Module 1.03: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

1At the completion of a study, a researcher prepares a poster to display at an upcoming professional conference. Which research phase is described by this activity?

Dissemination phase Rationale: In the dissemination phase, the researcher prepares a research report, which can be in the form of a poster display. Dissemination of findings takes place at completion of the study. The conceptual stage focuses on formulating the study. The empirical phase involves collection of data. The analytic phase includes statistical or conceptual analysis.

When planning to test the effect of an intervention to improve blood glucose outcomes in diabetes, the nurse would select which study design?

Experimental Rationale: From the list of methods, only experimental studies test interventions, as proposed in the study. Non-experimental designs describe and examine similarities and differences between variables, but do not test interventions. Grounded theory and ethnography are qualitative methods that explore phenomena but do not test interventions.

A major assumption of the constructivist paradigm is that the researcher is independent from those being researched.

FALSE Rationale: According to the constructivist paradigm, the researcher interacts with the research subjects. Knowledge is maximized when there is little distance between researcher and participants.

A nurse researcher is interested in using a qualitative approach to examine relationships between nursing home residents. Which of the following research designs represent a qualitative approach to collecting information about the research topic? (Select all that apply.)

Grounded theory, Phenomenology, Ethnography Rationale: Phenomenology, grounded theory, and ethnography are all types of qualitative descriptive research. The researcher investigates concepts and phenomena using narrative descriptions and connects concepts using patterns of association.

When conducting a qualitative research study, the term used for people who make up the study sample are known as:

Informants Rationale: Informants are the individuals who provide information to researchers who are conducting a qualitative study.

According to assumptions of positivists, which of the following is the best method for obtaining evidence?

Measured, quantitative information Rationale: Positivists assume that there is a reality which exists independently of human observations. They use orderly procedures that are measurable and tightly controlled.

When reading research reports, which terms is the nurse most likely to find in a qualitative report?

Phenomena, verbal data, inductive process Rationale: Qualitative research in an inductive method that focuses on phenomena such as lived experiences, and collects verbal or interview data. The other terms refer to quantitative methods.

The empirical phase of a qualitative research study involves collecting and preparing data for analysis.

TRUE Rationale: In the third phase of a qualitative research study, data are collected according to protocols and established plans. The data must be coded in order to quantify data for statistical computer analysis.

The nurse explores the differences between the paradigms used in quantitative and qualitative research. Which clinical or research question would most likely fall under the constructivist paradigm?

What is the meaning of being diagnosed with breast cancer? Rationale: The constructivist paradigm is a basis for qualitative research, and assumes that each person constructs reality differently. Therefore, meaning and experience are the focus of many qualitative studies. The other questions in the list focus on cause and effect and are quantitative in nature, based on the positivistic paradigm.