What are some sources of research problems?
Nursing practice
Researcher and peer interaction
Literature review
Theory
Research priorities
Research ideas
The initial and one of the most significant steps in conducting the research process is?
Defining the research variables
Determining the feasibility of the study
Identifying the research problem
Stating the research purpose
The feasibility of conducting a study is determined by examining which of the following ?
Availability of subjects
Previous studies
Researchers credibility
Significance of research problem
What is a nondirectional hypothesis?
Relationship that exist between variable, but hypothesis predicts nature of relationship
Relationship exists between variables, but hypothesis does not predict nature of relationship
Different variable displayed
Relationships do not exist
What is directional hypothesis?
Nature (positive or negative) of interaction between two or more variables is stated
No nature of interaction with variable
Interaction between three or more variables
Absent variables
Null hypothesis is:
Two or more variables
States difference between variables or relationships
States there is no difference or relationship between variables
States numbers and variables
Null hypothesis is also called statistical hypothesis
What is a research hypothesis?
States what researcher thinks is false
States what writer thinks
States what researcher thinks is true
Researchers knowledge
A research hypothesis is a relationship between two or more variables
Rates of use of healthcare facilities by ethnic minorities are higher in facilities with bilingual health care staff
Directional hypothesis
Simple hypothesis
Correlations hypothesis
Null hypothesis
There is a positive relationship between nurse attitudes towards AIDS patients and number of AIDS patients for whom they have cared.
Correctional hypothesis
There is a relationship between social distance in families and burden of caregiving for chronically ill adults
There is no difference between attitudes of men and women toward caring for people with AIDS
What are variables?
Qualities, properties, or characteristics of people, things, or situations that are manipulated or measured in research
Variables are weighed and tested
Variables are measured with instruments and/or intensity scales
Variables are multiples
What are types of variables?
Independent variables
Dependent variables
Research variables or concepts
Extraneous variable
Demographic variables
Multiple variables
Independent variable is also called treatment or experimental variable
Do independent variables change?
Yes
No
Do independent variables cause the dependent variables to change?
The research purpose should identify the study variables and what other key aspect of the study
Design
Measurement tools
Population
Statistics
The dependent variable is the outcome or response the researcher does not want to predict
What are extraneous variables?
They can interfere with obtaining clear understanding of relational or casual dynamics in the study
They have blurry understanding of casual dynamics
A recognized variables
No variable
An environmental variable is an uncontrolled variable relating to the setting
If the variable is not recognized until the study is in process or cannot be controlled
Measured variable
Confounding variable
Examples of demographic variables
Contain sample characteristics of subjects
May include age, education, gender, ethnic origin, income, medical diagnosis, graphic location
Develop large characteristics
Demographic data are analyzed to develop sample characteristics
What are operational definitions?
Translating upward to more concrete level
Translating backwards to more concrete level
Translating downward to more concrete level
Scrolling to more concrete level
Moves from concept to variable to measures
Operational definition
Extraneous variables
Abstract meaning of a variable that usually is based on theory
Conceptual definition
Demographic variable
Way of defining a variable that makes it measurable or manipulable in the real world
Sample variable
A researcher wanted to locate a conceptual framework to guide a particular research study would most likely to find one in which of the following sources?
A descriptive study
A dissertation
Empirical literature
Theoretical literature
2 types of sources
Primary
Written
Secondary
What is the primary purpose for reviewing relevant literature?
Delineate the existing knowledge base of an identified problem
Develop conceptual and operational definitions of variables
Interpret previous research findings
Select the research design
Which of the following indexes would provide thee largest number of relevant nursing sources?
Medline
International nursing index
Cumulative index to nursing and allied health literature
Nursing studies index
A variable is smaller or more concise than a concept
What is theory?
Ideas and knowledge of science
Rational statements that presents a view
Helps answers question “ was my theory correct” ?
Based on math.
It does not answer a question
A framework is smaller than a theory
Abstracts are bigger than a theory
A brief explanation of a theory or portions of a theory to be tested in a study
Sample
Framework
Focus
A theory is abstract rather than concrete
More comprehensive than a dictionary definition
Conceptual
Map
Middle range theory
What does a study framework reflect?
Blueprint for the study
Data analysis
Researchers “theory” or idea about the study
Specific plan for data collection
Theories are constructed by people and are tentative in nature
Abstractly describe and name an object, idea, or phenomenon, this providing it with a separate identity or meaning
Concepts
Relational statement
Map or model
More comprehensive than a dictionary definition; includes associated meanings a word may have
Clarifies the type of relationship that exists between or among concepts
Model
Graphically shows the interrelationships of the concepts and relational statements
What are middle range theories?
Less abstract and narrower in scope than conceptual models
More broader and wider in scope
Emerge from review of studies to build evidence based practice related to a clinical problem
It is just a theory
Which is true about theoretical frameworks used in research?
Theories are congruent with reality
Theories represent ultimate truth
Precise guidance in situations
“ Do this so you can get a better outcome”
Prescriptive theory
Abstracts
Practice theory is not a prescriptive theory
What are frameworks
Frameworks explain the theory
Frameworks give relationships of variables
Results in hypothesis which is testable
Middle-range theories are developed in some qualitative studies as outcome of study
Transcultural nursing theory
Leiningers
Peplau
Interpersonal relations
Leininger
What defines the selected group of people or elements from which data are collected for a study
Sampling plan defines the selection process
Members of a sample are called subjects or participants
An entire set of individuals or elements who meet the sampling criteria
Target population
Accessible population
Elements
The portion of the target population to which the researcher has reasonable access
Individual units of a population and sample
Sampling in research may be defined as
Insurance that each person has a chance of being included in the study
Establishment of criteria for eligibility to participate in a study
Identification of the population in which the researcher is interested
Selection of a subset of a population to represent the whole population
As similar as possible so as to control for extraneous variables
Homogeneous sample
Heterogeneous sample
Represents a broad range of values
Expected difference in values that occur when different subjects from same sample are examined
Random variations
Systematic variation
Consequences of selecting subjects whose measurement values differ in some way from this rose of the population
Random variation
Percentage of subject who declined to participate in study
Refusal rate
Acceptance rate
Percentage of subjects who consented to be in the study
RCT means randomized controlled trials
The population from which the researcher selects the actual study sample
Scientific population
Theoretical population
What is purpose sampling?
Also called judgmental or selective sampling
Include typical and atypical subjects
Based on researchers judgment
Is in quantitiveresearch
What is network sampling?
Also called snowball sampling
Take advantage of social networks to get the sample
One person in the sample asks another to join the sample
Takes disadvantage of social networking
What is theoretical sampling?
Used in grounded theory research
Data are gathered from any individual or group that can provide relevant data for theory generation
The sample is saturated when the data collection is completed based on the researchers expectations
Diversity in the sample is encouraged
