Methodology
In this research proposal, methodology seeks to describe the process of data collection, recording, target population, and analysis. It aims at proposing cost-effective and efficient methods. In addition, the methodology will present the methods that ensure the validity and reliability of the research (Jha, 2008).
Population
Population refers to the number of people relevant to research. In this case, the target population comprises doctors who are treating cancer, pharmacists, and patients. Regarding the patient, this research will focus on patients who have been diagnosed using old and new drugs of chemotherapy. In this light, various hospitals will be requested to give a list of those patients who have been diagnosed using the two drugs. The research will consider national hospitals within the country regarding the hospitals. In this case, the hospitals must have been providing the diagnosis of cancer for the last ten years.
This will ensure that the hospital has experienced the old and new era of drugs. Also, the research will consider the NGOs that fight terminal diseases through sponsorships and public campaigns. Considering these data sets, the target population is significantly large. Therefore, the research cannot be based on the whole population owing to time and research cost. In this light, sampling must be carried out by ensuring that the research considers a smaller number of respondents than the whole population.
Sampling
In this case, a sample refers to a part of the target population that is considered for research. In this light, a sample population must reflect the nature of the whole population. Therefore, it must be selected in a manner that ensures the credibility and validity of the results (Krishnaiah & Rao, 1988). According to the target population, there are four data sets. These data sets involve National hospitals, Non-Governmental Organizations, doctors, and patients. In this case, the sampling must be carried out on the four data sets. In this light, it will be done using a random purposive sampling method. This method has two crucial components.
First, it collects the samples in a random manner ensuring that the sample is not biased (Thompson, 1992). Therefore, the sample is not collected in a manner that seeks to favor some predetermined results. Secondly, the methods incorporate a purposive element. This depicts the consideration of a sample that is relevant to the research. In this case, the sample will consider 10 national hospitals that have dealt with cancer for the last ten years. This condition fulfills the purposive sampling nature. The NGOs must have campaigned against cancer for the last five years. This ensures that the NGOs have enough experience concerning the difference between the two drugs in this research.
In addition, the researchers will consider the chief doctors dealing with cancer at the national level. This will ensure that the doctors have the required knowledge to help them give credit information about the two drugs in this research. on the other hand, the research will focus on patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. In addition, patients must have been diagnosed with the two drugs in two different situations. This will ensure that the patients can give reliable information concerning the difference perceived from the two cases. In addition, the patients will incorporate three age brackets. The first age bracket will range from the age of 15 to 30 years.
The second age bracket will range from the age of 31 to 50 years. Lastly, it will focus on the age of beyond 50 years. This variation in the age of patients will ensure that the effectiveness of these two drugs is determined at various age brackets rather than restricting this research to a single age bracket. Moreover, the research will consider both females and males. In this case, the research will seek to understand the effect of these two drugs on males and females. Therefore, it will be possible to determine the disparities that relate to gender. As a result, the research will be all-inclusive owing to the inclusion of all the key players who are fighting cancer. Therefore, it will produce reliable and credible results that can be used for the analysis.
Instrumentation
In this light, the research cannot rely on the memory of the researcher owing to memory loss. Therefore, various instruments and tools will be used for the collection and analysis of the collected information. In this light, the research will use questionnaires for collecting data. In this case, the questionnaires will be flexible. This implies that they allow researchers to change their content to accommodate themes arising during the research (Bulmer, Vaus & Fielding, 2004). Also, it allows the removal of irrelevant themes that might have been included during the research proposal. This will ensure that the research does not leave out some necessary information that could aid in the analysis ad conclusion (Chow, 1988). The questionnaire will include seven questions.
- What are the chemical difference between the new chemotherapy drugs and the old ones?
- How were the old chemotherapy drugs joined with radiotherapy to diagnose cancer?
- Why did the medics opt to switch from the old to the new chemotherapy drugs?
- Have you observed a difference in the effectiveness of the drugs?
- As a patient, what differences did you perceive in your body between the first diagnosis and the second diagnosis?
- As the NGOs, which drugs do you recommend for cancer diagnosis regarding the new and the old chemotherapy drugs?
- Why do you prefer that drug to its counterpart?
The first four questions will be posted to the doctors while the fifth one will focus on the patients. In addition, the sixth and the seventh will consider the NGO respondents.
Secondly, the research will use audio recorders to collect and record data. These will be incorporated to ensure that the researchers do not leave out any information that the respondents give. In this case, it will contain information that the researcher might have forgotten to include during the research (Wallen & Fraenkel, 2000).
Procedures and Time Frames
The research will carry out detailed interviews with the respondents. The interviews will be based on the seven questions in the questionnaires. However, the respondents will be given some allowance seeking to add important information that the respondents did not inquire about. This will allow the addition of themes to the research making it reliable (Rosner, Halcrow & Levins, 2001).
Each of the questions will take a minute. The researcher will have two minutes of self-introduction. Also, the respondents will take two minutes of introduction. Then, each question will take one minute. The respondent will be added two minutes to give the additional information and conclude. This implies that one respondent will be interviewed for thirteen minutes. However, a researcher might choose to extend the time according to situations that surround the interview.
Analysis plan
In this case, qualitative analysis will be considered. The analysis will be done parallel to data collection. This will ensure that researchers can modify the questionnaires to accommodate some arising themes and discard the irrelevant ones. In this light, it will ensure that all the relevant information is considered for the research (Strauss, 1987). In addition, the information from the four data sets will be analyzed differently. This will ensure that the differences are harmonized, and the similarities maintained.
Validity and Reliability
In this research, the validity, reliability credibility of the results is the most essential factor. Therefore, the proposal has ensured that the three characteristics are met. Firstly, the sampling method used in the research is random purposive sampling. In this case, the method does not choose the sample in favor of any desired outcomes. Instead, it collects the sample regardless of the outcome. In addition, it considers the relevant people who can give viable information.
As a result, it is reliable and credible. Secondly, the use of flexible questionnaires ensures that the arising themes are incorporated into the research. This means that the research will not seek the information it considered. Instead, it will be flexible and elastic. It will allow the addition of themes that the respondents give in the interviews. In this case, the research will be reliable and credible. Moreover, the data and information will be recorded using an audio recorder. This will ensure that the analysis considers the exact information from the respondents (Kirk & Miller, 1986).
References
Bulmer, M., Vaus, D. A., & Fielding, N. (2004). Questionnaires. London: Sage Publications.
Chow, M. (1988). Questionnaires. Ottawa: Public Works Canada, Architectural and Engineering Services.
Jha, N. K. (2008). Research methodology. Chandigarh: Abhishek Publications.
Kirk, J., & Miller, M. L. (1986). Reliability and validity in qualitative research. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Krishnaiah, P. R., & Rao, C. R. (1988). Sampling. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Rosner, B., Halcrow, A., & Levins, A. S. (2001). Interviews. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Strauss, A. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press.
Thompson, S. K. (1992). Sampling. New York: Wiley.
Wallen, N. E., & Fraenkel, J. R. (2000). Educational research a guide to the process (2nd ed). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.