Research week 3

The hypothesis, "A person's emotional status is not affected by a relocation to a nursing home" is which of the following? A) Null B) Not testable C) Directional D) Nondirectional

A) Null

Identify the independent variable(s) from the following research question: "What is the effect of acetaminophen and ibuprofen on liver function in female adolescents with hepatitis?" Select all that apply. A) acetaminophen B) female adolescents with hepatitis C) ibuprofen D) liver function

A) acetaminophen C) ibuprofen

Which of the following statements of purpose is least likely to demonstrate a bias on the part of the researcher? A) Demonstrate B) Compare C) Prove D) Show

B) Compare

If the problem statement from a proposed research study indicates the need to generate a theory relating to social processes (e.g., how persons within a social group interact with one another), the study design will most likely be which of the following? A) Quantitative study B) Ethnography C) Grounded theory D) Phenomenology

C) Grounded theory

A researcher includes a statement of purpose that indicates that the goal of the study is to understand the lived experiences of family members caring for a terminally ill child with cancer. What type of research design would most likely be used? A) Ethnography B) Grounded theory C) Phenomenology D) Quasi-experimental

C) Phenomenology

A research hypothesis indicates the expected relationship between which of the following? A) The functional and causal nature of the variables B) The statement of purpose and the research questions C) The independent variable and the dependent variable D) Statistical testing and the null hypothesis

C) The independent variable and the dependent variable

Select the best description for the following: "Is there a relationship between elective labor induction and an unintended cesarean delivery?" A) It is a directional hypothesis B) It is a directional research question C) It is a non-directional hypothesis D) It is a non-directional research question

D) It is a non-directional research question

Directional vs Non-directional Hypotheses

Directional hypothesis Predicts the direction of a relationship (e.g., more likely, less than) Nondirectional hypothesis Predicts the existence of a relationship, not its direction (e.g., associated with)

In qualitative studies, research questions often pose queries linked to the research tradition:

Grounded theory: process questions Phenomenology: meaning questions Ethnography: cultural description questions

Components of a problem statement (6)

Identification of the problem Background Scope (How big is the problem) Consequences Knowledge gaps Proposed solution

Statement of Purpose (Quantitative Study)

Identifies key study variables Identifies possible relationships among variables Indicates the population of interest Suggests, through use of verbs, the nature of the inquiry (e.g., to test..., to compare..., to evaluate...) example: To evaluate effect of telehomecare on risk of rehospitalization and ED visit among post-discharge home care patients

Statement of Purpose (Qualitative Study)

Identifies the central phenomenon Suggests the research tradition (e.g., grounded theory, ethnography) Indicates the group, community, or setting of interest Suggests, through use of verbs, the nature of the inquiry (e.g., to describe..., to discover..., to explore...) example: : To describe the decision-making process related to rehospitalization and ED visit among post-discharge home care patients using grounded theory

Problem statement

A statement describing the research problem and making an argument to conduct a new study

"Does maternal stress during the first trimester of a pregnancy affect the infant's birth weight?" is which of the following? A) A research question B) A portion of a problem statement C) A statement of purpose D) A hypothesis

A) A research question

Which of the following is the dependent variable (DV) in the research question, "Are serial 12- lead ECGs more accurate in diagnosing acute myocardial infarctions (MI) than a single initial 12-lead ECG?" A) Accuracy in diagnosing an MI B) Myocardial infarction C) Serial 12-lead ECGs D) Single initial 12-lead ECG

A) Accuracy in diagnosing an MI

Which of the following statements of purpose is most likely to be from a qualitative study? A) Explore lived experiences of refugee women and children from Afghanistan living in the United States B) Investigate the effectiveness of music therapy for decreasing pain in post-operative adolescents C) Compare the effectiveness of effleurage to therapeutic touch in decreasing maternal anxiety during an un-medicated vaginal birth D) Evaluate the relationship between insurance status and number of emergency department (ED) visits

A) Explore lived experiences of refugee women and children from Afghanistan living in the United States

Select the best description for the following: "Children who watch an average of 2 or more hours of television per day will have higher BMIs than children who watch less than 2 hours of TV per day." A) It is a directional hypothesis B) It is a directional research question C) It is a non-directional hypothesis D) It is a non-directional research question

A) It is a directional hypothesis

A researcher wants to explore the ways in which gender issues are evident in the day-to-day interactions between male and female nurses and their patients in an acute-care inpatient unit. The purpose statement of her research study indicates that she wants to study whether and how gender issues influence the culture and behaviors of nurses as they interact with patients. Of the following, which type of study design would be most appropriate to use? A) Qualitative ethnography B) Qualitative phenomenology C) Quantitative descriptive D) Quantitative Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

A) Qualitative ethnography

Which of the following components are usually included in a well-structured problem statement for nursing research? Select all that apply. A) Knowledge gap (what information do we currently know and what is lacking?) B) Problem identification (what is the overall problem? What is not working in the current situation?) C) Proposed solution (how will information gained from the proposed study contribute to the solution of this problem?) D) Sustainability (how long will we be able to sustain any changes made to the current status quo?)

