Choosing your methodology to answer your question

Educational research is a component of undergraduate education, vocational training and of continuing professional development in primary care. The research planning process begins with a research question, and continues with choosing an appropriate method that enables the researcher to answer this question. Research methods are basically defined as quantitative, qualitative or mixed types, and described by using different characteristics of the study such as data collection techniques, data characteristics, aim, timing of data collection, number of participant or observation unit, experiment-measure conditions and manipulation/intervention status. Primary care researchers work within three main research areas: teaching, organisation and clinical service delivery. An intervention study could explore the effectiveness of online education or computer-based examinations versus conventional methods. Research questions about the evaluation of interdisciplinary cooperation and coordination, quality/standards/accreditation or the impact of learning on the learners may need mixed methodology.