2.

Onderzoek: Soorten & onderzoeksvragen

Objectives
You can:

 Define and give examples of explanatory, exploratory, and descriptive research

(Ch.1)
 Describe reasons for implementing each of these study types (Ch.3)
 Describe the process of developing a research question (Ch.3)
 Describe the components of a research question (e.g. PICO;
independent/dependent variables; operational definitions) (Ch.3)
 Define research questions for descriptive, exploratory and explanatory research
(Ch.3)
 Develop research and statistical hypotheses (Ch.3)
 Develop research aims (Ch.3)
 Describe the characteristics of a good research question (Ch.3)
 Types of research

Learning module 11 Learning module 10 Learning module 9

 Observational  Observational  Interventional - comparisons
 E.g. questionnaire,  Epidemiology  Designs have different levels
observation, interview,  Patterns of control
databases  Associations  Includes efficacy &
 Patterns/characteristics  Includes methodological effectiveness
 Includes Qualitative research research

 What is the natural progression  How many people develop  What is the effect of
of CP/a sports injury, …… condition X? intervention X, compared to Y,
 What are risk/ protective on outcome Z?
factors for condition X?

Types of research
Module 9

Module 11

Module 10
Types of research – Explanatory research

Module 1

Module 9

Types of research – Exploratory research Module 10

 Types of research – Descriptive research Module 11

Developing a research question - Systematic

Topic

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: ?............ Step 4: ?..............

?....................... ?......................... ……….................... …………………………
Based on:  Review of the literature –  Explanatory …………………………
 Clinical experience SR/MA  Comparison ………………………….
 Clinical theory  Sufficient to interventions
 Literature determine necessary  Cause –effect
 Gaps? background  Exploratory
 Contradictions?  Theoretical framework  Relationships
 Methodological  Based on  Predictive
limitations? generalization existing patterns
studies  Diagnostic tests
 The importance of  Why should  Descriptive
replication – FF intervention work?  Characterize
inference  Why should these conditions
variables be related?  Methodological
 Developing a research question - Systematic
Topic

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Step 4

Explanatory research - An example

Step 4 - Framing the research question – PICO (Explanatory)

 Population
 Who? Subgroup? Setting? FF - generalization
 Who exactly can participate? – Inclusion/exclusion criteria

 Intervention
 What? Why?

 Control / Comparison
 At least two groups
 Control or Comparison? Why?

 Outcome
 What is the outcome we want to influence with our Intervention? (Cause and effect)

Explanatory research - An example

 Step 4. Research question, objective, hypothesis
 Research question:
 PICO
 Operationalised
Statistical testing 
hypothesis will be
 Objectives: To examine the effect of/ association of…… accepted or rejected

 Hypothesis:
 Null hypothesis, aka statistical hypothesis: There is no difference/ association
 Alternative hypothesis: statement about the predicted effect (Explanatory) or
association (Exploratory)
 Non-directional hypothesis
Simple vs complex hypotheses  you can
 Directional hypothesis
only test one hypothesis at a time!

Explanatory research - An example

 Research question: what is the effect of insulin as a dressing agent, compared with
normal saline, on pressure ulcer healing in hospitalized patients with grade 2 or 3
ulcers?
 P
 I
 C – Control or Comparison?
 O
 Operationalised – made specific
 Objectives: To examine the effect of insuline as a dressing agent….
 Null hypothesis: There is no difference in pressure ulcer healing between insulin as a
dressing agent and normal saline in hospitalized patients with grade 2 or 3 pressure
ulcers
 Alternative hypothesis:
 Non-directional – there is a difference in healing between …insuline/saline…patiënts with…
 Directional – Insuline, compared with saline, is a better treatment for healing in patients with…..
 Heals quicker
 Heals neater Complex hypothesis
 Less pain
 Exploratory research - An example

Step 4 - Framing the research question – PICO (Exploratory)

 Population
 Who? Subgroup? Setting? FF - generalization
 Who exactly can participate? – Inclusion/exclusion criteria

 Exposure
 What? Why?

 Control / Comparison – Not relevant

 We compare groups with different levels of the exposure (e.g. yes/no; none/a little/a lot)

 Outcome
 What is the outcome that we are interested in? (Strength of association)
 Exploratory research - An example

Exploratory research - An example

 Research question: which individual, physical and psychological factors are
associated with the onset of chronic low back pain in a cohort of office workers?
 P
 I / Exposure
 C – NA  Comparing groups based on exposure
 O
 Objectives: To examine which ind, phys and psych factors predict…LBP..office workers
 Null hypothesis: Ind, phys and psych factors are not associated with the onset of LBP
in a cohort of office workers
 Alternative hypothesis:
 Non-directional – Ind, phys and psych factors are associated with…LBP…office workers
 Directional – Ind, phys and psych factors are positively/negatively associated with …LBP…office
workers, e.g:
 Physical factors fitness, core stability associated with lower risk of LBP
 Psychological factors stress, enjoyment of work associated with higher risk
 Framing the research question – key terms
 Variables: property that can differentiate members of a group or set
 To vary…
 Research variables
 Independent variable, aka predictor variable: intervention(s)/ exposure
 Levels of independent variables
 Dependent variable, aka outcome variable
 Definitions:
 Conceptual: dictionary definition
 e.g. back pain is a degree of discomfort in the back
 Operational definitions: specific definition of a variable in the context of a research
study
 e.g. back pain is defined as a score of 4 or higher on the subjective low back pain scale for adults

Step 4 - Framing the research question – PICO (Summary)

PICO Descriptive Exploratory – Observational Explanatory – Experimental

(Patterns) (Strength of association) (intervention effect)
?....................... ?....................... ?.......................
Population

Intervention /
Exposure
Exposure Intervention
Control / Comparison

Outcome
 PICO in exploratory and explanatory studies
Exploratory - Observational Explanatory – Experimental
Research question ?........................................................... ?.......................................................
............................................................. .........................................................

Objective To examine the ?...................... To examine the ?....................of I/E,

between I/E and O in population P compared with C, on O in
population P
Null hypothesis There is/ is no ?..............…………… There is / is no?…………………………..

Alternative
hypothesis
 Non directional?  There is/ is no ?...................  There is/ is no ?............... of I/E
between I/E and O in population P on O, compared with C
 Directional?  There is a positive/negative  There is a positive/negative
?............... between I/E and O… effect of I/E on O, compared

What makes a good research question?

 Importance
 Is it worth it to do the study?
 New information
 Answerable
 Ethical  ethics committee, participant information sheet, informed consent
 Feasible
 Sample size  statistically demonstrate true differences, FF Power calculation
 Available resources  time, equipment, space, $$$
 Scope of the project  focus!
 Expertise  represented in research team
 Voorbereiding - Survey
 Based on the survey you completed, is it possible to develop a research question for:
 Descriptive research?
 Exploratory research?
 Experimental research?
PICO Exploratory - Observational
Population

Intervention (Exploratory)
Exposure (Explanatory)
Control

Outcome
Onderzoeksvraag

Hypothese

Voorbereiding – Begrippen
 Descriptieve statistiek
 Inferentiële statistiek
 Populatie
 Steekproef
 Variabele