Homework

1. Type of research and why it is true?
The type of research involved in quantitative. Specifically, the quantitative design used is correlational. The research is quantitative since it primarily involves the investigation of an identified problem based on theory, the collection of data, statistical analysis of the data collected and the drawing of conclusions from the analysis results. The general theory informs that a link exists between limited health literacy and a decline in physical functioning. The study aimed to establish whether there is a link between limited health literacy and a decline in physical functioning among the elderly. The study collected data, analyzed the data, and drew conclusions from the analysis results. The quantitative design is correlational since the study involves no treatment (medical), the study aims to examine a relationship between variables, and the representative sample is evaluated as a single group.
2. Critiquing research designs
The research design in this study exhibits a high degree of panel attrition. That is, a high number of respondents have left from the commencement to the conclusion of the study. The unavailability of respondents to participate in this study carried out once in a while for a prolonged time is a significant hindrance. The respondents are willing to cooperate for various reasons, such as refusing to participate in the study for no good reason, passing away, and having conflicting schedules. This adversely affects the conclusions drawn from the study due to the decrease of data collected and analyzed.

For instance, out of the 1904 respondents eligible for the study, only 529 respondents participated in the study. The rest (over 75%) were absolved from the study. This has a substantial impact on the conclusions drawn from the study.
3. Critiquing sampling plan
The study relied on a prospective cohort study. The researchers picked a cohort of older adults and evaluated the effect of health literacy on the physical health of the older adults over a prolonged period – from August 2008 to October 2011. A drawback of this type of sampling plan is that it requires a large number of respondents thus is carried over a long period. Specifically, the study was carried for approximately four years before conclusions were drawn. This is a long period before the researchers made any meaningful conclusion. The number of deaths of older adults as a result of physical health deterioration would have possibly been mitigated had an alternative sampling plan been adopted allowing the study to be completed in a shorter period.
4. Critiquing data collection
The study relied on questionnaires (surveys) for data collection whereby a set of questions was availed to respondents, and they were required to answer those questions. A drawback of this method of data collection is bias due to self-reporting. A majority of the respondents may not clearly remember some of the activities they may have undertaken in the past. This could be due to memory loss since the respondents are older adults between the age of 55 and 74 years who could be slowly suffering from memory loss that was undetectable during the screening phase. For instance, the measurement of physical actions whereby respondents were asked a set of questions relating to everyday activities such as bathing and dressing could have been affected by bias. A majority of the respondents could not precisely recall some of these daily activities thus giving biased answers, which adversely affects the conclusions drawn from the data.
5. Critiquing statistical analyses
The study relied on inferential statistics for statistical analysis. Inferential statistics encompass testing the link between variables through varied statistical procedures. A drawback of this form of statistical analysis is that the dependent variable could be affected by a plethora of extraneous factors. It is not only cumbersome to measure these extraneous factors, but also it is impractical to control these extraneous factors. For instance, the physical health of older adults is significantly influenced by numerous social, economic, cultural and political factors that are difficult to control. Consequently, the conclusions drawn from the adopted type of statistical analysis in this study could be misguiding.
6. Critiquing interpretation
The study includes significant technical terms in the discussion section that may be not easily understood by the intended users – policy makers and older adults – without a background in statistics. For instance, the study includes a regression analysis (Table 3) in the discussion section. It would be difficult for an intended user of the study without prior knowledge in statistics to follow and understand the conclusions drawn. This is very frustrating; thus the study may not benefit a majority of the intended users.
7. Critiquing research rigor
Research rigor entails precisely following the set rules to draw meaningful conclusions from a study. In the study, older adults identified to exhibit vision and hearing impairment were eliminated from the study during the screening phase. This adversely affects the conclusions drawn from the study due to attrition in the heterogeneity of the respondents. A majority of the intended target group for this study suffer from vision and hearing impairment since they are rapidly aging. Therefore, the researchers would have established alternative techniques of collecting data from such respondents instead of sidelining them.