course material

1. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay Paper
Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperIt was recognised that participating in
the research and disclosing potentially difficult and ethically challenging practice scenarios
may result in participants experiencing distress. Therefore the availability of counsellor was
arranged with AUT Health and Wellbeing services should this be required. Refer to the
Participant Information sheet, Consent forms and AUT Health and Wellbeing letter
(Appendix, ). Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperDuring the development of
the proposal consideration was given to a process to follow if a participant disclosed unsafe
nursing practice. Following rigorous discussion with the supervisors it was decided that the
participants comprised an experienced group of nurses who were practicing autonomously
and that it was highly unlikely that this scenario would ensue. However in order to protect
both the participants and the researcher this was discussed at the start of each in-depth
interview. Participants were informed that if any concerning nursing practice was disclosed
the researcher would be obligated to discuss the concerns with this with the participant and
if the matter could not be resolved the researcher would discuss the concerns with the
supervisors for further advice. Issues such as uncovering unsafe or illegal nursing practice
did not arise during the data collection phase and there was no need at any stage to follow
through with this plan.Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperSeeking informed
consentObtaining informed consent implies a process has been undertaken in which
participants have received information and understood the research, and are able to
consent voluntarily or not to participate in the research (Polit et al, 2001). Participation in
all stages of the research was voluntary. Full explanation of the study was provided in
Information sheets (Appendix ). Because the survey questionnaire was anonymous once
received by the researcher the participants were not able to withdraw from that phase of
the research. Return of the completed survey questionnaire implied consent (Appendix 11 ).
Written consent was obtained from the in-depth interview and data collection activity
participants (AppendixAll steps possible were taken throughout the study design and
implementation to ensure participants’ anonymity, privacy and confidentiality. Details
of the voluntary and confidential nature of the research were outlined to the potential
participants in the information sheet and consent forms (Appendix ). These details were
reiterated at the commencement of each in-depth interview. All 6 participants indicated
they understood this issue and the steps the researcher would take in the final presentation
to maintain confidentiality and anonymity as much as practicable. The final report was
returned to the participants for reviewing and checking. Participant Sampling And

2. Recruitment Essay PaperMaintaining anonymity and confidentiality in a small group that
practiced in a public forum presented particular challenges. In addition to employing
pseudonyms, some detail such as; descriptions of work settings, timeframes and details of
specific incidents from the practice stories, was altered so that particular scenarios are not
identifiable and therefore neither was the CLN. It was particularly important to the integrity
of the research that the participants felt confident their responses would be kept private
and confidential and their anonymity would be protected as far as possible. Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperParticipants have the right to expect that any
information they share during the study will be kept in the strictest confidence (Polit, Beck
& Hungler, 2001). Only the researcher had access to the raw data (surveys questionnaires,
interview transcripts and data collection activity, database base with individual names). The
supervisors only had access to raw data with the researcher. Raw data was kept in a locked
drawer in the researcher’s office at the Southern District Health Board in Otago. Raw
data and the database were destroyed on final completion of the thesis. Confidentiality
agreements were signed by the AUT Administrative assistant and the interview transcriber
(Appendix ). The research focus was the nursing practice therefore no identifying
information regarding the person being referred to the court liaison nurse was collected at
any stage of the research.Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperFor a copy of
the relevant documents pertaining to consent processes refer to Appendix...Cultural
consultationAs with any healthcare practice and/or research in New Zealand there is a
commitment to the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Any research with people requires
thoughtful consideration of the ethical and cultural implications of the study (Davison &
Tolich, 2003). Therefore obtaining cultural advice was one of the key components
contemplated in the development of this research.Consultation occurred with a cultural
advisor regarding the ethical and cultural implications of all stages of the research from
development of the proposal, developing the research tools and protocol regarding
conducting the interviews and analysis as it effected Maori. The Cultural advisor to the
research guided the researcher to explicitly solicit information regarding whether Maori
models or frameworks were used reminding the researcher of the demographics of the
people who come through the criminal justice system and the demographics of the nursing
profession. The Cultural Advisor suggested identifying if there were any disparities here for
recommendations for future education regarding the court liaison nurse role. The interview
process was discussed with the Cultural Advisor and the researcher was prompted to
ensure the participants had the opportunity for a support person with them if they so
