Introduction to Quantitative Research Design and Methods

2 Credits.

This course will provide an introduction to the principles and concepts relevant to leading quantitative research in the health sciences. Foundational methodological concepts will be defined and discussed using standard research terminology, including common threats to internal and external validity, principles of causal inference, and sources of bias, focusing on sampling bias, measurement bias and confounding. Students will also be introduced to the ways in which experimental and observational study designs differ with regard to threats to validity and sources of bias. Students will learn to critique the strengths and limitations of common quantitative research methods, including study designs, sampling methods and measurement methods, with regard to validity, bias and causal inference. Discussions will address scientific integrity, the ethical conduct of research, and will address issues surrounding health equity throughout the research process. All content will be reviewed with consideration of how the nursing perspective shapes the conduct of research.