A,B,C A) Knowledge gap (what information do we currently know and what is lacking?) B) Problem identification (what is the overall problem? What is not working in the current situation?) C) Proposed solution (how will information gained from the proposed study contribute to the solution of this problem?)

Which of the following statements made by a new nurse researcher indicate that he correctly understands the purpose of using statistical analysis in quantitative research? Select all that apply. A) "Statistical analysis allows the formal testing of hypotheses." B) "Statistical analysis might lead a researcher to reject a hypothesis." C) "Statistical analysis provides proof of the relationships between variables." D) "Statistical analysis supports inferences that a hypothesis is most likely correct (or most likely not correct)."

A,B,D A) "Statistical analysis allows the formal testing of hypotheses." B) "Statistical analysis might lead a researcher to reject a hypothesis." D) "Statistical analysis supports inferences that a hypothesis is most likely correct (or most likely not correct)."

2. Which of the following is a major source of ideas for research problems? Select all that apply. A) Theories or conceptual frameworks B) Personal nursing experience C) Nursing code of ethics D) Nursing literature

A,B,D A) Theories or conceptual frameworks B) Personal nursing experience D) Nursing literature

Which of the following are true statements regarding the function of hypotheses in quantitative research? Select all that apply. A) They emerge from a theory. B) They offer direction and suggest explanations for relationships. C) They prove relationships between variables. D) They facilitate the interpretation of data.

A,B,D A) They emerge from a theory. B) They offer direction and suggest explanations for relationships. D) They facilitate the interpretation of data.

Research problem

An perplexing or troubling situation in need of a solution The purpose of research is to "solve" a problem or contribute to its solution Some research problems are better suited to qualitative versus quantitative inquiry.

Which of the following statements, if used in a hypothesis, is not readily testable by empirical means? A) Less than B) Meaning of C) More than D) Related to

B) Meaning of

The research question, "What is the decision-making process among intensive care unit nurses who decide to discuss spiritual issues with patients?" is which of the following? A) Most likely to be addressed using a quantitative approach B) Most likely to be addressed using a qualitative approach C) Not researchable D) Not appropriately worded

B) Most likely to be addressed using a qualitative approach

The hypothesis, "Women who live in rural areas are unlikely to practice breast self-examination" is which of the following? A) Null B) Not testable C) Directional D) Nondirectional

B) Not testable This hypothesis is not testable, as it does not make a prediction about a relationship. A testable hypothesis states predicted relationships between two or more variables —that is, the anticipated association between independent and dependent variables.

A hypothesis that states there is no relationship between the independent variable(s) and the dependent variable(s) is called which of the following? A) Non-directional hypothesis B) Null hypothesis C) Research hypothesis D) Simple hypothesis

B) Null hypothesis

"This study aimed to explore the meaning of the experience of living with a colostomy" is which of the following? A) A research question B) A portion of a problem statement C) A statement of purpose D) A hypothesis

C) A statement of purpose

In a research report, the statement of purpose is normally found where? A) In the abstract B) In the first paragraph of the report C) At the end of the introduction D) At the beginning of the method section

C) At the end of the introduction

The hypothesis, "Women who jog regularly are more likely than those who do not to have amenorrhea" is which of the following? A) Null B) Not testable C) Directional D) Nondirectional

C) Directional

Sources of research problems:

Clinical experience Nursing literature Social issues Theory Suggestions from external sources (e.g., priority statements of national organizations or funders)

In a statement of purpose, the researcher often communicates information beyond the substantive content through which of the following? A) The specification of the population to be studied B) The operational definition of the research variables C) The prediction of anticipated relationships among variables D) The choice of verbs that suggest the state of knowledge on the topic or the approach to be used

D) The choice of verbs that suggest the state of knowledge on the topic or the approach to be used

A hypothesis..

Is articulated almost exclusively in quantitative (not qualitative) studies States an expectation, a predicted answer to the research question Should always involve two or more variables Suggests the predicted relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable (using terms such as more than, different from, associated with) Supported by evidence from theory and/or the literature, e.g. previous research Is tested through statistical procedures

Research vs Null Hypotheses

Research hypothesis States the actual prediction of a relationship Null hypothesis Expresses the absence of a relationship (used only in statistical testing)

Hypotheses

The researcher's predictions about relationships among variables Qualitative researchers do not have formal hypotheses, because qualitative researchers want the inquiry to be guided by participants' viewpoints.

Research aims or objectives

The specific accomplishments to be achieved by conducting the study

Research questions

The specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the research problem Are sometimes direct rewordings of statements of purpose, worded as questions Are sometimes used to clarify or lend specificity to the purpose statement In quantitative studies, typically pose queries about the relationships among variables

Hypotheses are never

proved or disproved Statistical hypothesis testing cannot provide absolute proof—only probabilistic information to support an inference that a hypothesis is probably correct (or not). Hypotheses are supported, or not, by the study data.

Statement of purpose

researcher's summary of the overall goal