Unit 14 Activity 3 – Research Decisions

The following questions would be useful to ask when critiquing a quantitative research study. Determine which questions relate to each of the following and mark the appropriate letter beside each question.

• Research design – R

• Population and Sampling – P and S

• Data collection - D

• Analysis - A

1. Should the data have been collected prospectively? R

2. Were response set biases minimized? D

3. Was the number in the sample adequate? P and S

4. Was there evidence of adequate reliability and validity? D

5. Would parametric tests have been more appropriate? A

6. Was the control group equivalent to the experimental group? R

7. Were the subjects assigned randomly? R

8. Were the statistical tests appropriate given the level of measurement of the variables? A