Quantitative Research Instruments Research Articles

Mineralogical evaluation and industrial applications of the Triassic clay deposits, Southern Tunisia

This study deals with the mineralogical and thermal analysis of Triassic clays in the south-Eastern Tunisia (Medenine area) in order to use them in the faience ceramic. That is why the study had recourse to several quantitative and qualitative research instruments: chemical analysis, mineralogical study, thermal analyses and analyses of geotechnical traits. The data collected from these techniques show that illite and kaolinite are the major clay phases. The accessory minerals detected in powdered rock are; quartz, dolomite and hematite. Geotechnical characterization was carried out on the three representative mixtures of Triassic clay samples. Each mixture is fired at three different temperatures 850,900 and 950 °C. Firing characteristics (shrinkage, water absorption, and mechanical resistance to the inflection) were measured and the neomineralization processes were investigated principally by X-ray diffraction. At the end of this study, one can affirm that these clays have qualities necessary for the manufacture of faience ceramic and earthenware production.

Developing leadership skills: online versus face‐to‐face

PurposeThis paper seeks to present final results from an exploratory research project that aimed to compare and contrast the effectiveness of different delivery modes (especially online as opposed to face‐to‐face) when developing leadership skills in established managers.Design/methodology/approachThis study sought to identify whether perceptions of the effectiveness of different delivery modes are statistically related to a variety of independent variables. Data were gathered from three iterations of a quantitative research instrument that was distributed to established managers enrolled on MBA programmes at Glasgow Caledonian University in the UK.FindingsThe main findings are that two inter‐related factors appear to determine perceptions of the effectiveness of mediated online learning environments in developing leadership skills, namely whether students are registered on a face‐to‐face or an online mode and their self‐reported general perceptions of online learning. From the research findings, few other variables appeared to have a statistically significant effect on perceptions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by having been conducted in one institution only and addresses self‐reported perceptions only (i.e. the authors have made no attempt to objectively measure actual changes in managers' skills).Originality/valueThe area of interest is fraught both by the contested nature of the conceptual landscape and by the lack of robust previously published empirical data. The findings of the research contradict several previously published sources that had suggested that many variables would have a statistically significant effect on perceptions.

Writing, reflection and learning – an interactive approach

Much recent learner-centred research has addressed the role of direct and indirect learning strategies in second language acquisition and production, as well as the value of metacognitive awareness in writing skills development. We shall describe a longitudinal project carried out with first-year Canarian university students focusing on the effect of integrated training in metacognitive and socio-affective strategies applied to EFL writing skills instruction. The use of dialogue journals, which reveal the frequency of metacognitive and socio-affective strategies deployed by our learners and the value of guided written reflection, will also be highlighted as both a quantitative and qualitative research instrument.

Instrument translation process: a methods review.

Cross-cultural and international collaborative studies are needed in nursing research. Therefore, it is necessary to translate research instruments into the language of the culture being studied. In this methods review, different processes of instrument translation and evaluation of translation adequacy in published nursing research are described and classified into a hierarchy. Studies including translation of quantitative research instruments were reviewed. Forty-seven studies were included. These were classified into six categories. Studies were classified into categories as follows: forward-only translation (2), forward-only translation with testing (7), back-translation (13), back-translation with monolingual test (18), back-translation with bilingual test (3), and back-translation with both monolingual and bilingual test (4). Strengths and weaknesses are analysed. The studies reviewed used diverse methods of varying quality. There is need for consensus among researchers in how to achieve quality of instrument translation in cross-cultural research. Researchers should carefully attend to achieving and reporting evidence of the accuracy and validity of instrument translation. When back-translation fails to achieve semantic equivalence, the instrument development process should be replicated in the target language.

Explaining lesbians' practice of breast self-examination: Results from a UK survey of lesbian health

Objective To explore the reasons for lesbians' practice of breast self-examination (BSE). Previous research in the USA has suggested that lesbians are less likely than heterosexual women to practise BSE on a Design A combined quantitative and qualitative research instrument was designed to map patterns of breast health behaviour and to elicit qualitative explanations for those behaviours. Setting The study used a multiple sampling frame in order to achieve a socially and geographically diverse sample of participants living throughout the UK from Cornwall to the Outer Hebrides. Results Thirteen per cent ( n=137) of lesbians in the sample report monthly practice of BSE. Their stated reasons for regular BSE fall into five main categories: (i) 'Experiences of problems'; (ii) Awareness of particular risks'; (iii) 'Established routine'; (iv) 'Knowledge about BSE'; (v) 'Other'. Conclusion Lesbians' explanations for their regular practice of BSE may offer valuable insights into their decision making and help to inform the decisions of others to practise monthly BSE. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which lesbians' explanations may be used to develop lesbian-specific health education and promotion.

