Week 4 - Research Questions, Problems, Hypotheses Flashcards
Research Problem
An enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling condition
Often come from clinical practice, but can come from other areas - something is going on and we want to know why
Broad (Ex: HTN is an issue)
Problem Statement
A statement articulating the research problem and making an ARGUKMENT to conduct a new study
Mod. Broad/Narrowing in( ex: Breathing studied for other things, but not this so this is why we are trying it this way and why you should try it )
Statement of Purpose
Summary of an overall goal
GOAL - of the study - includes objective of study and purpose of this study
Narrow (Ex: In this study I hope to show decrease in HTN in Broome county)
When it comes to research, problems, and hypotheses…
start general and get more specific
Problem Statement should do what
highlight gaps in the literature that justify your study
The problems and lack of something in the research that is missing - but keep it nursing focused
“What is the relationship between variables in this population?” - Is this a Research Q, Statement of Purpose, or Hypothesis?
Research Question - the enigmatic condition
“This study intends to examine the relationship between X and Y in this population” - Is this a Research Q, Statement of purpose, or Hypothesis?
Statement of Purpose
“We believe that there is a relationship between X and Y in this population” - Is this a Research Q, Statement of Purpose, or Hypothesis?
Hypothesis
PICO
Population
Intervention (IV)
Control (DV)
Outcome
From Statement of Purpose we go to what 2 things?
Research Questions & Hypotheses
Research Questions
The specific queries the research wants to answer in addressing the research problem
“What is the relationship between the IV and DV in this population”
Hypotheses
The researcher’s predictions about relationships among variables
The answer to the research questions (in a way) - what the research predicts is going to happen
Hypotheses determines what
the design and statistical testing used to answer the research questions as well
Quantitative studies usually involve concepts…
that are well developed and for which methods of measurement have been (or can be) developed
*Large amounts of background research and very involved
Qualitative studies are undertaken because…
a researcher wants to develop a rich, context-bound understanding of a poorly understood phenomenon
Do Qualitative or Quantitative studies use Hypotheses?
Hypotheses are most closely related to quantitative research studies since the whole purpose is hypotheses testing
Qualitative studies don’t have hypotheses so we usually start with question involving phenomenon and population and that’s it
Sources of Research Problems
Clinical Experience
Nursing Literature
Global Issues
Political issues
Theory
Suggestion from external sources (e.g., priority statements of national organizations or funders)
Knowledge Based Triggers v Problem Based Triggers
Research Questions should be broad enough …
for central concern but narrow enough to study to serve as a guide to study design
Components of a Problem Statement
- ID the problem (What is wrong with the current situation)
- Background (What is the nature or context of the problem)
- Scope (how big is the problem and how many people are affected)
- Consequences (what are the consequences of not fixing the problem)
- Knowledge Gaps (what information about the problem is lacking)
- Proposed Sol’n (how will the study contribute to the problems solution)
IBS CKP
What are the 2 ways we speak of scope in a problem statement
- In terms of Money (Cost of healthcare, increased days of hospitalization, hospital readmissions, cost of pharmaceuticals, costs to healthcare system)
- In terms of Experience (Days of life loss, Days of work loss, Development of comorbidities, Med Amounts compared to those w/out the disease)
Quantitative Study Statement of Purpose
ID key study variables
ID 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…)
Statement of Purpose is often where in the paper
it is often the last sentence before the method section
Qualitative Study Statement of Purposes
ID 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…)
Looks for increase in knowledge about particular phenomenon in a particular population
Phenomenological Studies suggest…
the research tradition (experience)
Research questions are sometimes direct…
rewordings of statements of purpose, worded as questions
Words two variables and population
Research questions are sometimes used to…
clarify or lend specificity to the purpose statement
Research questions in quantitative studies, typically …
pose queries about the relationships among variables
Research Questions are unique…
to nursing
In qualitative studies, research questions …
often pose queries linked to the research tradition: Grounded theory, Phenomenology, and Ethnography
Grounded Theory key word is ____ questions
process
Phenomenology key word is ___/___ questions
meaning/experience
Ethnography key word is ___ ___ questions
cultural description
Research Hypotheses
“Blue Print of the Study”
States an expectation, a predicted answer to the research question
Answer to the research question from earlier
Contains terms that there is a relationship
Research Hypotheses should almost always involve ….
2 or more variables
Research hypotheses suggest…
the predicted relationship between the IV and the DV
A hypothesis must what?
