A pilot study is a small scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, adverse events, and improve upon the study design prior to performing a full-scale research project. It helps assess whether the research methods can be appropriately applied and determines if the proposed methods and analyses are appropriate for answering the research question. A pilot study aims to identify logistical issues or other problems that may occur so that they can be addressed before embarking on a full-scale research study.

1. PILOT STUDY
Presented By :
Mrs Bemina JA
Assistant Professor
ESIC College Of Nursing
Kalaburagi

2. MEANING AND CONCEPTS
 A pilot study is a small study designed to
gather information prior to a larger study, in
order to improve the quality of final study.
 A pilot study can reveal deficiencies in the
design of a proposed research proposal.
 A good research strategy requires careful
planning & a pilot study often is a part of this
strategy.

3. Pilot study is a trail study carry out before a research
design is finalized to assist in defining the research
question or to test the feasibility, reliability, and
validity of the proposed study design.
“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” Preparation
of a broad plan of the study.
Construction of tool
Collecting of data
Processing and analysis of data
Report writing

4.  Is to test as many elements of the research proposal as
possible, in order to correct any part that does not work
well. For example, the pilot study tests whether the variable
defined by operational definition are actually observable
and measurable. The population it is to cover,
 What are the issues involved? What method of study is
appropriate? How long the study will take? How much it
will cost?
 A pilot study is a “small scale replica” of the main study.
 It covers the entire process of research: preparation of a
broad plan of the study, construction of tools, collection of
data, processing and analysis of data and report writing.

5.  The purpose of pilot study is mainly two fold :mainly
two fold :
 To make improvements in the research project .
 To detect problems that must be solved before the
major be solved before the major study is attempted .
 The purposes explained are
 The purposes explained are
 Determine if the proposed study is feasible or not
 Develop & refine the instrument .
 Develop a protocol for the implementation of the
treatment .
 Identify problems with the design .

6.  Determine if the sample is representative of the population or whether sampling
technique isw hether sampling technique is effective .
 Examine the reliability & validity of the research instrument.
 Reliability is concerned with consistency , accuracy , precision , stability ,
equivalence , homogenecity
 Validity is concerned with content , criterion & construct
 Refine the data collection & analysis plan
 Give the researcher experience with subjects , setting ,with subjects , setting ,
methodology & methods
 Implement analysis techniques .
 Brings out the inadequacies in the drafted questionnaire .
 Tests interviewers stamina to work under conditions of personal under iscomfort ,
stress & fatigue .
 It helps in identifying the need for different vehicles , kinds of equipments which
are needed during the project .
 It provides data for making estimates of time & costs for completing various
phases of the project .Whom to approach, in the town , village.
 What they should or should not say .say .
 Disputes to be handled .
 How interviewer should dress .

7. Main Reasons :
 1. Process : This assesses the feasibility of the process that are key to the
success of the main study
 2. Resources : This deals with assessing time & resource problems that can
occur during the main study.
 3. Management : This covers potential human & data management
problems.
 4. Scientific : This deals with the assessment of the response, effect &
variance of the effect.
OTHER REASONS
 1. Developing & testing adequacy of research instrument.
 2. Assessing the feasibility of a full scale study /survey.
 3. Establishing whether the sampling frame & technique are effective
collecting preliminary data.
 4. Determining what resources are needed for a planned study
 5. Assessing the proposed data analysis techniques to uncover potential
problems.
 6. Developing a research question & research plan.

8. The people are selected for the pilot study who are similar in
characteristics to the sample that will used for the actual
study.
 Pilot study size :
 If sample size is 100 then 10 must be taken for pilot study
(1/10be taken for pilot study (1/10thth ) .) .
 Time and cost may limit the pilot study size .study size .
 Size is determined by the amount of time available .of time
available .
 If the number of subjects or objects is sufficient to test the
usefulness , then the size of the pilot study is adequate .

9. • Adequacy of the study method.
Appropriateness and quality of instruments.
• Strength of relationship between key variable.
 Identification of the confounding variable that
need to be controlled.
 Adequacy of material for research staff.
 Potential problem such as loss of participant
during the course of the study.

10.  Conceptualized the problem
 Thought through the implications
 Completed the literary search
 Stated the hypotheses / Question
 Determined the sample
 Developed the instrument
 Determined the sample
 Developed the instrument
 Worked out the research design
 Decided on the sampling technique
 Decide on the method of testing the hypotheses
 Planned on testing & analyzing his data

11.  It permits preliminary testing of hypothesis that leads to testing
more precise hypotheses in the main study.
 It often provides the researcher with ideas, approaches & clues the
researcher may not have foreseen before conducting the pilot study.
 It may save lot of time & money.
 It permits a thorough check of the planned statistical & analytical
procedures, giving a researcher a chance to evaluate their usefulness
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.
 In the pilot study, the researcher may try out a number of
alternative measures & then select those that produce the clearest
results for the cleanest results for the main study.

12.  Pilot study research design is structured
study; the structured study introduces biases
into the result of the study to prove exactly
what the researchers wanted to show.
 The sample of the study is not randomly
selected.
 The treatment of subjects does not reflect, and
is usually modified to favor the result that the
researcher required.

13.  Possibility of making inaccurate predictions or
assumptions on the basis of pilot data.
• Completing a pilot study successfully is not a
guarantee of the success of the full scale
survey.
• A more common problem is deciding whether
to include pilot study participants in the main
study.

14. • A pilot study is not a hypothesis testing study.
•Safety, efficacy and effectiveness are not
evaluated in a pilot study.
•Feasibility result does not necessarily
generalized beyond the inclusion and
exclusion criteria of pilot design.

15.  Principle of confidentiality
Information discussed in the pilot or pretest
must be kept study or pretest must be kept
confidential .
 Principle of serendity
Pilot study results are always under the influence
results are always under the influence of
serendity principle .
 Not only does the pilot study reveals weaknesses
& flaws , but it can also open up unexpected and
exciting new possibilities .

17.  The subject of pilot study should not be included for the
main study.
 The sample to be included in the pilot study should be large
enough to represent the sample of the main study.
 The information discussed during the pilot study should be
kept confidential.
 The purpose and hypothesis of the study should also be
kept confidential because any publication in this regard
may bias the major study.
 Pretesting of the instrument is done during the pilot study.
 Pretesting or preliminary testing is the process of
measuring the effectiveness of the instruments used to
gather data.