INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH RESEARCH
METHODS A PRACTICAL GUIDE
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
PRINCIPLES
◉ What are the three methods used in a study? Answer: Methods
selected based on the purpose of the study and the design.
◉ What is sampling in research? Answer: The way a researcher
recruits or selects individuals to be in the study.
◉ What does data collection involve? Answer: The type of data
collected and the procedures used to collect it.
◉ What is data analysis? Answer: How the researcher performs
analysis on the collected data.
◉ What is qualitative research focused on? Answer: Exploring why
or how a phenomenon occurs, developing a theory, or describing
individual experiences.
,◉ What are the characteristics of qualitative research? Answer:
Naturalistic settings, understanding social context, identifying
intangible factors, and focusing on why something is happening.
◉ What types of data can qualitative research include? Answer:
Words or text, photographs, videos, sound recordings, maps, art, etc.
◉ What is the purpose of qualitative data collection? Answer: To
gather rich, detailed data through methods like interviews, focus
groups, and observations.
◉ What is the iterative process in qualitative research? Answer:
Breaking data into small constructs to find patterns that reveal
meaning.
◉ What are common qualitative research designs? Answer: Case
study, focused ethnography, phenomenological, and grounded
theory.
◉ What is the role of prolonged engagement in qualitative research?
Answer: The researcher spends significant time in the field to
develop a deep understanding of the environment.
◉ What is persistent observation? Answer: Gathering data at
different times, in different places, and from different people.
, ◉ What is a sample script for a qualitative purpose statement?
Answer: The purpose of this study will be to describe, understand,
develop, discover, or explore the central focus for participants at the
site.
◉ What is the significance of qualitative research in various fields?
Answer: It is increasingly utilized in fields like anthropology,
psychology, education, and public health.
◉ What does qualitative research aim to uncover? Answer: The
meaning people attach to events, experiences, or social situations.
◉ What is the focus of qualitative researchers? Answer: To verify or
generate a theory from the data collected.
◉ What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative
research? Answer: Qualitative research focuses on understanding
experiences, while quantitative research tests or verifies theories.
◉ How does qualitative research handle contradictory findings?
Answer: It can uncover and analyze contradictory findings within
the data.
METHODS A PRACTICAL GUIDE
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
PRINCIPLES
◉ What are the three methods used in a study? Answer: Methods
selected based on the purpose of the study and the design.
◉ What is sampling in research? Answer: The way a researcher
recruits or selects individuals to be in the study.
◉ What does data collection involve? Answer: The type of data
collected and the procedures used to collect it.
◉ What is data analysis? Answer: How the researcher performs
analysis on the collected data.
◉ What is qualitative research focused on? Answer: Exploring why
or how a phenomenon occurs, developing a theory, or describing
individual experiences.
,◉ What are the characteristics of qualitative research? Answer:
Naturalistic settings, understanding social context, identifying
intangible factors, and focusing on why something is happening.
◉ What types of data can qualitative research include? Answer:
Words or text, photographs, videos, sound recordings, maps, art, etc.
◉ What is the purpose of qualitative data collection? Answer: To
gather rich, detailed data through methods like interviews, focus
groups, and observations.
◉ What is the iterative process in qualitative research? Answer:
Breaking data into small constructs to find patterns that reveal
meaning.
◉ What are common qualitative research designs? Answer: Case
study, focused ethnography, phenomenological, and grounded
theory.
◉ What is the role of prolonged engagement in qualitative research?
Answer: The researcher spends significant time in the field to
develop a deep understanding of the environment.
◉ What is persistent observation? Answer: Gathering data at
different times, in different places, and from different people.
, ◉ What is a sample script for a qualitative purpose statement?
Answer: The purpose of this study will be to describe, understand,
develop, discover, or explore the central focus for participants at the
site.
◉ What is the significance of qualitative research in various fields?
Answer: It is increasingly utilized in fields like anthropology,
psychology, education, and public health.
◉ What does qualitative research aim to uncover? Answer: The
meaning people attach to events, experiences, or social situations.
◉ What is the focus of qualitative researchers? Answer: To verify or
generate a theory from the data collected.
◉ What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative
research? Answer: Qualitative research focuses on understanding
experiences, while quantitative research tests or verifies theories.
◉ How does qualitative research handle contradictory findings?
Answer: It can uncover and analyze contradictory findings within
the data.
