(^122) Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice: Model and Guidelines, Third Edition
Explanatory sequential designs are sequential designs with quantitative data
collected in the initial phase, followed by qualitative data (Polit & Beck, 2017).
These are basic questions for explanatory research: “What does a particular
phenomenon look like? Does a particular theory explain the phenomenon of
interest?”
Example: Convergent Parallel Design
LaFond, Van Hulle Vincent, Oosterhouse, and Wilkie (2016) used a convergent
parallel design to evaluate nurses’ beliefs regarding pain in critically ill children.
Registered nurses working at least 20 hours a week for the past year in a pediatric
intensive care unit (PICU) completed the Pain Beliefs and Practices Questionnaire
(PBPQ) and participated in semistructured interviews after viewing patient-
scenario vignettes. Data collection occurred concurrently, and the research team
analyzed both the PBPQ results and qualitative themes for points of convergence
and divergence. Results from the study indicated that PICU nurses were
knowledgeable about effective pain-management practices but needed additional
information on pharmacokinetics.Example: Explanatory Sequential Design
McConnell and Moroney (2015) conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-
methods study in order to identify the barriers to involving relatives in patient care
in the intensive care unit (ICU). The study team collected data from 70 critical-
care nurses first using an online questionnaire. Results from the quantitative
phase were used to inform the questions for the semistructured interviews. The
study identified several barriers to involving relatives in care of the ICU patient:
factors related to 1) the ICU patient, 2) the ICU relative, 3) the critical-care nurse,
and 4) the intensive care environment.Exploratory sequential designs begin with an exploratory qualitative phase of
data collection and analysis followed by the quantitative phase. This design is of-
ten used when the qualitative findings need to be tested or generalized (Creswell,
2014). Exploratory sequential designs are well suited for studies related to theory
development or instrument development.