wished. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperDuring the data analysis phase
of the research process insights and reflection on the interpretation of data relating to the
cultural issues were discussed with the Cultural Advisor.Participant Sampling and
RecruitmentIn line with Qualitative descriptive research design purposive sampling was
chosen as the sampling strategy for the research. The objective of purposive sampling is to
identify information rich cases for in depth examination (Patton, 1990).Survey
questionnaireAll nurses practicing in the court liaison role in New Zealand whether full
time, part time or who carry out a relieving or who provided cover role for the were invited
to participate in phase one of the research. Inclusion of as many of the court liaison nurses

3. as possible was to maximise the scope and variety of information gathered from the study
context. Purposive sampling assists with this ensuring that participants are typical of the
population or particularly knowledgeable about the subject (Polit & Beck, 2008) and to be
representative of the group. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe
purposeful maximum variation sample (Sandelowski, 1995) included participants from
three areas in each of the North and South Islands reflected a wide variety in terms of
experience and location (city and rural). Thought was given to the need to have the means
to explore common and unique manifestations of how this nursing role had developed to
capture commonalities as well as any regional variations or idiosyncrasies in the role
(Sandelowski 2000b).Survey questionnaireMany definitions and methods exist in relation
to surveys (de Leeuw, Hox, & Dillman, 2008). The definition proposed by de Leeuw, Hox, &
Dillman suggests a survey is "a research strategy in which quantitative information is
systematically collected from a relatively large sample taken from a population" (2008, p.2).
A broader view of the survey can be found in descriptive exploratory survey studies
(Schneider, Elliott, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2003). The authors suggest this type of design
is used to obtain accurate information about the characteristics of specific phenomenon, or
rate of a phenomenon’s occurrence, especially when little is understood about the
phenomenon within the positivist paradigm (Schneider, et al, 2003). Davidson and Tolich
suggest surveys provide a ‘snapshot’ of the attitudes, values and behaviour of a group
at one point in time (2003, p.133). Therefore survey questionnaires were used to obtain
baseline information, demographic facts and data about what the nurses do, their attitudes,
and opinions on specific issues, and how they felt about the role (Polit & Beck, 2008).
Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperIn line with the aims of the research to
gather detailed descriptions of the existing practice as a foundation for not only the
following phases of the research but so that there is a fundamental body of knowledge
about the nursing practice in this role and this group of nurses. It was envisioned this data
would provide a platform to make informed decisions regarding future development of the
role. The survey was not designed to determine cause and effect. It was exploratory and
descriptive.Development of the survey questionnaireThe literature review did not reveal a
replicable tool or previous research directly applicable to the New Zealand context
therefore the survey questionnaire was developed by the researcher. Relevant guides were
consulted during this process (Davidson & Tolich, 2003, de Leeuw, et al, 2008). Consultation
with nurses currently practising within the court liaison nurse role took place to ascertain
relevant and topical issues for the nurses and incorporate these in the survey questionnaire
design. Relevant themes elicited from the literature review informed the survey
questionnaire design. However in the main the questionnaire relied heavily on the
researcher’s experiential knowledge and observations from practice and the expertise
and key themes articulated by Kevin Seaton RN in the Chapter "Liaison services to the
courts" (McKenna & Seaton, 2007). Incorporating the Court liaison nurses thoughts and the
researcher’s experiential knowledge is fitting in a research design underpinned by
naturalistic inquiry (Lincolin & Guba, 1985). Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay
PaperDevelopment of the content and structure of the tools was informed with data
collection tools kindly forwarded by Researchers Julie Sharrock and Brenda Happell with

4. permission to utilise these as the researcher saw fit. Sharrock and Happell conducted
research into the Consult Liaison Nurse role in Australia (Sharrock & Happell, 2002).
Similarly the research article by Turnbull and Beese (2000) detailing their research into the
role of the community mental health nurse in Magistrates courts in one area in the United
Kingdom was drawn on in development of the survey questionnaire. The format used to
explore the nature of and quality of working relationships was assisted with the design of
similar questions in the survey questionnaire (Turnbull & Beese, 2000).In seeking to
positively influence the response rate attention was paid to the structure of the survey
questionnaire. The use of language was reviewed to ensure it was as jargon free and user
friendly as possible (Davidson & Tolich, 2003). Likewise questions were kept simple with
one question asked at a time to avoid confusion and non responses or incomplete answers
(Davidson & Tolich, 2003). Each section commenced with close ended questions to obtain
hard data regarding particular issues or demographic details followed by open ended
questions to tease the information out and encourage participation by giving the nurses
voice. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe length of the survey and the
time that nurses would have to take out of their day to complete it was taken into account.
