Module 1.01: Structural Components of the Research Process

When engaging in the implementation phase of research, which action is the nurse likely to take?

Collect study data. Rationale: Collecting research data is the main activity of the implementation phase. Data collection may require months of work. Assessing the feasibility of a study occurs during the planning phase. Developing a poster is part of the dissemination phase. Completing the statistical analysis occurs during the analysis phase.

When selecting a problem for a quantitative study, which are most likely to be used as sources of information? (Select all that apply.)

Creative questioning about practice, Existing nursing theories, Published research studies about topics of interest Rationale: Sources of research problems originate with the researcher's interests, as the researcher reviews the literature and relevant theories and asks creative questions about clinical practice. Problems include issues in practice that involve negative or unknown client outcomes, or for which there is a gap in the research and theoretical literature. Research always focuses on improving nursing practice, and on new or innovative approaches.

In order for statistical results to be useful to clinicians and researchers, the results must be:

Interpreted Rationale: Interpretation provides meaning for the statistical results. Researchers seek to explain the results in relation to other study findings, theory, and clinical experience.

A nurse researcher has defined a clinical problem and is developing a plan for his study. This step in the quantitative research process involves identification of which of the following components?

Sample design, Research design, Data collection method Rationale: After identification of the research problem, the study's design, sampling plan, and design methods are determined.

After planning his research study, the nurse is ready for the implementation phase. During this step, data will be collected from study participants. Which of the following are considered to be appropriate methods of data collection for quantitative studies?

Self-reports Rationale: Face-to-face interviews, focus groups, and narratives are primarily used to collect data in qualitative studies. Self-reports enable researchers to gather a large amount of data from many research subjects.

The nurse must compensate for barriers that arise when doing research. Which barrier would occur during the implementation phase?

Staff not adequately trained to collect data Rationale: Collection of data during the implementation of a study often relies on proper training of research staff. Without adequate training, staff are likely to collect data that includes error and bias. The other barriers occur at different phases of the research process. Inadequate resources for data analysis is a barrier during the analysis phase. Difficulty identifying a sample occurs during the planning phase. Lack of skill in interpreting results occurs during the interpretation phase.

The level of the researchers experience may be a barrier to implementing a research study.

TRUE Rationale: Researchers who lack experience may not develop the expertise to effectively implement a research study. Knowledge, education, and experience facilitate the selection of appropriate data collection and record keeping measures.

When engaging in a research study, in what order does the nurse organize the steps of the research process?

Problem, planning, implementation, analysis and interpretation, dissemination Rationale: Problem identification, planning, implementation, analysis and interpretation, and dissemination are the steps to the quantitative research process. When studies are conducted in this order, the study flows logically and systematically. Other options are out of order.

When reviewing a research journal, the nurse is aware that this research method involves collection of numerical data:

Quantitative Rationale: A major difference between quantitative and qualitative methods is that quantitative studies collect numerical data that can be analyzed using statistics. Qualitative studies collective narrative descriptions, and combine words into themes. Systematic and constructivist are not research methods.