Term
| What is Nursing Research? |
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Definition
systematic, objective process of analyzing phenomena of importance to nursing
identify, test and validate nursing practices
prevention and promotion, not just treatment |
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Term
| What are Sources of Nursing Knowledge? |
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Definition
Tradition: "the way we've always done it"
Authority: "that's how we've been told to do it by the boss"
Trial and Error: "we'll try another way until we get it right"
Scientific Research: " it's proven to be the best method through scientific analysis and testing" |
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Term
| What is Basic (pure) Research |
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Definition
goal is to generate new knowledge
develop, test, and refine theories
often done in lab
seeks "knowledge for knowledge's sake"
results usually not directly useful in practice |
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Term
| What is Applied (practical) Research |
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Definition
seeks solutions to existing problems
generate knowledge that will directly influence or improve clinical practice
often done in clinical setting
most nursing research falls into this category |
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Term
| What are the goals of Nursing Research? |
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Definition
Promote EBP
Enhance credibility of nursing profession
Increase accountability for nursing practice
Document cost effectiveness |
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Term
| What is quantitative research? |
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Definition
formal, objective, systematic analysis based on collecting and analyzing numerical data
traditional approach to scientific investigation used by many disciplines
based on collecting and analyzing numerical data
forms the basis for EBP |
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Term
| What is qualitative research? |
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Definition
Subjective analysis of events, people, personal values, feelings, perceptions, experiences, etc.
used to describe life experiences and give them meaning
identify patterns, similarities, and differences in people's attitudes, beliefs, and feelings
origins in social and behavioral sciences
does not contribute to EBP: no standards for judging quality of qualitative studies, does not demonstrate cause-and-effect as in quant studies, and findings cannot be generalized to larger population |
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Term
| What is Outcomes research? |
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Definition
| analyze the effectiveness of healthcare services as defined by patient rather than care providers |
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Term
| What are the roles of nurses in research? |
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Definition
Principal Investigator (PI)
Member of research team
Identifier of researchable problems
Evaluator of research findings
user of research findings
Patient/client advocate during studies
Subject/participant in studies |
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Term
| What are the Steps in Qualitative Research Process? |
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Definition
1. Identify the phenomenon to study
2. Select the research design
3. Review the Literature
4. Select the sample
5. Gain entry to the research site
6. Protect the rights of participants
7. Collect the data
8. Analyze the data
9. Communicate the study results |
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Term
| What are the common elements of Qualitative and Quantitative Research? |
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Definition
Select a topic
State the research problem
Justify significance of the research study
Review existing literature on the topic
Design the study
Select subjects/participants
Gather data
Analyze and interpret the results
Develop a written report
Communicate the findings |
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Term
| What are the Steps in Quantitative Research Process? |
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Definition
1. Identify the problem
2. Determine the purpose of the study
3. Review the literature
4. Develop a theoretical/conceptual framework
5. Identify the study assumptions
6. Acknowledge the limitations of the study
7. Formulate the hypothesis or research question
8. Define study variables/terms
9. Select the research design
10. Identify the population
11. Select a sample
12. Conduct a pilot study
13. Collect the data
14. Organize the data for analysis
15. Analyze the data
16. Interpret the findings
17. Communicate the findings
18. Utilize the findings |
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Term
| What is a literature review? |
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Definition
Synthesis of current theoretical and scientific knowledge about a particular problem
Scope: broad enough to allow reader to become familiar with the topic, narrow enough to include only most relevant studies
Primary source: written by person responsible for conducting the research
Secondary source: written by someone who summarizes content from primary sources |
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Term
| What are the guidelines for critiquing LR? |
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Definition
1. Is it comprehensive?
2. Is it concise?
3. Does it flow logically from the purpose?
4. Are the sources relevant?
5. Are sources critically appraised?
6. Are there both classic and current sources?
7. Are paraphrased or quotes used most often?
8. Both supporting and opposing theory and research presented?
9. Are most of the references primary sources?
10. Can it be determined that sources are primary or secondary?
11. All sources sited found on the reference list?
12. Citation errors? |
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Term
| What are good online database search strategies? |
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Definition
Select database
Select keywords: words and or phrases, experiment with different search terms
Keep a written search record
Use reference management software |
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Term
| What is an Independent Variable? |
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Definition
Variable that is manipulated by the researcher
The "cause" |
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Term
| What is a Dependent Variable? |
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Definition
Observed result
Expected to change when IV is manipulated
Value of DV 'depends' on the value of the IV
The "effect" |
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Term
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Definition
Predicted relationship between two or more variables, i.e. what the researcher expects to find
Written prior to beginning the study
Not wild guesses
Must have a logical rationale
Derived from: personal experience, previous research studies, and theories |
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Term
| What are the Criteria for a Hypothesis? |
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Definition
1. Written in a declarative sentence
2. Written in the present tense
3. Specifies the population to be studied
4. Reflects the problem statement or the purpose statement
5. Contains all the variables
6. Is empirically testable |
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Term
| What is a Simple Hypothesis? |
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Definition
| A hypothesis with two variables |
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Term
| What is a Complex Hypothesis? |
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Definition
| A hypothesis with three or more variables |
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Term
| What is a Research Hypothesis? |
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Definition
| Predicts a relationship exists among variables |
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Term
| What is a Null Hypothesis? |
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Definition
States there is no relationship between the variables
Used for statistical analysis |
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Term
| What is a Directional Hypothesis? |
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Definition
| Predicts a cause-effect relationship (IV and DV) |
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Term
| What is a Non-directional Hypothesis? |
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Definition
| Predicts variables are related but nor cause-effect |
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Term
| What is a Research Question? |
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Definition
Used in studies when hypotheses not appropriate: all qualitative research, some types of quantitative research
Broad and general in qualitative studies
Narrow and specific in quantitative studies
Not always explicitly stated |
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