Adherencia a tratamientos

In the current study, the research design (May 2011:98) provided the opportunity for the development of a framework for the collection and analysis of data on the perceptions of nurse educators in nursing education. Punch (2009:112) emphasises that the research design places the researcher in the empirical world connecting the research question to the data.

The term research design refers to the plan that describes how, when, and where data collection will take place during the study (Punch 2009:112). The research design clarifies the following: the research approach, methods of data collection, time, place and sources of data, the method of data collection and the method of data analysis. The design provides a strategy on how to conduct the research (Burns & Grove 2009:41; LoBiondo & Haber 2010:158; Parahoo 2006:183; Parahoo 2014:164 & 412). According to LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2014:164), a research

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design is a plan or blueprint for conducting a research study. Polit and Beck (2008:66) explain the term research design as the plan for obtaining answers to the question under investigation and for managing some of the expected difficulties expected and encountered during the research. According to Brink, Van der Walt and Van Rensburg (2012:96), a research design is a set of logical steps taken by the researcher to answer a research question. During the current research, the constructs derived from theory and the research purpose, objectives, questions and hypothesis guided the choice of the research design.

A quantitative, deductive, non-experimental, descriptive correlation design defines the research design of the current study which the researcher implemented according to the phases of quantitative research as depicted in Table 5.1.

TABLE 5.1: Phases of quantitative research Phase1:

The conceptual phase

 Formulating and narrowing the research problem

 Reviewing related literature in detail

 Defining the conceptual framework

 Developing conceptual definitions

 Formulating a hypothesis Phase 2:

The design and planning phase

 Selecting a research design

 Identifying the population and sample

 Designing the sampling plan

 Specifying methods to measure the study variables

 Developing methods to safeguard the study participants

 Implementing the research plan Phase 3:

The empirical phase

 Collecting the data

 Preparing the data for analysis Phase 4:

The analytic phase

 Analysing the data

 Interpreting the results Phase 5:

The

dissemination phase

 Communicating the findings to the scientific community

 Utilising the findings to improve nursing practice

152 5.3.1 Deductive approach

The current study was deductive in that the theoretical concepts (Kanter & Speitzer) integrated into a model (Laschinger 2010) and adapted for the present research (Fig.2.1) guided the literature review and data collection. The results of the literature assisted in the development of a questionnaire representing the variables depicted in the underlying theoretical frameworks. The deductive nature of the research further figures in the application of a model (the general view) to specific instances (responses to the questionnaire). The items in the questionnaire measured the variables contained in the underlying theory and model empirically (Brink & Wood 1998:8; De Vos at al 2005:47; Moule & Goodman 2009:17; Parahoo 2006:54; Parahoo 2014:48).

According to Check and Schutt (2012:34), deductive research specifies expectations (hypotheses). These are tested using the collected data. In the deductive approach, the researcher formulates possible explanations or theoretical arguments for the regularity of events relating to the phenomenon under investigation. This accomplishes the task of the researcher to test the theory or model via hypotheses and the collected data (Blaikie 2007:9).

5.3.2 Non-experimental approach

The current research did not attempt any manipulation of the independent variables or random assignment of respondents to different groups (Johnson & Christensen 2008:43). The human subjects in this study were nurse educators whose responses were described, correlated and analysed through statistical methods. The current study also did not focus on cause-effect as it was non-experimental. The researcher did not manipulate the research setting, and data collection took place at the nursing college and satellite campuses where the nurse educators worked (Brink, Van der Walt & Van Rensburg 2006:102; Polit & Beck 2008:271). In experimental designs through, the researcher applies maximum control, manipulation and randomisation to examine causality. In controlled research, the researcher expects a reliable outcome about cause and effect. They are confident in the validity of causal relationships because of the strictly controlled conditions that secure the criteria for causality (Grove et al 2013:244; Polit & Beck 2012:202).

153 5.3.3 Descriptive-correlational design

A descriptive-correlation design applies to the examination of possible relationships between the variables such as between nurse educators’ perceptions of being empowered and empowerment in context. According to Gay et al (2011:9), correlational research involves the collection of data to determine the degree to which relations exist between two or more quantifiable variables. This is corroborated by Johnson and Christensen (2008:44), stating that in correlational research, the researcher studies the relationship between one or more quantitative independent variables and one or more dependent variables. However, May (2011:126) asserts that when variables correlate, it does not mean that one causes a change in the other. Correlations merely indicate whether the variables change or vary together (Cozby & Bates 2012:78; LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2010:200 & 2014:204).

The purpose of a correlation design (Gay et al 2011:10; LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2010:200 and Parahoo 2014:165) may be to establish relations that could lead to further predictions. In the current study, the researcher hypothesised based on the literature review and the underlying theories and models. These were statistically correlated during the data analysis (Burns & Grove 2009:246; Teddlie & Tashakkori 2009:24; Polit & Beck 2008:272)

The researcher further based the current research on the underlying assumptions underlying the classical correlational design, including:

 A large sample of the population (nurse educators from NEI in the Limpopo Province.

 A conceptual framework that supports the possibility of relationships among variables.

 Variables exist in the population and are amenable to investigation.  The sample represents the population under investigation.

 Non-manipulation of variables (Brink and Wood 1998:164).

 Cross-sectional data collection on each variable from each respondent

 Using data measuring tools designed to measure quantitative or numerical data.

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 Examination of possible relationships between variables (Brink & Wood 1998:164; Moule & Goodman 2009:178).

The reasons why the researcher decided on a correlational approach focused on the advantages of correlation studies. According to LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2010:201 & 2014:204), correlation studies offer the researchers the following advantages:

 Increased flexibility when investigating complex relationships among variables  Useful and efficient methods for collecting a large amount of data

 Provide evidence-based application in clinical settings  Potentiate future use in experimental studies

 Provide a framework for exploring the relationships between variables that are not amenable to manipulation.

Despite the advantages cited above, LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2010:201) state that correlation studies have certain drawbacks. The following pertain directly to the current study.

 Causal relationships between variables cannot be investigated due to the absence of experimental dictates of randomisation, control, and manipulation  The associative nature of relationships limits the strength and quality of

evidence

 Misuse of the design by concluding that a causal relationship exists between variables that show a correlation.

These disadvantages are mostly relative to experimental research. One reason why the researcher did not opt for an experimental design was that manipulating empowerment, if possible, call for expertise beyond the researcher’s current capacity.