The researcher estimated that the questionnaire would take 20 – 30 minutes to complete.
There was a danger that the time taken to complete the survey was too long and may
discourage completion. Davidson and Tolich (2003) suggest that 10 minutes is the average
attention span length for completing surveys. Acknowledging that CLNs often practice in
extremely stressful busy circumstances in the court the researcher attempted to balance the
need to be mindful of time with the fact this was the first piece of research into this role in
New Zealand. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperAccordingly the physical
layout was kept uncluttered and easy to follow. Roberts and Taylor (2002) suggest the
physical layout including appearance, quality and colour, and the inclusion of a stamped
return-addressed envelope influence the return rate. The questionnaire was printed out on
white A4 paper with black size 11 Calibri font consisting of fourteen numbered single sided
pages. The questions were grouped into sections for ease of understanding. The reminder
letter was printed on light blue coloured paper to ensure it stood out with mail trays and
hopefully serve as a prompt to complete the survey. Questions were coded throughout the
survey with numerical response to assist with analysis. The researcher developed a data set
on SPSS v. The data set layout and coding were reviewed and checked by one of the
supervisors and reviewed with an expert in SPSS from AUT University. Participant Sampling
And Recruitment Essay PaperPiloting/pre testing the survey questionnairePiloting a
questionnaire generally assists the researcher to clarify whether the tool is clearly worded
and will provide the data required to answer the research question. Piloting allows for
refinement of the data collection tool and generally increases validity (Burns & Grove,
2007). It also facilitates checking the tool does not contain any major biases (Polit, Beck, &
Hungler, 2001). This was a major consideration for the researcher given my experience in
the role and ongoing involvement with CLNs and therefore potential for biases to creep in.
One of the supervisors with extensive knowledge in forensic mental health nursing
provided rigorous feedback challenged the researcher’s rationales for including
questions or asking them in a particular manner. This ensured as much as was practicable

5. any personal biases on the part of the researcher did not colour the questions. Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperUsually the pilot is performed by a small sample of
the target population with those undertaking the pilot having the necessary knowledge and
skills to complete and evaluate the questionnaire reliably (Burns & Grove, 2001). The
survey questionnaire was piloted on two occasions. Firstly with a nurse who had practised
in a consult liaison nurse role in a general hospital (a role with some similarities to the CLN
role e.g. sole mental health practitioner and significant liaison and educational aspect to
role). Following the recommendations from the first pilot the tool was adjusted. The tool
was then piloted with a nurse who had previously practiced in the court liaison nurse role.
The nurses who pre-tested the survey were asked to read the Participant Information Sheet
and complete the survey considering the following: Participant Sampling And Recruitment
Essay PaperIf the terminology was easy to follow and applicableHow difficult or complex
they found the survey overallHow complicated they found individual questionsIf the aims of
the research as described to the participants conveyed what the researcher hoped they
didHow long it took to complete and whether there was enough space to write
answersBased on Davidson and Tolich (2003, p.142)Feedback provided assisted with
clarifying how some questions were asked to ensure the instructions were explicit. The tool
was not piloted more widely with the target population due to the actual small size of the
population and not wanting to adversely affect the potential for participation.This format
chosen so that the more sensitive items or topics requiring more thought were last
(Davidson & Tolich, 2003)ORDER A PLAGIARISM- FREE PAPER NOWClearly use of open-
ended questions can result in diverse data which was fitting with the aims of the research
(Polit, Beck, & Hungler, 2001). Open ended questions also enabled generation of practice
issues the researcher may not have been aware of (Schneider et al., 2007), acknowledging
to the nurses they were the experts in this role and their opinions were valuable. Open
ended questions allowed as much information as possible to inform the following phases of
the research. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe aim of this phase of
the research was to explore beyond background demographic information, role description
and working conditions to pull out intricate details surrounding individual experiences, the
thought processes, feelings, and beliefs relating to practicing as a nurse in the criminal
justice system.Semi–structured interviews were chosen in preference to structured
interviews. Data collection by semi-structured interviews allows participants to be asked
questions within a flexible framework (Patton, 1990). Interview questions in semi-
structured interviews are guided by a list of particular topics to be covered (Schneider et al,
2003) rather than a list of set questions (Polit et al, 2001). The idea being that this group of
senior nurses who practice autonomously would be able to talk freely on all the topics,
