Has a kid ever asked you the question “why” until you just stopped answering? I had not realized it, but this seems to be the basis of any Master’s level final project, or in this case just my proposal. The main difference between a child and your project is that one is annoying and the other is necessary, I’ll let you judge which is which.
This is similar to the five why’s technique to problem solving, developed by Sakichi Toyoda (Serrat, 2017), except instead of finding the root cause of a problem, we’re justifying the root reason for all of our research design choices.
For instance, I’ll be using selective sampling to choose my interviewees.
Why? Because it’s a suitable sample selection technique for my research over other techniques.
Why? Because I don’t have the resources for techniques like random sampling nor the time or fit for methods like observation sampling (Altmann, 1974; Barratt & Shantikumar, 2018) so selective sampling fits well.
Why? Because McIntyre (2005) stated it’s an effective method when you’re limited by time and sample size.
Why? Because in the Digital Learning Research Consulting Project (DLRCP) handbook (Royal Roads University, 2019) it states my time constraints and number of interviews are part of my limitations on top of my own delimitations that I need for an accurate result.
Why? Because I need to interview physicians, nurses, behaviour change consultants, psychologists, and patient advisors (Gale, & Skouteris, 2013; Nunes, Williams, Sa, & Stevenson, 2011; Singh, Burns, Rees, Picklyk, Spence, & Marlett, 2018).
Why? Because each group has a necessary perspective within my research question and selected theoretical framework (Alberta Health Services, 2019; DiMatteo, Giordani, Lepper, & Thomas, 2002; Gale, 2007; Gale & Bills, 2014).
Why? Because physicians are… how about we grab a juice box, a granola bar, and take a break at the park?
When making decisions on your research everything must be justified, keep asking yourself “why” until you just can’t anymore for every facet of your research, and never forget to back up every “why” with references. This way you can be sure that every angle has been thought of and you have an answer for every one of your decisions.
References
Alberta Health Services. (2019). HealthChange® program in Alberta. Calgary: Alberta Health Services.
Altmann, J. (1974). Observational study of behavior: sampling methods. Behaviour, 49(3-4), 227-266.
DiMatteo, M. R., Giordani, P. J., Lepper, H. S., & Thomas, W. (2002). Patient adherence and medical treatment outcomes a meta-analysis. MEDICAL CARE, 40(9), 794–811. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000024612.61915.2D
Gale, J. (2007). Health psychology meets coaching psychology in the practice of health coaching. InPsych: The Bulletin of the Australian Psychological Society Ltd, 12–13. Retrieved from http://wellnessisrael.co.il/uploads/Coches P and Health Coaching.pdf
Gale, J., & Bills, C. (2014). Transforming practice into best practice. InMotion, Australian Physiotherapy Association, 30–33.
Gale, J. & Skouteris, H. (2013). Health coaching: Facilitating health behavior change for chronic condition prevention and self-management. Applied Topics in Healthy Psychology, 15–28.
Barratt, H., & Shantikumar, S. (2018, August 20). Methods of sampling from a population. Retrieved from https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/research-methods/1a-epidemiology/methods-of-sampling-population
Nunes, P., Williams, S., Sa, B., & Stevenson, K. (2011). A study of empathy decline in students from five health disciplines during their first year of training. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 12–17. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4d47.ddb0
Royal Roads University. (2019, October 25). MALAT Moodle Site. Retrieved from https://moodle.royalroads.ca/moodle/course/view.php?id=6885
Serrat, O. (2017). The five whys technique. In Knowledge solutions (pp. 307-310). Springer, Singapore.
Singh, S., Burns, K. K., Rees, J., Picklyk, D., Spence, J., & Marlett, N. (2018). Patient and family engagement in Alberta Health Services: Improving care delivery and research outcomes. Healthcare Management Forum, 31(2), 57–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0840470417747003
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