Create a plan that outlines a research study and the associated qualitative method, health & medical homework help
1 Abstract Introduction Employers experience difficulty with poor attendance, high turnover rates, and low morale among their employees. In a study of three large health insurance companies, researchers found that from 11% to 24% of employees missed one to two days of work in the last 28 days; from 5% to 9% of employees missed more than two days in a 28 day period (Bankert, Coberley, Pope, & Wells, 2015). Job satisfaction for employees or
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employee engagement is a high priority of organizations. According to Forbes magazine, about 78% of management rate employee retention as a major problem (Bersin, 2014). The problem to be addressed is a decline in employee satisfaction. Why are employees dissatisfied with their jobs? There seems to be a consensus of employees being confused about their job duties as well as their employers not provideing a better understanding of job duties specific to their positions (Powell, 2015). Employers care about the satisfaction of their employees due to it helping the organization have less turnover (Chinnis, Summers, Doerr, Paulson, & Davis, 2001). Dissatisfaction with job duties can result in poor attendance and lack of interest in the job (Johnson, 2016). Deming’s Theory of quality employee satisfaction is related to job duties (Álvarez-García, Del Río-Rama, Saraiva, & Ramos-Pires, 2016). According to Discrepancy Theory, there are fewer discrepancies when employees are satisfied with their desired job duties (Lee, Wang, & Weststar, 2015). Although there are plenty of online papers and e-journals that talk about employee engagement or satisfaction as they relate to job duties, there is little research to be found on the relationship between job duties and employee satisfaction in peer reviewed academic journals 2 Purpose of Research The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between employee job duties and employee satisfaction. Rehabilitation employees in state psychiatric facilities have three major job duties: working with the patients, completing paperwork, and attending job-related training. It has been noted that employee satisfaction can help boost the success of an organization, lower its costs, and help grow revenue (Ērgle, 2016). Typically, a psychiatric rehabilitation employer conducts an annual review with employees, telling them how well they interacted with patients, completed their paperwork, and attended both required and optional job-related training. If employees are not satisfied with their ratings, it can cause cynicism toward the organization causing strain within the organization. The challenge of changing how employees feel about their job and the organization depends on the leadership of the organization (Witt, 2014). Specifically, this study will assess the extent to which to the independent variables, portion of time spent working with patients, the amount of time spent in training, and the portion of time spent on paperwork are related to the dependent variable, employee satisfaction among the rehabilitation employees of one campus in a state psychiatric facility. Employee satisfaction will be measured with the Andrew and Withey Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. Job duties will be operationalized as the portion of time spent with patients, the portion of time spent on paper work, and the amount of time spent in training. Single items will be used to measure time spent on paperwork and time spent with patients. The amount of time spent in training will be obtained from employee records. Pearson product moment correlations will be computed between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Research Questions 3 The central question driving this study is how job duties are related to employee satisfaction. RQ1: To what extent is portion of time working with patients related to employee satisfaction? H10: The portion of time spent working with patients is not related to employee satisfaction. H1A: The portion of time spent working with patients is related to employee satatifacation. RQ2: To what extent is the amount of time spent in training related to employee satisfaction? H20 The amount of time spent in training is not related to employee satisfaction. H2A: The amount of time spent in training is related to employee satisfaction. RQ3: To what extent is the portion of time spent on paperwork related to employee satisfaction? H30: The portion of time spent on paperwork is not related to employee satisfaction. H3A: The portion of time spent on paperwork is related to employee satisfaction. Ligature Review Lee, Wang, and Weststar (2015) conducted a longitudinal type survey study to determine the effect of work hour congruence on job satisfaction and absenteeism. They utilized the employee section of a large longitudinal data set drawn from the Canadian Business Register. Governmental surveys in the database ranged from 16,804 to 23,540 observations per year. Their sample from the database included only those having a discrepancy between actual hours worked and desired work hours resulting in a sample size of 12,421 individuals. Because they were using a data set already in existence and not obtaining data directly from individuals, protection of human subjects was not a concern in their study. To begin their data analysis, they operationalized the independent variable of work hour congruence in a matrix based on the level 4 of congruence and whether employees desired more or fewer work hours. They used a single item on a five-point scale to measure the dependent variable of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction and the number of paid absences were measured twice with a year intervening between measurements. To come up with a single value for each of these variables, they subtracted the first year score from the second year score. They separated their sample into two groups: those who wanted to work more hours and those who wanted to work fewer hours. Regression analyses were performed on the two groups. The researchers pointed out that the government database had high external validity. Other than that single statement, they did not mention reliability or validity within the framework of their study. This study conducted by Lee, Wang, Weststar (2015) is similar to mine in that the design is that of a survey study. However, they obtained their data from a large established database whereas I will be obtaining data through direct surveys of employees. I will be obtaining one of my independent variables from established records. Their sample size of 12,421 is huge in comparison to my sample size of 50. Both their