- contain terms that indicate a relationship (e.g. more than, different from, associated with)
- Is articulated almost exclusively in quantitative (no qualitative) studies
- Is tested through statistical procedures
A research hypothesis is a ___ statement
declarative (those who get this, will have this happen)
Research Hypothesis is the “___” to the study question
answer
Research Hypothesis are in the ___ tense
present
How should the flow and congruency to research hypothesis go?
Problem Statement –> Purpose Statement –> Research Question –> Hypothesis
Research Hypothesis
States the actual prediction of a relationship
used in all of science; a universal language
Null Hypothesis
Expresses the absence of a relationship
rarely stated, usually assumed
Null hypothesis are only used in…
statistical testing
What is the mathematical expression for Research hypothesis
H1
What is the mathematical expression for Null Hypothesis
H0
What is the mathematical expression of what the null hypothesis means
Mean of Experimental Group = Mean of the Control Group
(A regular hypothesis says these are not equal)
We accept or reject the ___ hypothesis, not the __ hypothesis
null; research
How does null account for standard deviation
So there can be an average and then test groups and have some variation, and the null says that despite this difference they are the same in measurement - the research hypothesis would say these things are different
So the null is true until otherwise shown by the research to be different (stats)
Research hypotheses are formally tested with…
statistical analysis
Cannot prove, only ___
support
If the hypothesis has a statistically significant change of being correct it can still only be…
“Probably correct” - cannot prove, only support
Cannot confirm or reject the ___ hypothesis, but can accept or reject the ___
research; null
Directional Hypothesis
Specifies the expected direction of the relationship between variables
Nondirectional Hypothesis
Predicts the existence of a relationship, not its direction
Descriptive: What is the relationship between X and Y
Research question asks if relationship exists - is there a relationship between X and Y
What are some words for directional hypothesis
“less than”
“greater”
“more”
“decrease in”
“increase in”
Yerkes Dodson Law is an example or directional or nondirectional?
Yerkes dodson says optimal performance will decrease until a point where anxiety will make it decline
DIRECTIONAL
Simple Hypothesis
Relationship between 2 variables
limiting hypo to only one relationship between 2 variables can add clarity when understanding the relationship between the variables and the conclusion that follows data analysis
Complex Hypothesis
Relationships between 3 or more variables (1 IV with mult DV)
Associative Relationships
Variables exist side by side
Change in one goes along with change in another but … may not cause change in another
ex: # of cups of coffee associative with # of cigs. smoked - but which is causing which
Causal Relationships
One variable brings about a change in one or more variables
“Directional Hypothesis”
Ex: Smoking causes lung cancer
Lots of science to get causal
Hypothesis are never ___ or ___
proved or disproved
Stat. Hypothesis Testing cannot provide…
absolute proof - only probabilistic information to support an inference that a hypothesis is PROBABLY CORRECT (or not)
Hypotheses are ___ or ___ by study data
supported or rejected
When reading articles - ways to critically appraise problems, questions, and hypotheses
evaluate whether researchers have adequately communicated their research problem
Consider whether the problem has significance for nursing and evidence based practice
Determine whether the research problem is compatible with the chosen research paradigm and its associated methods
Evaluate whether the statement of purpose or research questions lend themselves to research inquiry
What is the IV, DV, Complexity, and Direction of the following Hypothesis: “Older pt.s are at greater risk of experiencing a fall than younger patients”
IV - Age
DV - Fall Rate
Simple - 1 IV and 1 DV
Directional (“greater”)
What is the IV, DV, Complexity, and Direction of the following Hypothesis: “Structured preoperative support is more effective in reducing surgical patients’ medication than structured postoperative support”
IV - Type of support (preop or postop)
D: Perception of pain and requests for pain medication
Complex - 2 DVs
Directional (“more”)
“15 minutes rounding on nursing home residents at risk for falls is no more effective than 30 minute rounding”
Research or Null Hypothesis?
Null Hypothesis
No difference in falls between frequency of roundings
T/F: The statement of purpose makes an argument to conduct a new study
False
rationale: The problem statement articulates the research problem and makes an argument to conduct a new study. The statement of purpose is a summary of an overall goal
The statement of purpose for a qualitative study would include:
A - ID of the key study variables
B - Suggestions for the research tradition
C - indication of the population of interest
D - ID of the relationship among variables
B - Suggestions for the research tradition
Rationale: The statement of purpose for a qualitative study would include a suggestion for the research tradition. ID of key study variables, indications for the population of interest, and identification of the possible relationships among the variables are included in the statement of purpose for a quantitative study
T/F: A hypothesis most commonly involves one variable
False
Rationale: A hypothesis should always involve at least two variables and possibly more
