To prepare for the Discussion, review the PowerPoint presentation on sample size and read the article The Art and Science of Knowledge Synthesis. Use one of the Dissertation Checklists (Quantitative Checklist, Qualitative Checklist, or Mixed Methods Checklist), located in this week's Learning Resources, that correlates with your method.
Post by Day 4 a response to the following that applies to your research methodology:
For those doing a quantitative study, in 1- to 2- paragraphs post a draft sample size analysis for your dissertation and how you will recruit your participants or obtain a secondary data set. If you have already obtained your sample, let your fellow students know how it went and any issues you encountered.
Sample Size Analysis and Participant Recruitment
The type of data used in this study was secondary data that is purely quantitative and obtained from the databases of the Liberia Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare regarding TB rates in immigrants between 2008 and 2014. The data was accessed once is granted and the entire population was estimated to be between 1149 participants. The study coded and analyzed all the participants, and the sampling procedures were however not required. The sample size of the data was analyzed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 2.1). The use of descriptive statistics was important as it applied linear regression model for adequate exploration and analysis while evaluating the cohort characteristics. Common regression models used were the t-values and the Pearson correlations that are important in analyzing the data based on the selected variables in this study.
The recruitment of participants in this study was done using a quantitative research design. I used a random sampling method approach to recruiting at least 500 consecutive people with tuberculosis symptoms. I also involved the healthcare personnel and a group of health facility attendees in the hospitals in Monrovia and its outskirts. While selecting the participants, I considered the key variables used in the study for instance the years of residence and the population density of their area of residence among others. I also used the health records in Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare of Liberia and in different hospitals to get the required threshold for the participants. The Demographic and Health survey database of the Ministry was easily accessed because there is no permission required for access. During the research, I experienced various challenges as a result of the various barriers in the course of sampling and data collection. Common barriers included inaccessibility of some health records, long diagnostic processes, inadequate attention and lack of sufficient resources to conduct the study.
Okay Linda:
You cannot use estimated populations for data analysis. Therefore, survey sample must be specific numbers and you should be prepared to defend why you have to utilize a sample of 500 persons for your study. Please read well the Quantitative Dissertation Checklist provided to you in this Week Resources for your guidance in writing the various sections of Chapter 1 of your Dissertation. What you see there in the checklist are almost exactly of the Table of Contents that I provided you at the beginning of the course. You must be familiar of Checklist because you cannot write the dissertation without them.