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Qualitative Critique

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IntroductionThis study examined qualitative research on "Pregnancy and protection: Perceptions, attitudes and experiences of Australian female adolescents" to determine designs and methods used and to discover emergent themes across study. Most of the study reviewed was described as qualitative or phenomenological by design and included samples comprising of Australian females participants exclusively. Based on analysis of the collective primary findings of the sample research studys, three themes were identified: (a) Perceptions, (b) attitudes and (c) experiences of Australian female adolescents. Overall, the study revealed that most adolescent females perceive pregnancy as a rite of passage and a challenging yet positive life event. This …show more content…

One example of a qualitative research design might be a survey constructed as a precursor to the paper towel experiment. A study completed before the experiment was performed would reveal which of the multitude of brands were the most popular. The quantitative experiment could then be constructed around only these brands, saving a lot of time, money and resources. Qualitative methods are probably the oldest of all experimental techniques, with Ancient Greek philosophers qualitatively observing the world around them and trying to come up with answers which explained what they saw. Some reviews and metasyntheses of qualitative studies have been done [Barroso and Powell-Cope 2000, Field and Marck 1994, Jensen and Allen 1994 and Sleutel 1998], but established and systematic guidelines, aside from critique and evaluation of methodology and quality of the components of the study, are lacking [Sandelowski et al 1997]. [Sandelowski et al 1997] stated, "In general, studies should not be excluded for reasons of quality,…there are wide variations in conceptions of the good, and in quality criteria" (p. 368). Research studies were not excluded based on their scientific merit to avoid exclusion of research studys germane to the purpose of this study. However, universal standards for qualitative research study as

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