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Clinical Research Design

The entry-level psychologist demonstrates a working knowledge of the available types of research design that can be used to evaluate different intervention practices i.e., individual, group, or programme. Staying informed on current evaluation practices, he or she should be familiar with the existing literature on evidence-based practices and endorse its use in research. Displaying a keen interest in seeking answers through research, he or she should have the confidence to conduct the evaluation independently. The psychologist should be able to identify the most appropriate research design used in evaluating their services, and formulate their research plan in advance by taking references from the logic model, Gantt chart, journal papers and other resources.

Case study research enables the psychologist to answer “how” and “why” type questions, while taking into consideration how a phenomenon is influenced by the context within which it is situated (Baxter & Jack, 2008). The psychologist should discriminate between the use of single, holistic or multiple-case studies, and be familiar with the different types of case study designs: explanatory, exploratory, descriptive, intrinsic, instrumental and collective (Yin, 2003; Stake, 1998).

Single-subject designs are tools used to examine the effectiveness of an intervention for a single individual, and they can also be used in individuals with special needs. The entry-level psychologist should be familiar with the four types of single-subject designs that can be used: basic A-B designs, withdrawal designs, multiple baselines designs and multiple probe designs (Alnahdi, 2013).

References

Alnahdi, G. H. (2013). Single‐subject designs in special education: advantages and limitations. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 15(4), 257-265.

Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The qualitative report, 13(4), 544-559.

Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.

Weiss, C. H. (1998). Have we learned anything new about the use of evaluation? American journal of evaluation, 19(1), 21-33.

Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research design and methods third edition. Applied social research methods series, 5.

Here are some ideas and resources to spark your learning and thinking: 

 

Single-subject designs in special education: advantages and limitations

(Alnahdi, 2013): This article provides a concise overview of the characteristics and types of single-subject designs that would be suitable in the field of special education & disabilities.

Summary of resource (page 257-265):

• Characteristics of Single-subject design: Reliable & Repeated measurement, Single variable rule

• Types of Single-subject design: Basic A-B design, Withdrawal design, Multiple baseline design

• Advantages: Causal & functional inferences, Cost-effective

• Issues & Concerns: External validity (focus on single-N, harder to generalize findings)

Alnahdi, G.H., 2013. Single-subject designs in special education: advantages and limitations. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 15(4), pp.257-265.

Link to access: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ghaleb_Alnahdi/publication/259545422_Single-subject_designs_in_special_education_Advantages_and_limitations/links/59ddb6e80f7e9b53c1a3b861/Single-subject-designs-in-special-education-Advantages-and-limitations.pdf

Floor time play with a child with autism: A single-subject study.

(Dionne & Martini, 2011): This article provides an example of using the single-subject design (i.e. Basic A-B design) to implement and examine the effectiveness of an intervention for a child diagnosed with mild-moderate autism.

Summary of resource (page 199-202):

• Methodology: Study design, Participant description, Measures, Procedures (i.e. Observation & Intervention phase)

• Data analysis: Visual analysis and Statistical analysis

• Discussion & Key messages: Preliminary evidence of using Floortime play (FTP) intervention

Dionne, M. and Martini, R., 2011. Floor time play with a child with autism: A single-subject study. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(3), pp.196-203.

Link to access: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rose_Martini/publication/51243882_Floor_Time_Play_with_a_Child_with_Autism_A_Single-Subject_Study/links/0fcfd50643d6e8cd27000000/Floor-Time-Play-with-a-Child-with-Autism-A-Single-Subject-Study.pdf

Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers

(Baxter & Jack, 2008): This article provides an overview of case study designs and recommendations for writing research questions, develop propositions, determine the “case” understudy, and a discussion of data sources and triangulation. Clear examples of research questions, study propositions and case study designs are provided to facilitate applying these principles.

Summary of resource (page 545-556):

• Introduction: When to use case study approach, Case study research questions, Type of case study

• Case study propositions: identify the scope of the study, improve the feasibility

Baxter, P. and Jack, S., 2008. Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The qualitative report, 13(4), pp.544-559.

Link to access: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1573&context=tqr/

A (very) brief refresher on the case study method

(Yin, 2012): This book chapter provides a refresher to key components of the case study design, and draws from three previous summaries (i.e. Yin 2006, 2009b and 2011a).

Summary of resource (page 3-10):

• Designing case studies

i) Define “case” (i.e. identify the primary unit of analysis – a person, organization, event, social phenomenon)

ii) Select appropriate case design (i.e. single, multiple, holistic, embedded),

iii) Incorporate theory into case design (where necessary)

Yin, R.K., 2012. A (very) brief refresher on the case study method. Applications of case study research, pp.3-20.

Link to access: https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/41407_1.pdf

Types of baselines & Single-subject designs (30mins)

This video serves as a tutorial to review the different types of single-subject designs (e.g. basic AB, withdrawal, multiple baseline designs) that are applicable across all research settings. Examples and graphs are also provided to illustrate how the data can be interpreted.

Single Subject research

This deck of slides introduces different single-subject designs and offers some useful guidelines for consideration during actual implementation.

• Examples: condition length (i.e. slide 19), single variable rule (i.e. slide 21), no. of baselines (i.e. slide 27).

Summary on Case Study Research by Yin

This 20-page document succinctly summarised Robert K. Yin’s "Case Study Research: design and methods." 4-th edition, 2009. This document helps to set the foundation for: (i) Plan, (ii) Design, (iii) Prepare (and share your preparation), (iv) Collect (data), (v) Analyse, (vi) Share.

http://www.managementissues.com/images/Case_Study_Research_Yin.pdf

http://www.managementissues.com/index.php/organisatietools/83-organisatietools/693-case-study-research-design-and-methods

How to Plan/Manage your Research Study

This information serves as a starter kit to plan your research study for a novice in research.

https://www.wiley.com/network/researchers/writing-and-conducting-research/seven-essential-tips-for-managing-a-large-research-project

Logic Model

1.A logic model provides an illustration of how your research is supposed to be. This website provides an overview of a logic model.

https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/overview/models-for-community-health-and-development/logic-model-development/main

2.This is a step-by-step guide to build your logic model (it’s free, but you must create an account).

https://toolkit.childwelfare.gov/toolkit/