Research Final

qualitative research design

Data collection using interviews, fieldwork, observation, photos, texts, and other subjective measures

Researchers conducted a qualitative study aimed at developing a "middle-range model to guide efforts in nursing education improvements" (Bvumbwe & Mtshali, 2018). The qualitative research tradition most likely used was:

grounded theory Grounded theory is an approach to the conduct of field research that contributes to the development of middle-range theories (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 189).

A researcher collected data on body temperature and recorded each participant's temperature in degrees Celsius. What level of measurement is body temperature?

interval/ratio Body temperature is a continuous variable, which is interval/ratio level (Polit & Beck, 2018, p. 228)

A researcher plans to review medical records and collect information to determine if there is a relationship between smoking habits and number of visits to the emergency department over a 10 year period. Which study design is most appropriate?

nonexperimental: correlational study This is a nonexperimental design since the investigator is not introducing an intervention. It is correlational since the investigator is looking at whether a relationship exists between variables (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 146).

A researcher leaves surveys in a nurse practitioner's waiting area for patients to complete before their visit. This type of data collection is called:

self report

Exploratory research

sequential

publication bias

the tendency for journals to publish positive findings but not negative or ambiguous ones

statistical heterogeneity

diversity of effects across primary studies included in a meta-analysis

A researcher is concerned that most of the participants she has interviewed had very similar experiences and she may not be discovering the full range of experience with the phenomenon. She searched for more participants that had differing experiences to make sure her findings reflect the range of reality. Which criteria of trustworthiness was she concerned about?

Authenticity Authenticity refers to the extent to which findings show a range of difference realities (Module 3 lecture Qualitative Research - Data Collection & Data Analysis, slide 5; Polit & Beck, 2018, p 296)

All of the following are ways qualitative researchers enhance the trustworthiness of their study EXCEPT: Incorporating data from many different data sources using purposive sampling to search for disconfirming evidence. Having the participants review the findings to see if their experience is accurately captured controlling the study setting so that participants experience the phenomenon similarly.

Controlling the study setting so that participants experience the phenomenon similarly Strategies to enhance trustworthiness in qualitative research include: triangulation (incorporating data from many different data sources), searching for disconfirming evidence, and member checking (having participants review findings to see if their experience is accurately portrayed). Controlling study settings is not a way of enhancing trustworthiness in qualitative research (Module 3 lecture Qualitative Research - Data Collection & Data Analysis, slide 6; Polit & Beck, 2018, p. 299-301).

A hospital wants to institute a standardized suicide screening tool to be completed by all patients who access their health care system. Committee members embark on an EBP project to determine which suicide screening tool will most accurately identify patients at risk for suicide. What type of EBP question would this be?

Diagnosis/assessment There are several purposes of EBP questions. Diagnosis/Assessment questions examine instruments and tools used to screen, diagnose, or assess patients (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 14). This question asks about identifying a standardized suicide screening tool to assess patients' risk of suicide. Therefore, this is a Diagnosis/Assessment question.

Which of the following research questions would BEST be studied with a quantitative study? What is the lived experience of providing care to an elderly parent? What are the meanings, processes, and beliefs around providing care to the elderly among Native Americans? How do caregivers describe their role caring for their elderly parents? Correct! Does participation in a support group decrease compassion fatigue among caregivers providing care to their elderly parents?

Does participation in a support group decrease compassion fatigue among caregivers providing care to their elderly parents? Quantitative studies examine quantified (measured) variables. Qualitative studies use rich narrative data. Choice A and Choice C are phenomenological qualitative questions. Choice B is an ethnography qualitative questions. Choice D is a quantitative question that seeks to measure compassion fatigue and compare it in two groups.

Which of the following statements is an example of a nondirectional research hypothesis? There will be a difference in CathFlo use among patients whose ports were flushed with heparin prior to deaccessing compared to patients whose ports were flushed with saline only prior to deaccessing. There will be no difference in CathFlo use among patients whose ports were flushed with heparin prior to deaccessing compared to patients whose ports were flushed with saline only prior to deaccessing. Patients whose ports were flushed with heparin prior to deaccessing will have a higher rate of CathFlo use compared to patients whose ports were flushed with saline only prior to deaccessing. Patients whose ports were flushed with heparin prior to deaccessing will have a lower rate of CathFlo use compared to patients whose ports were flushed with saline only prior to deaccessing.