data and mine involve statistical measures of relationship. I am using correlational analysis. They used regression analysis. I will be obtaining consent forms from all participants. Their use of a government database precluded consent forms. Kabak, Şen, Göçer, Küçüksöylemez, and Tuncer (2014) conducted a survey study in which questionnaires where mailed to 130 employees in the Turkish service sector. Only 50% of the surveys were completed and returned, resulting in a sample size of 65. Their independent variables were five total quality management (TQM) constructs: training and education, employee relations and teamwork, employee reward and recognition, quality culture, and employee empowerment. The dependent variable was job satisfaction. Their questionnaire consisted of 19 items measuring the TQM constructs, four demographic items, and five questions from an established instrument utilizing a five-point Likert scale to measure job satisfaction. A 5 factor analysis was utilized to determine the validity of the 19 items measuring the TQM constructs. The researchers computed descriptive statistics for all variables in the study. A correlational analysis was used to examine the extent to which variables were related. A t-test showed that there was no difference in employee empowerment between employees who had worked less than five years and those who had between five and ten years of work experience. The factor analysis conducted on the TQM constructs supported the content validity of the survey items for measuring those constructs. To determine the internal consistency reliability of the survey, a Cronbach’s alpha was computed (r =.656) showing that reliability was low. The study conducted by Kabak, Şen, Göçer, Küçüksöylemez, and Tuncer (2014) is similar to mine in that surveys are utilized to obtain the data. However, their surveys were mailed and mine will be obtained through the use of electronic surveys. Both their study and mine use an established instrument with a five-point Likert scale to measure job satisfaction. While their population of service employees is different from my population of rehabilitation employees at state psychiatric facilities, our sample sizes are similar. The researchers did not discuss the protection of human subjects in their article, so it is unknown if there are similarities to my study in that area. Our data analyses will be very similar, as I will be computing both descriptive statistics and correlations among variables. The only difference is that I will not be performing a t-test. Methodology The strength of a study comes from the type of methodology used. This functions as a pillar for the research. The mathematical quantification is the purpose of quantitative research. Using this type of methodology helps generalize the results. The challenges with using a quantitative methodology are that there could be an unsuitable representation of the population that is being studied. Due to this missed representation, the objective of the research could be 6 skewed. There also could be limited outcomes due to the survey being used. Quantitative methods can also be time consuming, expensive, and stressful (Datt & Datt, 2016). Though there are weaknesses, this study will be quantitative in nature. This is relationship study, which uses a single sample design and descriptive and correlational methods to address the research questions. Surveys will be utilized to measure the variables of the proportion of time spent working on paper work, the proportion of time spent working with the patients at the psychiatric hospital, and employee satisfaction. Surveys are better suited to answer the research questions in this study. Surveys are easier to measure quantitatively because they tell you the “who” and the “what” of a question. The questions used in the type of surveys employed in this study are closed ended. This enables a number value to be assigned to each of the variables There are several advantages for using a survey to collect data. Web surveys can be taken over any type of computer device including smart phones. Advantages of surveys are that a huge amount of information may be collected in a short time, they provide an efficient way of analysis for scientific research, and they are very easy to manage (Reddy, 2016). Data Collection Sample and Population My population will be the rehabilitation employees at state psychiatric facilities. The sample will consist of rehabilitation employees of one campus in a Texas state psychiatric facility who work within the rehabilitation department of North Texas State Hospital – Wichita Falls, Texas campus. Approximately 50 rehabilitation employees are employed at the Wichita Falls, Texas campus of the hospital. This is a small sample as the State of Texas Department of Health and Human Services has 10 behavioral health hospitals and 13 state supported living 7 centers for those who have sever intellectual developmental disabilities (Texas Health & Human Services Agencies, 2016; Texas Department of State Health and Services, 2016). This would be the best place to start my study due to it being where I currently work and have access to employees. Instruments and Process of Collection The Andrew and Withey Job Satisfaction Questionnaire will be used to measure employee satisfaction. This survey uses a five-point Likert type scale to measure employee satisfaction (McKee, 2013). The independent variable of time spent in training will be obtained from employee records. I will have to call the training department and ask for that information and possibly write a letter to the Superintendent and ask for permission, as I do not supervise those employees. The independent variables of proportion of time working with patients and proportion of time doing paperwork will be obtained with brief employee surveys. The format of these surveys lends themselves to a paper and pencil format as well as to formats used on technological devices such as computers or smart phones (Revilla, Toninelli, & Ochoa, 2017). Use of technology will be the best way to collect the data due to the increasing use of technology among the participants and will shorten the amount of time needed for data collection (Reddy, 2016). Strengths and Challenges This design has many strengths. It will not take much time to gather the data and, because it can be electronic, there are also programs that will calculate the data as it is returned. This project can show how much a small sample of state employees in a particular department are satisfied with their positions. A limitation that was not mentioned is that the survey will not be going to the entire State of Texas employees. This could be considered a weakness, as I am not 8 comparing the different departments