Lecture #4

Question 1

research problem

Answer 1

from a condition, issue, or subject area that is poorly understood, seek to address thru disciplined inquiry
- purpose of research is to ‘solve’ the problem of contribute to the solution by gathering relevant data

identify broad topic, narrow scope, then choose research question consistent with paradigms - like clinical questions

Question 2

problem statement

Answer 2

Articulates the PROBLEM, its NATURE, CONTEXT, the SCOPE, CONSEQUENCES, knowledge GAPS, and PROPOSED SOLUTIONS, significance
argument in a sentence that explains the need for a study
presented early, usually immediately following abstract

Question 3

purpose statement

Answer 3

summary of an overall goal (aim/objective)
identifies key concepts (variables) and population, general direction of inquiry

should be neutral and objective

Question 4

research question

Answer 4

specific queries researchers want to answer in addressing the research problem
direct rewordings of purpose statements
concise, interrogative in present tense

describe variables/concepts
specify population
examine testable relationships

can specify broad purpose statements

Question 5

hypotheses

Answer 5

researcher’s specific predictions about relationships among variables that are tested
anticipated association
(not in qualitative)

must include relationship terminology
QUANTITATIVE
tested through statistical procedures
may be informed by a theory

Question 6

QUANTITATIVE research problems

Answer 6

well developed concepts, measurable

Question 7

QUALITATIVE research problems

Answer 7

researcher seeks to develop rich, context-bound understanding of poorlyunderstoof phenomena

Question 8

sources of research problems

Answer 8

clinical experience
reading literature
social global or political issues
theories
external source suggestions

Question 9

communicating research problems and questions

Question 10

QUANTITATIVE purpose statements

Answer 10

identifies key study variables
possible relationships between variables
population
nature of inquiry (test/compare/etc)

Question 11

QUALITATIVE purpose statements

Answer 11

identifies key concpets/central phenomena
suggests research tradition
indicated setting/group/community of interest
nature of inquiry (describe/discover/explore)

Question 12

QUANTITATIVE research questions

Answer 12

relationships among variables
- clearly identified variables
- population specified
- empirical testing implied

Question 13

QUALITATIVE research questions

Answer 13

research tradition (grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography)
may adapt over the course of the study, ‘focus’ but no boundaries

Question 14

grounded theory

Answer 14

process, social structures, social interactions

the goal of grounded theory is to understand a phenomenon that is grounded in actual observations.
-Once the theory starts to take shape, grounded theorists use previous literature for comparison with the emerging categories of the theory.
-Grounded theory researchers, who focus on social or psychological processes, often develop conceptual maps to explain a process.

Question 15

phenomenology

Answer 15

meaning, experience, lived experience, essence

Question 16

ethnography

Answer 16

culture, roles, life ways, cultural behavior

Question 17

testable hypothesis

Answer 17

stated relationship (more than, less than, different from, related to, etc.)

directional - more/less
non-directional - different

simple - 2 variables
complex - 3+ variables

Question 18

null hypothesis

Answer 18

no relationship between variables

alternate hypothesis = research hypothesis

Question 19

QUANTITATIVE theories

Answer 19

classic: test hypothesis from existing theory

Question 20

QUALITATIVE theories

Answer 20

embedded in research tradition
- group dimension: degree to which people affiliate themselves with a bounded social unit
- grid dimension: degree to which groups ascribe and accept externally imposed rules on social relations

Question 21

grand theory (meta paradigm)

Answer 21

attempts to explain large aspects of human experiences.
Theories of relevance are often less abstract than grand theories

They frame our disciplinary knowledge within the principles of nursing, and their concepts and propositions transcend specific events and patient populations.
-Grand theories’ most significant contribution to nursing is the establishment of the discipline’s identity and boundaries

Question 22

middle-range theory

Answer 22

a theory that focuses on a specific aspect of human experience (e.g., stress, health promotion); more specific and more amenable to empirical testing than grand theories

sufficiently specific to guide research and practice, yet sufficiently general to cross multiple clinical populations and to encompass similar phenomena

explanatory or predictive
to define or refine the substantive content of nursing science and practice

Question 23

descriptive / micro-range / practice theory

Answer 23

that thoroughly describes a phenomenon, based on rich observations of it that describe or classify characteristics of individuals, groups, or situations by summarizing their commonalities
1-2 concepts which characterize a specific situation, limited application (usually 1 event)
QUALITATIVE (inductive reasoning)

Question 24

conceptual model

Answer 24

theme-relevant abstractions (concepts)
interrelated phenomena perspective
loose structure, does not link deductively

Question 25

schematic model (concept map)

Answer 25

visual representation of relationships between phenomena
visual summaries

Question 26

schematic model (concept map)

Answer 26

visual representation of relationships between phenomena
visual summaries

Question 27

framework

Answer 27

conceptual underpinnings of a study, including an overall rationale and conceptual definitions of key concepts
- theoretical or conceptual: structure of concepts or theories that provides the basis for development of research questions or hypotheses

By clarifying conceptual definitions of key variables, researchers provide important information about the study’s framework.

QUALITATIVE: from research tradition