Lecture #4 Flashcards
research problem
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
problem statement
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
purpose statement
summary of an overall goal (aim/objective)
identifies key concepts (variables) and population, general direction of inquiry
should be neutral and objective
research question
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
hypotheses
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
QUANTITATIVE research problems
well developed concepts, measurable
QUALITATIVE research problems
researcher seeks to develop rich, context-bound understanding of poorlyunderstoof phenomena
sources of research problems
clinical experience
reading literature
social global or political issues
theories
external source suggestions
communicating research problems and questions
QUANTITATIVE purpose statements
identifies key study variables
possible relationships between variables
population
nature of inquiry (test/compare/etc)
QUALITATIVE purpose statements
identifies key concpets/central phenomena
suggests research tradition
indicated setting/group/community of interest
nature of inquiry (describe/discover/explore)
QUANTITATIVE research questions
relationships among variables
- clearly identified variables
- population specified
- empirical testing implied
QUALITATIVE research questions
research tradition (grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography)
may adapt over the course of the study, ‘focus’ but no boundaries
grounded theory
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.
phenomenology
meaning, experience, lived experience, essence
ethnography
culture, roles, life ways, cultural behavior
testable hypothesis
stated relationship (more than, less than, different from, related to, etc.)
directional - more/less
non-directional - different
simple - 2 variables
complex - 3+ variables
null hypothesis
no relationship between variables
alternate hypothesis = research hypothesis
QUANTITATIVE theories
classic: test hypothesis from existing theory
QUALITATIVE theories
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
grand theory (meta paradigm)
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
middle-range theory
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
descriptive / micro-range / practice theory
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)
conceptual model
theme-relevant abstractions (concepts)
interrelated phenomena perspective
loose structure, does not link deductively
schematic model (concept map)
visual representation of relationships between phenomena
visual summaries
schematic model (concept map)
visual representation of relationships between phenomena
visual summaries
framework
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
