Here are some of the most common terminology used that it would be useful to understand for your research module.
critical appraisal – examines the practical application of research, assessing how valid and relevant it is to the practice area.
intervention fidelity – how well an intervention is delivered as intended
generalisability – attempting to apply study findings to settings/contexts other than the ones they were originally tested in. Applies to quantitative research.
transferability – how findings can be transferred to another setting/context. Applies to qualitative research.
standard deviation – the spread of results occurring around the mean. For example, the mean age of participants may be 40 with a standard deviation of 25 – 55. Often represented as S.D. A smaller S.D is preferred as this shows a small spread of data around the mean, a large S.D shows a wide spread of data, meaning it is less reliable.
confidence interval – usually expressed as a percentage. Represents how certain the researchers can be that the mean for the entire population would fall within the identified range.
hypothesis – a theory or idea that needs to be tested.
null hypothesis – no significant difference apparent between two groups.
alternative hypothesis – results are the result of a difference between two groups.
p value – a measure of the strength of evidence against the null hypothesis. a small p value < 0.05 indicates evidence against the null hypothesis, this is then rejected and an alternative hypothesis developed.
quantitative – research where the results are numerical such as statistics, percentages etc. Studies cause and effect relationships.
qualitative – research where the results are text based and may follow themes. Includes thoughts, feelings, descriptions etc.
mixed method – where researchers use both quantitative and qualitative data within the same study.
rct – randomised control trial.
randomisation – making something random ie the allocation of participants into a treatment or control arm. A good way of minimising the risk of bias.
treatment arm – where participants receive the treatment/intervention. Characteristic of a rct.
control arm – participants receive no treatment/intervention or they receive a placebo. Characteristic of a rct.
internal validity – whether the results are based on the intervention or an unknown variable.
external validity – how well what is being measured can be generalised to the wider population.
independent variable – the variable manipulated by the researcher to measure its effect on the dependent variable.
dependent variable – what the researcher is interested in measuring in the study.
Reflexivity – the questioning of one’s attitudes, values and prejudices and to appreciate how these could affect the outcome of the research.
homogenous sample – when participants have similar or identical traits ie same age, gender, employment etc.
heterogeneous sample – where every participant has a different value for their characteristics ie different ages, gender etc. Indicative of diversity.
blinding – where participants or researchers are prevented from knowing which intervention group participants are allocated to. Can be single blinded or double blinded.
T-test – used to determine if there is a significant difference between the means of two groups.
bias – a form of error that can affect the outcome of studies.
triangulation – using more than one method to collect data. A way of assuring validity within the research.
primary research – new research studies, carried out through experiments, trials etc.
secondary research – analysis or interpretation of existing research studies.
cause and effect – where one event (the effect) is the result of another event happening (the cause). Randomised control trials are the best method able to establish a cause-effect relationship.
Just what I needed for my research assessment. Thank you! X
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