Thus, consideration should be given to the development of research instruments that come with guidance on how they can be applied flexibly according the objectives of the research study and specific contexts of use [ 18].
Although not intended at the outset of this study, the set of TARS items framed as 'factors' in the format in which they were presented for eliciting ratings of perceived relative importance (ie without reference to any direction of effect, as presented in Table 3) could be used for the development of research instruments that include questions framed according the specific objective of the study.
However, we consulted with local experts and other researchers during the development of our research instrument, and we had successfully implemented a similar study in northern Uganda in 2005.
At Hampshire, members of the natural sciences faculty have worked with cognitive science researchers to document student learning outcomes from these courses, and a result of this collaboration was the development of the research instrument used in this study to assess the skills that accrue from first-year students' reading of the primary literature.
The opportunities for the applications of biophysics seem limitless because the lengthy delay between the development of a research instrument and its application means that many scientific instruments based on physical principles already known will be shown to have important potential for medicine.
Due to its wide recognition and extensive influence, the framework from the 1999 Joint Standards will be used as the theoretical basis for the development of the research instrument used in the present study.
Second, development of the research instrument was informed by qualitative research, which will be published separately, and thus it quantifies contemporary issues for the current profile of students.
All authors have carried out a country case study, contributed to the development of the research instrument (H-CAF) and the analysis in comparative perspective, and read and approved the final manuscript.
For instance, we did not involve patients and professionals directly in the development of the research instrument, which could have been done using the Delphi technique or conducting focus groups.
As described in Cramm et al. [ 18], the eight previously defined dimensions of PCC [ 7, 8] served as a starting point for the development of the research instrument, and additional literature on PCC [ 9, 10, 19– 21] revealed no additional PCC dimension that should be considered.
In our project, individually and through the RAC, community partners have played an integral role in research design and development of research protocols, including questionnaires and instruments.
