Realist methods in medical education research: what are they and what can they contribute?

Medical Education 2012: 46: 89-96 Context Education is a complex intervention which produces different outcomes in different circumstances. Education researchers have long recognised the need to supplement experimental studies of efficacy with a broader range of study designs that will help to unpac...

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Publicado en:Medical Education Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 89 - 97
Autores principales: Wong, Geoff, Greenhalgh, Trisha, Westhorp, Gill, Pawson, Ray
Formato: Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Jan2012
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Realist methods in medical education research: what are they and what can they contribute?
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          Wong, Geoff
          Greenhalgh, Trisha
          Westhorp, Gill
          Pawson, Ray
        affil: Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
      sug:
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          Education, Medical
          Education Research Methods
          Research Methodology
      ab: Medical Education 2012: 46: 89-96 Context Education is a complex intervention which produces different outcomes in different circumstances. Education researchers have long recognised the need to supplement experimental studies of efficacy with a broader range of study designs that will help to unpack the 'how' and 'why' questions and illuminate the many, varied and interdependent mechanisms by which interventions may work (or fail to work) in different contexts. Methods One promising approach is realist evaluation, which seeks to establish what works, for whom, in what circumstances, in what respects, to what extent, and why. This paper introduces the realist approach and explains why it is particularly suited to education research. It gives a brief introduction to the philosophical assumptions underlying realist methods and outlines key principles of realist evaluation (designed for empirical studies) and realist review (the application of realist methods to secondary research). Discussion The paper warns that realist approaches are not a panacea and lists the circumstances in which they are likely to be particularly useful.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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