Critical Research Appraisal Assignment Goal: You will critically appraise a research design Content Requirements:  You will select one research report with a qualitative design and one with quantitative design and answer the following questions regarding the following categories: Discuss what is meant by the term Qualitative Research Briefly, describe the characteristics of qualitative research and identify nursing issues/phenomena that lend themselves to a qualitative research approach. Compare and contrast three different qualitative research methodologies. Briefly, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research evidence for informing nursing practice. Communicate how this research design used in research.  The study, sampling, data collection, analysis, rigor, findings and limitations Identify the purpose of the study. Briefly, describe the design of the study and explain why you think it is either appropriate or inappropriate to meet the purpose. Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed. Identify the sampling method and recruitment strategy that was used. Discuss whether sampling and recruitment were appropriate to the aims of the research. Identify the data collection method(s) and discuss whether the method(s) is/are appropriate to the aims of the study. Identify how the data was analyzed and discuss whether the method(s) of analysis is/are appropriate to the aims of the study. Identify four (4) criteria by which the rigor of a qualitative project can be judged. Discuss the rigor of this study using the four criteria.  Briefly, describe the findings of the study and identify any limitations. Use the information that you have gained from your critique of the study to discuss the trustworthiness and applicability of the study. Include in your discussion any implications for the discipline of nursing.  Discuss what you understand by the term Quantitative Research - Use the following dot points to guide your discussion (give reasons for your argument and support with references): Describe the characteristics of quantitative research. Identify nursing issues/phenomena that lend themselves to a quantitative research approach Differentiate between observational and interventional research designs and also between experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Briefly, outline the difference between inferential and descriptive statistics and their relationship to levels of measurement. Communicate how this research design used in research.  Critique the Quantitative Research Report - Use the following headings to guide your critique (in all discussions and explanations give reasons for your argument and support with references): The study Identify the purpose and design of the study. Explain what is meant by ‘blinding’ and ‘randomization’ and discuss how these were addressed in the design of the study. Identify ethical issues related to the study and how they were/were not addressed. Sampling Explain the sampling method and recruitment strategy that was used. Discuss how the sample size was determined – include in your discussion an explanation of terms used. Data collection Briefly, outline how the data was collected and identify any data collection instrument(s). Define the terms validity and reliability and discuss how the validity & reliability of the instruments were/were not addressed in this study and why this is important. Data analysis Outline how the data were analyzed. Identify the statistics used and the level of measurement of the data described by each statistical test – include in your discussion an explanation of terms used. Findings and limitations Briefly, outline the findings and identify any limitations of the study Use the information that you have gained from your critique of the study to briefly discuss the trustworthiness and applicability of the study. Include in your discussion an explanation of the term statistical significance and name the tests of statistical significance used in this study.

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the web page Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards & Assessment Items (Links to an external site.) with particular attention to Standard 10: Leadership and Management. For this assignment you will be creating a presentation using either PowerPoint or Prezi (Links to an external site.). For assistance, view How to make a PowerPoint Presentation (Links to an external site.).Early childhood administrators need to be well-versed in standards set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Having comprehensive knowledge of these standards will help to ensure a quality early childhood program.Rationale:Excellent programming requires effective governance structures, competent and knowledgeable leadership, as well as comprehensive and well-functioning administrative policies, procedures, and systems. Effective leadership and management create the environment for high-quality care and education byEnsuring compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines;Promoting fiscal soundness, program accountability, effective communication, helpful consultative services, positive community relations, and comfortable and supportive workplaces;Maintaining stable staff; andInstituting ongoing program planning and career development opportunities for staff as well as continuous program improvement.Application:You are the director of your own childcare center. Using Standard 10 in Early Learning Program Accreditation Standards & Assessment Items (Links to an external site.) as a guide, create an eight- to 10-slide Prezi (Links to an external site.) or PowerPoint presentation to share with your staff, demonstrating the following NAEYC points:Effective communicationExplain how you will effectively communicate with your staff.Create a protocol for how you will communicate with them, and how you want them to communicate with you.Describe what role you will play in family communication and your expectations for their family communication.Comfortable and supportive workplacesDescribe how you will create a comfortable and supportive workplace for your staff.Develop a plan that addresses how you will overcome potential challenges you may face.Explain specifically what you envision a comfortable and supportive workplace for your staff including.Career development opportunities for staffDiscuss how you will create professional development opportunities for your staff.Plan a 10-month calendar of professional development opportunities that you feel are important for your staff. Visit this web page for helpful Calendar Templates (Links to an external site.).Hiring and retentionExplain how you will attract and retain quality staff members.Develop a plan of specifically how you will support the following:new staffveteran staffstaff that need additional supportYour eight- to 10-slide Prezi (Links to an external site.) or PowerPoint presentation (in addition to your title and reference slides) shouldCreatively address the material including graphics, visuals, charts, graphs, or sound;Be designed to clearly and concisely address the material;Be formatted according to APA style, including the title slide, reference slide, and in-text citations;Utilize the notes section of the PowerPoint to expand on the presented points. These notes would be your talking points when presenting this to your staff; andUse at least one source in addition to the course text.The Leadership and Management PresentationMust be eight to 10 double-spaced slides in length (not including title and references slides) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Links to an external site.)Must include a separate title slide with the following:Title of presentationStudent’s nameCourse name and numberInstructor’s nameDate submittedMust use at least one sources in addition to the course text.The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)Must include a separate references slide that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.