describe the challenges, what works well and provide critique the role and
systems.Following each interview, notes were made of any contextual or other general
impressions of the interview, and possible changes to the interview guide. Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperMiller and Crabtree describe "the interview as a
research gathering approach that seeks to create a listening space where meaning is
constructed through an interexchange/cocreation of verbal viewpoints" (1999, p.89) To
make the most of this approach two hours were allowed for the interviews. These took

6. place in the participants own health setting at a negotiated time. Refreshments had been
offered by the researcher however due to time and flight schedules this proved challenging
to facilitate with all participants. This was discussed with participants and it did not appear
to present a concern for any of them. On the contrary the participants were extremely
welcoming and generously provided refreshments expressing happiness to be taking part in
the research. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperBeing a registered nurse
with many years of experience in interviewing people did not preclude undertaking specific
preparation prior to conducting the interviews. Approaches to the interviews and processes
were initially reflected upon and discussed with the Cultural Advisor, and then the local
supervisor both before and after interviews. Guides to carrying out interviews were
perused (Crabtree & Miller, 1999; Davidson & Tolich, 2003; Smythe & Giddings, 2007) with
the aim of ensuring a genuine and respectful relationship developed during the interview to
facilitate depth and richness of data. The logical conclusion would be that if this level of
trust and rapport was not established then superficial data would result. Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe notion of "Researcher as instrument" is one of
the underpinning principles of Naturalistic Inquiry (Lincolin & Guba, 1985) Meaning the
inquirer or researcher is sensitive and responsive to the intricacies of the inquiry process,
and also to the differing nurses and levels of experience and skill and expertise in the role.
In other words the researcher is able to follow cues or leads, explore issues and topics as
they arose and appeared relevant to the purpose of the study demonstrating skill in
interpreting and responsiveness to cues to guide the study. This fine tuning process was
undertaken as each interview took place the cues or leads provided by the participant
guided me regarding the next interview. This process extended to Phase 3 as elaborated
below. Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe progression of the
interviews was very much as Smythe describes "People don’t speak or think in a linear
fashion" (Smyth & Giddings, 2007, p.49). The initial approach in the interview was to start
with broad open ended questions such as "tell me about how you came to be in this role?",
"Talk me through your day", with the intention of then working through the Interview
guide. However from the first interview all that was required was to ask the initial question,
and then dialogue flowed in torrents. The interview guide was subsequently used as a
checklist whereby topics were ticked off as the nurses covered them and only referred to at
the end of the interviews if specific topic areas had not been covered by the nurses. My role
as inquirer was to listen and perhaps prompt or clarify at times. Smythe (Smythe &
Giddings, 2007). Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperThe Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) v.19 was used to generate the statistical analysis. Qualitative
content analysis which is fitting in Qualitative descriptive methodologies (Sandelowski,
2000b) was employed to analyse qualitative data in to themes.Data was entered into the
SPSS version19 dataset. SPSS is particularly suited to the analysis of quantitative research
to facilitate the processing of large quantities of data and calculation of statistical measures.
The quantitative data collected was mainly nominal and ordinal hence non-parametric tests
formed the core of analysis. Guidance and assistance was sought from one of the
supervisors and an expert in SPSS from AUT University. Each question was initially
analysed individually. Then data was organised through a process of reduction, merging and

7. interpretation to complete the analysis (Davidson & Tolich, 2003). This process was
undertaken in consultation with the supervisors. Participant Sampling And Recruitment
Essay PaperThe thesis has already established its position with respect to the findings being
viewed as "Constructions" or "meanings" and therefore "created realities" between
participants and researcher (Guba & Lincoln, 1989, p.143). This means that any
construction which emerges from a qualitative inquiry may be seen as unique, for a
particular set of circumstances may never occur again in exactly the same way.So with the
underlying assumption that reality can be interpreted in many ways and understanding is
dependent on subjective dynamic interpretation qualitative content analysis (Hsiu-Fang &
Shannon, 2005; Sandelowski, 2000b) was deemed that most appropriate data analysis
strategy. Qualitative content analysis is described as "reflexive and interactive as the
researchers continuously modify their treatment of data to accommodate new data and new
insights about those data" (Sandelowski, 2000b, p.338). This approach of analysis is
oriented toward summarizing the informational content of that data (Sandelowski, 2000b).
