Multiphase Design Example

Research question: A researcher in a large university-based student health clinic wants to address the problem of cigarette smoking on campus. Anecdotal observations and a recent student survey revealed that a much larger percentage of upper classmen smoke relative to freshmen who have recently arrived on campus.

Design Component 1: To obtain insights into the reasons why many freshmen start smoking after arriving at the university, the researcher conducted a series of focus groups with freshmen and sophomores who report that they initiated smoking since being at the university.

Insight 1: The students reported a number of factors that contributed to their starting smoking, including the stress of college life, trying smoking because they were friends with other smokers, and being away from home (unsupervised).

Design Component 2: To validate these findings, the researcher then planned a student survey in which students who had started smoking were compared to those who had never smoked on level of stress, number of friends who smoke, and level of parental involvement while at college.

Insight 2: Contrary to expectations, the survey revealed that smokers did not report having more stress, friends who smoke, or level of parental involvement than students who had never smoked.

Design Component 3: To help explain the reasons for these contradictory findings, the researcher conducted more qualitative focus groups, this time with both smokers and non-smokers. In addition to asking smokers about why they smoked, he also asked non-smokers about why they did not smoke.

Insight 3: The researcher found that although both smokers and non-smokers both reported having friends who smoke and both reported similar kinds of stress, the smokers described situations where their smoking friends actively suggested that they try cigarettes as a way of relaxing from the stress of school. In contrast, the non-smokers reported that their smoking friends had rarely, if ever, pressed them to smoke and had even requested support in trying to quit themselves. As such, the researcher concluded it was not being in social networks with smokers that lead to smoking, but peer pressure from other smokers that appeared to lead some students to initiate smoking.