within the state. This could also be another possible study to do in the future. Proposed Analysis Techniques I will compute descriptive statistics on all variables. In addition, I will conduct a correlational analysis to determine the extent to which to the independent variables, portion of time working with patients, the amount of time spent in training, and the portion of time spent on paperwork are related to the dependent variable, employee satisfaction among the rehabilitation employees of one campus in a state psychiatric facility. Reliability and Validity The Andrew and Withey Job Satisfaction Questionnaire already has an established concurrent validity of .70 and internal consistency reliability of .81 (Rentsch & Steel, 1992). I will compute a Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency reliability on the data from my study. The independent variable of amount of time spent in training will be obtained from actual employee records, which would both valid and reliable. Because only one item measures each of the independent variables of portion of time working with patients and the portion of time spent on paperwork, computations of reliability would not be feasible. I will have an experienced rehabilitation supervisor examine my questions to establish content validity. Potential Limitations Potential limitations with the type of data collection that I have chosen could be that the employees lie about the questions that they are being asked. This may not be something that can be avoided, as people will put what they think they should in many cases. Other limitation to a survey with employees that I currently work with is that they may feel intimidated to fill out a 9 survey or feel that their answers might influence their evaluations. These limitations can be somewhat overcome by making all surveys anonymous. Getting the information about the time spent in training seems like it would be an easy task as all I would have to do is look at employee records. However, I would have to call the training department and ask for that information and possibly write a letter to the Superintendent and ask for permission, as I do not supervise those employees. A possibility of overcoming that limitation would be to simply ask employees how much time they spend in training in the past two years. Ethical Issues Ethics reflect the values of those in the study, what they view as right and wrong. The primary ethical issues of this study would be the behavior of the researcher. The researcher must insure that the findings are valid, no human rights are violated, and that the information that is gathered is voluntary information (Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching, 2016). Therefore, this means a consent is needed to have access to view the employee records for training and only training. As mentioned in the discussion of limitations, records will be obtained from the training department. Consent forms should also be obtained from all participants in the study agreeing to the use of their information on a group basis. Conclusion With the type of research of employee satisfaction, it is best to use mixed methodologies of both qualitative and quantitative data. As with any type of research, there will be limitations and stressors. It is all dependent on the type of research that is being looked into and very important to know what method would be best. 10 References Álvarez-García, J., Del Río-Rama, M. d. l. C., Saraiva, M., & Ramos-Pires, A. (2016). Dependency relationships between critical factors of quality and employee satisfaction. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 27(5/6), 595-612. doi:10.1080/14783363.2015.1021243 Bankert, B., Coberley, C., Pope, J. E., & Wells, A. (2015). Regional Economic Activity and Absenteeism: A New Approach to Estimating the Indirect Costs of Employee Productivity Loss. Population Health Management, 18(1), 47-53. doi:10.1089/pop.2014.0025 Bersin, J. (Producer). (2014, April 10). Forbes. It’s Time To Rethink The ‘Employee Engagement’ Issue. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2014/04/10/its-time-torethink-the-employee-engagement-issue/#6937b1171827 Chinnis, A. S., Summers, D. E., Doerr, C., Paulson, D. J., & Davis, S. M. (2001). Q methodology: a new way of assessing employee satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(5), 252-259. Datt, S., & Datt, S. (Producer). (2016, September 7). Limitations and weakness of quantitaitve research methods. Project Guru. Retrieved from https://www.projectguru.in/publications/limitations-quantitative-research/ Ērgle, D. (2016). AirBaltic Case Based Analysis of Potential for Improving Employee Engagement Levels in Latvia through Gamification. Economics & Business, 28, 45-51. doi:10.1515/eb-2016-0007 Johnson, R. (Producer). (2016, November 6). Key Reasons for Job Dissatisfaction and Poor Employee Performance. Small Business. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/key-reasons-job-dissatisfaction-poor-employeeperformance-25846.html Lee, B. Y., Wang, J., & Weststar, J. (2015). Work hour congruence: the effect on job satisfaction and absenteeism. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(5), 657675. doi:10.1080/09585192.2014.922601 McKee, S. (Producer). (2013, October 22). New Ways to Ask Quantitative Research Questions In Online Surveys. SurveyGizmo. Retrieved from https://www.surveygizmo.com/surveyblog/new-ways-to-ask-quantitative-research-questions-in-online-surveys/ 11 Powell, C. (Producer). (2015, May 27). Talmetrix: Stop Guessing, Start Knowing. Employee Engagement Is a Problem at Every Level. Retrieved from https://www.talmetrix.com/employee-engagement-is-a-problem-at-every-level/ Reddy, K. (Producer). (2016, June 20). Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys and Questionnaires. Advantages and Disadvantages of Surveys and Questionnaires. Retrieved from http://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-surveys-questionnaires/ Rentsch, J. R., & Steel, R. P. (1992). Construct and concurrent validation of the Andrews and Withey job satisfaction questionnaire. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52(2), 357-367. doi:10.1177/0013164492052002011 Revilla, M., Toninelli, D., & Ochoa, C. (2017). An experiment comparing grids and item-byitem formats in web surveys completed through PCs and smartphones. Telematics and Informatics, 34(1), 30-42. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.04.002 Witt, D. (Producer). (2014, November 10). Blanchard LeaderChat: A Fourm to Discuss Leadership and Management Issues. The Big Problem with Employee Engagement. Retrieved from https://leaderchat.org/2014/11/10/the-big-problem-with-employeeengagement/
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