EQ vs. IQ

[aflac381]

good afternoon! now, don't take this the wrong way. i am not trying to steal any ideas. anyways, i am currently working on a 5-7 page paper for my research class. for my paper, i am writing about (eq) emotional intelligence vs. (iq) intelligence. the problem that i am having is that i have to formulate a clinical nursing research pico question? i have to be specific in the paper. i believe that i might have to do a qualitative study rather than a quantitative one.

any suggestions? thanks.

[llg, PhD, RN]

PICO and qualitative research do not go together well ... because the fundamental nature of a PICO question requires that you have 2 groups that you are going to compare. (e.g. treatment A vs. treatment B) PICO's nature is quantitative in that you gather data about the outcomes of one treatment group and compare those results with the outcomes of the comparison group. Qualitative research does not measure things and compare groups in that way.

You need to go back and review the nature of PICO and qualitative research and get clear on your basic concepts before you start a start designing a project. That way, you won't waste time chasing wild geese.

Then ... to pick a topic ...

1. Start with a general idea for a couple of subject areas (ones that you are interested in.) For example: Teaching EQ, EQ and students, EQ as a predictor of job success, etc.

2. Browse the literature on those topics and identify "what is known" and "what is still unknown" about that field.

3. Choose a topic for which you were able to find sufficient literature to provide a foundation for your project ... but that still has some things that are unknown that would work for your assignment.

Don't pick a topic just because it sounds interesting or because it is a "hot issue." A lot of students make that mistake and end up with a topic for which there is inadequate literature to serve as a foundation ... or that they don't understand well enough to design a decent project ... or that doesn't fit their assignment well. Locate good literature before you commit to a topic.

[aflac381]

Thanks for the feedback. However, where I am trying to go with this is from a knowledge point of view. If this does not work, I have one other PICO question:

In patients with lymphedema, is there any evidence to support that elevating the leg is more effective than not elevating the leg in order to see a reduction in symptoms and heal?