There will be a difference in CathFlo use among patients whose ports were flushed with heparin prior to deaccessing compared to patients whose ports were flushed with saline only prior to deaccessing. Null hypotheses state that there is no relationship between variables (2nd answer choice is a null hypothesis). Research hypotheses, on the other hand, are predictions, usually involving a predicted relationship variables. Directional research hypotheses specify the expected direction of the relationship (3rd and 4th answer choices are directional research hypotheses since they predict higher or lower rates of CathFlo use). Nondirectional research hypotheses do not specify the direction of the relationship. The correct answer is the 1st answer choice which predicts a relationship but does not specify the direction of that relationship (Polit & Beck, 2018, p. 99-101)

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study has received criticism for violating many ethical principles. The purpose of the study was to learn about the progression of syphilis. Impoverished African American men were enrolled in the study and told they were receiving free health care from the government. Researchers studied the natural progression of the disease and so, even though penicillin was discovered as a treatment during the course of the study, they did not treat the men. They reasoned that the men were unlikely to receive treatment anyways and that the knowledge gained from studying the progression of the disease would benefit society. However, afterwards, it was determined that the researchers harmed these men by withholding treatment. This is a violation of which principle?

beneficience There are three major ethical principles in research: Autonomy/Respect for Human Dignity, Justice, and Beneficience. Autonomy/Respect for Human Dignity includes the right to self-determination and full disclosure. It requires that research participation is voluntary and free from coercion. Justice involves participants' right to fair treatment and right to privacy. Beneficience is the duty of researchers to minimize harm and maximize benefits. According to Beneficience principle, researchers have an obligation to prevent or minimize harm to participants. Not treating the participants when a cure was discovered violates the principle of beneficience (Polit & Beck, 2018, p. 79-82).

A researcher is studying the impact of caffeine on length of stay after surgery. She enrolls patients who are undergoing an outpatient surgery and, after obtaining consent, she randomizes patients to either receive a caffeinated drink or a non-caffeinated drink upon waking after surgery. She records the length of stay in the PACU for each patient. What is the independent variable?

caffeinated vs non caffeinated drink The independent variable is the presumed cause or predictor variable. The dependent variable is the presumed effect or outcome variable (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 44). This study is looking at the impact of caffeine on length of stay in the PACU. Therefore, the independent variable is caffeinated vs non-caffeinated drink.

A researcher is studying the impact of caffeine on length of stay after surgery. She enrolls patients who are undergoing an outpatient surgery and, after obtaining consent, she randomizes patients to either receive a caffeinated drink or a non-caffeinated drink upon waking after surgery. She records the length of stay in the PACU for each patient. What is the dependent variable?

length of stay in the PACU The independent variable is the presumed cause or predictor variable. The dependent variable is the presumed effect or outcome variable (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 44). This study is looking at the impact of caffeine on length of stay in the PACU. Therefore, the dependent variable is length of stay in the PACU.

One concern researchers should address when conducting focus group interviews is:

making sure that all participants' voices are heard. Advantages of using focus groups are that often ideas build off of each other, this is not a concern but an advantage of this data collection technique. Sometimes there are guides to lead a focus group discussion but other times there is no guide. An advantage of using focus groups is that researchers may be able to learn about a range of different experiences. A concern that researchers should address is to make sure that all participants' voices are being heart. (Module 3 lecture Qualitative Research - Data Collection & Data Analysis, slide 2; Polit & Beck, 2018, p 204).

A researcher is studying the use of group sessions on English acquisition among 5 year old children who recently moved to the United States and are native Spanish speakers. He wants to administer the group sessions after kindergarten for the entire school year. He will compare their English fluency at the beginning of the school year to their English fluency at the end of the school year. The threat to internal validity that he should be most concerned about is: Maturation Selection Temporal ambiguity Generalizability

maturation Maturation is a threat to internal validity that arises from processes occurring as a result of time rather than the independent variable. This threat would be most concerning since it's expected that English acquisition would improve over an entire school year even without the after school sessions (Polit & Beck, 2018, p 153)

explanatory research

research concerned with identifying relationships among phenomena. Sequential

Quantitative Research

research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form

qualitative research

research that relies on what is seen in field or naturalistic settings more than on statistical data

A researcher wants to study the experience of receiving healthcare among people who use heroin. He recruits 2 participants and after completing their interviews, he asks them if they would ask their friends who are heroin users to participate in the study. What type of sampling is this researcher using?

snowball sampling

When not to use a meta-analysis

when certain data isn't uniform, for example. The research question should be nearly identical in each article used in the analysis.