Posted: June 14th, 2023

Locate and summarize an article

Quantitative Critique

Help with Locate and summarize an article which has used a survey for quantitative research methodology. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the particular design as used for the specified research interest. Place yourself in a position of duplicating the research with a similar population. Compose a list of improvements for the past research. Discuss what would retain of the existing research methodology, and summarize what you would do differently. Discuss why you would retain some aspects of the methodology and change others.

Article summary:

The article selected for this quantitative critique is “Exploring the Relationship Between Social Support and Perceived Stress in Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Study” by Chen et al. The article aims to examine the relationship between social support and perceived stress among undergraduate students. A survey was used as the quantitative research methodology to collect data from a sample of 401 undergraduate students from a university in Taiwan. The survey included questions about demographics, social support, and perceived stress.

Strengths of the design:

The use of a survey as a research methodology allowed for the collection of a large amount of data from a relatively large sample size. The survey was also cost-effective and efficient as it did not require face-to-face contact between the participants and the researchers. Additionally, the standardized nature of the survey ensured that all participants received the same questions, reducing potential biases in data collection.

Weaknesses of the design:

The use of a survey as a research methodology may have limited the depth of information collected, as the questions were standardized and pre-determined. Additionally, social desirability bias may have affected the responses of the participants, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data. The sample size may also have been limited to undergraduate students from one university, reducing the generalizability of the results.

Improvements for past research:

To improve the study, the researchers could have used a more diverse sample, including undergraduate students from multiple universities, and including a wider range of demographics. They could have also used open-ended questions to allow for more in-depth responses and a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between social support and perceived stress. Additionally, the researchers could have used more than one method of data collection to triangulate the findings and ensure accuracy.

Retaining and changing aspects of the methodology:

I would retain the use of a survey as a research methodology due to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, I would change the survey questions to include both closed and open-ended questions to allow for a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between social support and perceived stress. I would also use multiple methods of data collection, such as interviews or focus groups, to triangulate the findings and ensure accuracy. Additionally, I would expand the sample size to include undergraduate students from multiple universities and a wider range of demographics to increase the generalizability of the results.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the use of a survey as a quantitative research methodology has both strengths and weaknesses. While it allows for the collection of a large amount of data from a relatively large sample size, it may also limit the depth of information collected and be subject to biases such as social desirability bias. To improve the study, researchers could use a more diverse sample, include open-ended questions, and use multiple methods of data collection.