A pilot study as on experimental exploratory, test , preliminary , trial or try out investigation. A trial study carried out before a research design is finalized to assist in defining the research questions or to test the feasibility, reliability and validity of proposed study design. A small scale study conducted to test the plan and method of a research study.

1. Presented by –Pushpa jaisal
M.Sc. (N) Ist year
college of nursing K.G.M.U.

3. INTRODUCTION
 A pilot study as on experimental
exploratory, test , preliminary , trial
or try out investigation.
 A trial study carried out before a
research design is finalized to assist
in defining the research questions or
to test the feasibility, reliability and
validity of proposed study design.
 A small scale study conducted to test
the plan and method of a research
study.

4. DEFINITION
 A pilot study is a small scale trial run of the
actual research project. It is the rehearsal of
the main study. It covers the entire process of
the research”:-
 preperation of a broad plan of the study.
 Constuction of a tool
 Collecting of data
 Processing and analysis of data
 Report writing

5. Purpose of the pilot study
 Assessing study feasibility and practibility of
research study.
 Assessing the availability of the study subject.
 Establishing validity and reliability of the
research tools.
 Ensuring the appropriate research methods
and procedures of data collection
 Preliminary data collection.
 Determining the resources required for the
planned study

6. Cont..
 Developing research plan and research team
is knowledgeable and component
 Developing research plan and research
questions.
 Estimating the actual time and potential
problems research study.
 Planning for data analysis and interpretation of
the final larger research.
 Refining research methodology.
 Pilot study result can guide in the designing and
implementation of larger scale efficacy studies.

7. Reasons for conducting
pilot study
 Process :This assess the feasibility of the process that
are key to the success of the main study.
 Resourses :The deals with assessing time and
resources problem that can occurs during the main
study.
 Management :This covers potential human and
data Management problems.
 Scientific : This deals with the assessment of the
response , effect and variance of the effect

8. Other reasons
 Developing and testing adequacy of research
instrument.
 Assessing the feasibility of a full scale study / survey.
 Establishing whether the sampling frame and
technique are effcetive collecting preliminary data.
 Determine what resource are needed for a planned
study.
 Assessing the proposal data analysis technique to
uncover potential problems.
 Developing a research question and research plan.

9. Advantages of pilot study
 It permits preliminary testing of hypothesis that leads
to testing more precise hypothesis in the main study.
It may lead to changing some hypothesis , dropping
some or developing new hypothesis .
 It often provides the researcher with ideas , approach
and clues the researcher may not have for seen before
conducting the pilot study. Such ideas and clues
increase the chance of getting clearer finding in the
main study.
 Importance in determining the size of the sample.

10. Cont...
 It permits a through check of the planned stastical
and analytic procedures , giving a researcher a
chance to evaluate their usefullness to the data .
 It can greatly reduce the number of unanticipated
problems because the researcher have all opportunity
to redesign parts of his/her study to overcome
difficulties that the pilot study reveals.
 It may save lot of time and money.
 In the pilot study, the researcher may try out a
number of alternative measures and then select those
that produce the clearest result for the main study.

11. Disadvantages of pilot study
 Pilot study is done on a smaller scale. Thus actual results of
the study may vary from the result of pilot study.
 Pilot studies , therefore may not be appropiate for case
studies.
 Pilot study is normally small in comparison with the main
experiment and therefore ,can provide only limited
information on the resources an magnitude of variation of
response measures.
 Pilot study research design is the structured study introduceds
biases into the result of the study to prove exactly what the
researcher wanted to show.

12. Sumary

13. Assignment
 Write short notes on pilot study and
adavantages and disadvantages.