Depressive Disorder in Highly Gifted Adolescents

This article examines the nature and extent of depressive disorders in highly gifted adolescents based on current literature and data gathered from a phenomenological study, focus groups, and clinical records. Two case studies and clinical examples document the capacity of some highly gifted adolescents to mask even severe symptoms. Several factors appeared to contribute to this masking phenomenon, including shame for being incapacitated and unable to resolve their dilemma; depression's signature cognitive confusion, which disengaged their coping mechanisms; and fear of harming others with their toxic state. These findings raise questions about the efficacy of quantitative research instruments to determine actual cases of depressive disorder in this subgroup, as well as current research estimates of depression in the highly gifted population.

The social and cultural context of the mental health of Filipinas in Queensland.

To describe the social and cultural context of risk surrounding the mental health of Filipino women living in Queensland, Australia and elicit the meaning and experience of mental health and illness for these women. One hundred and thirty-nine in-depth interviews and 7 focus group discussions (FGDs) were nested within the baseline survey of the Filipina cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Seventy-four in-depth interviews and 8 FGDs were conducted at follow-up. A semi-structured interview guide that included sections on emotional health, social support and changes guided these. A subset of responses was fully transcribed and analysed for ethnographic content and themes. "Mental" problems are highly stigmatized, in comparison to "emotional" problems that are believed to result largely from the absence of close family ties. The loss of these ties and the transition from a collectivist to individualist society are key themes related to emotional distress in Filipinas. This understanding of meaning and context of mental health and its risk factors in migrants is important for informing public health and clinical practice and for the improvement of quantitative research instruments.

An Abuse of Disability? Assessing Treatment Outcome in Sexual Offenders with Learning Disabilities

There is growing recognition that, of the small proportion of people with learning disabilities who do offend, a disproportionate number are likely to have committed offences of a sexual nature. Perhaps of greater concern is the lack of empirical data to support the diversity of clinical interventions employed with this client group, and an absence of objective criteria for determining the outcome of such interventions. This paper describes initial findings of a study designed to assess treatment outcomes in eight male sexual offenders with learning disabilities currently detained in a special hospital. Data were collected through a range of quantitative research instruments in order to establish the utility of various assessment methods. Results obtained demonstrate positive shifts in several of the areas targeted during treatment. However, difficulties in the use of quantitative instruments with such inherently small samples are highlighted and discussed, and the paper, therefore, concludes by outlining how the research will develop hereafter through the development of a more qualitatively oriented, ordinal assessment instrument.

Developing an instrument to study the tuberculosis screening behaviors of Mexican migrant farmworkers.

This article details the use of qualitative data in the construction of a Spanish-language, quantitative research instrument designed for a study of Mexican migrant farmworkers' participation in tuberculosis screening. In the qualitative study, 19 Mexican migrant farmworkers were interviewed in Spanish to elicit their explanatory models (EMs) about tuberculosis. The Tuberculosis Interview Instrument (TII) was developed from the results of the qualitative study and concepts from a theoretical framework consisting of a combination of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). After its development, the TII was subjected to translation and back-translation procedures to insure the equivalency of the English and Spanish versions, and it was reviewed for content validity. Internal consistency reliability, based on the responses of 206 subjects, was satisfactory for all subscales. Future testing of the TII is recommended to evaluate its stability among Mexican migrant farmworkers in other parts of the United States.

Fixing forensic patients: Psychiatric recommendations for treatment in pretrial settings

AbstractThis article is concerned with psychiatric recommendations for treatment at the Metropolitan Toronto Forensic Service (METFORS), a clinical assessment agency providing both 1‐day and 30‐day evaluations of criminal defendants in Toronto, Canada. Analysis of both psychiatric reports and quantitative research instruments demonstrated the saliency of treatment as a central forensic issue at METFORS. Among a sample of 592 defendants, 134 were considered in need of outpatient care. Persons recommended for hospitalization were most likely to exhibit histories of mental health rather than criminal justice contacts; to be arrested for nonviolent offenses; to manifest psychotic behavior while at METFORS; to be found unfit for bail, incompetent to stand trial, in need of further assessment and dangerous to self; and to experience higher rates of hospitalization, but lower levels of criminalization during the two years following their initial forensic assessment. Psychiatric reports at METFORS tended to merge recommendations for treatment and assessment; to suggest prison or probation as means for securing clinical treatment; and to provide little written support for judgments about the need for intervention. Along with competency and dangerousness, treatment is a key issue in forensic practice, and warrants further attention in the psycholegal literature.