Content analysis involves reading the material and "using a consistent set of codes to
designate data segments that contain similar material" (Morgan, 1993, p.114). Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperQualitative data was transcribed verbatim from the
interviews and survey questionnaires onto Microsoft word. The codes are derived from the
data and can be modified as the careful reading and re-reading of the data takes place
during the course of the study (Morgan, 1993; Sandelowski, 2000b). To achieve this, the
transcripts were read and tapes listened to repeatedly. Then initial codes using different
colours per code were derived firstly by the researcher and then one of the supervisors.
These were bought together and discussed and consensus reached. As Morgan (1993)
describes the codes were derived from the data and through careful reading and re-reading
of the data they were modified.The data was recoded several times into categories and
revisited and until the researcher was satisfied with the groupings. As suggested by Morse
(1992) ongoing analysis enables the researcher to proceed with the analysis as they gain
understanding and insight about the phenomena of interest within the study.Participant
Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperPatterns in the categories were then interpreted
asking why and how the patterns came about and summarizing and grouping (or
interpreting) the patterns into themes (Morgan, 1993). ‘Theme’ or ‘Pattern’ can
imply a variety of meanings, including a recurring event (or frequency of occurrence) and a
unifying element, essence, or motif (or singular thread or link) (Sandelowski and Barroso,
2002). The research sought patterns and ideas that described current practice, would
inform future practice, and identify areas (of practice) for further exploration.It is
recognised that knowing about a phenomenon includes understanding the context to give
meaning to the phenomenon and that all description requires perception (Sandelowski,
2000b). Therefore it follows that the choice of what to describe and the process of
describing involves transformation or interpretation (Sandelowski, 2000b). Maxwell
describes interpretive accounts as "ground in the language of the people studied and rely as
much as possible on their own words and concepts" (Maxwell, 1992, p.289). Interpretation
occurs through the researcher’s familiarity with the data. Constantly returning to the
original data sources develops the researcher’s intuitive grasp of its meaning, which

8. finally matures into an interpretation of the multiple realties that exist.Participant Sampling
And Recruitment Essay PaperAs per the previous process once themes were derived the
methodological expertise of one the supervisors who was intimately involved in the
research was used ensure that the themes fit the data. Therefore interpretive validity of the
study is assisted by this review of thematic analysis. However a caveat applies here and the
research acknowledges that the ‘expert’ can only validate what was presented to
them (Sandelowski, 1998; Maxwell, 1992).The repetitive analysis process occurred until
transparency was achieved and a report representative of the information provided by the
nurses was produced. The interview participants indicated that the analysis of the data
organised into themes was reflective of the content of the interviews and lends confidence
to the applicability of the findings. Interpretive validity of the findings was also
demonstrated by having them approved by the constructors as suggested by (Lincolin &
Guba, 1985).Careful attention was paid to ensure that choices about what was emphasized
in the research fit the research purpose and methods (Sandelowski, 1998). Themes were
arranged in a straight forward manner from the most prevalent to least prevalent theme, in
keeping with Sandelowski’s recommendation that "a straight descriptive summary of
the informational contents of the data organised in a way that best fits the data" (2000b, p.
338). Data across the three data collection methods were integrated descriptively in the
analysis (Creswell, 2003). Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay PaperIn qualitative
descriptive studies the writing task is to ensure that the reader hears the participant’s
voice with minimal voice-overs by the researcher (Sandelowski, 2000b). The researcher
viewed this being conduit for the CLNs perspectives with the aim for the nurses
descriptions and voice to take precedence in the writing up. Attention was paid to ensuring
the CLNs views were accurately captured. Portrayal of the common as well as idiosyncratic
themes in the interview data, with the CLNs words paraphrased or quoted to illustrate these
views was essential. Central to this notion is the researcher’s belief the research must be
of most relevance to the audience for whom it was written – not sure where i was going
here.... Participant Sampling And Recruitment Essay Paper