working with and providing care to forensic patients.TriangulationMultiple triangulation methods were utilised in this descriptive study. Triangulation involves the application and combination of several research methodologies in whizz study (Schneider, Elliott, Lo-Biondo-Wood, and Haber, 2003 Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). There are four common types of triangulation discussed within the lit including data triangulation that involves time, length, and persons investigator triangulation which uses multiple observers theory triangulation that uses more than sensation supposititious perspective to interpret the study phenomenon and methodological triangulation that involves development more than one methodological strategy during data collection. According to Halcomb and Andrew (2005), the use of multiple data sources and methods to cross-check and formalize findings increase the depth and quality of the results and also provides expen sive guidance to nursing practice.Triangulation provides in-depth data, increases the confidence in the research results as puff up as enables different dimensions of the problem to be considered (Barbour, 2001 Jones and Bugge, 2006). A combination of methods is thought by some to improve the consistency and accuracy of data by providing a more complete picture of the phenomenon (Roberts and Taylor,2002 Halcomb and Andrew, 2005 Williams, Rittman, Boylstein, Faircloth, and Haijing, 2005 Jones and Bugge, 2006). Morse (1991) cited in Minichiello, Sullivan, Greenwood, and Axford, (1999, p. 258) believes that triangulation is a means by which the researcher is able to capture a more complete and holistic portrait of the phenomena under study.In this study, the researcher employed methodological, data, and unit of analysis triangulation. Each of these aspects of triangulation will be discussed singly below and study examples provided to help illustrate the concepts. Firstly, methodologi cal triangulation will be explored which can be sub-divided into within and across-method triangulation (Schneider, et al., 2003 Halcomb and Andrew, 2005).Methodological triangulationMethodological triangulation, according to Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts (2007), involves using two or more research methods in one study at the level of data collection or design. Across-method triangulation involves combining research strategies usually qualitative and quantitative methods. Such an approach is common in nursing studies (Jones and Bugge, 2006 Halcomb and Andrew, 2005). In this study, for example, data from stakeholders interviews were utilised to reinforce and complement the data from quantitative chart audits because concepts mentioned by the stakeholders were checked during the chart audits. Complementary findings in a study make a more valid office to theory and knowledge development, enhance diversity, and enrich the understanding surrounding the studys objectives and goals (Schnei der, et al., 2003 Macnee and McCabe, 2008).Data triangulationData triangulation can be described as the use of multiple sources of data to obtain differing views about a stead in a single study (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). For example, in this study, data was collected from various interviews, pre and post-test questionnaires and by reviewing nurse participants documentation within patient medical records. Multiple datasources help validate the findings by exploring different views of the situation under investigation (Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007). Data triangulation can be divided into categories of time, space, and person (Roberts and Taylor).Time triangulation involves researchers collecting data at different points in time such as time of day at different days of the week, or at different months of the year (Rinaldi, Carpenter, and Speziale, 2006). In this study, however, the goal was not to compare participant knowledge between shifts or from one month to the next. 46Ins tead, the researcher was interested in evaluating an educational intervention over time. Therefore, for this study, only two types of data triangulation were utilised space and person.Space triangulation involves the collection of data from multiple sites (Roberts and Taylor, 2002). In this study, for example, data was collected from two hospitals emergency departments. Analysis from both sites helped evaluate the effectiveness of course III activities of this research and also increased the validity and strengthened the study (Begley, 1996 Halcomb and Andrew, 2005). Person triangulation implies that data was collected from more than one category of person (Roberts and Taylor, 2002 Taylor, Kermode, and Roberts, 2007).For example, in this study, participants included ED nurses as well as key forensic and healthcare stakeholders. The use of various legal and healthcare professionals provided greater insight into a variety of issues including hospital administration, staffing, costing concerns medical practices Western Australian legal requirements and governmental policies current evidentiary processes as well as existing investigatory practices. Such data was utilised to support, supplement, and validate the information gained from published forensic material as well as the research data.