BSc Nursing 3rd Year Nursing Research And Statistics Chapter 1 Introduction To Nursing Research Question And Answers

Introduction To Nursing Research And Statistics

Question 1. Define Nursing Research
Answer:

The word research derives from the French recherché, from the researcher, to search closely whereas chercher means to search. The word research means ’to search again‘ or ’to examine carefully’.

Definitions Of Nursing Research

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering the questions in order to find a solution to the problem.
• Research essentially is a problem-solving process, a systematic, intensive study directed towards full scientific knowledge of subject studies
• Research is a process of systematically searching for new events and relationships

Read And Learn More: BSc Nursing 3rd Year Nursing Research And Statistics Previous year Question And Answers 

Question 2. Characteristics Of Nursing Research
Answer:

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering the questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Characteristics Of Nursing Research Are As Follows:

• Nursing Research attempts to solve a problem.
• Nursing Research should be clearly defined and a common concept to be used.
• Nursing Research should be logical.
• Nursing Research involves gathering new data from primary or firsthand sources or using existing data for new purposes.
• Nursing Research is based upon observable experience or empirical evidence.
• Nursing Research demands accurate observation and description.
• Nursing Research generally employs carefully designed procedures and rigorous analysis.
• Nursing Research requires courage.
• Nursing Research should be replicated.
• Nursing Research should be systematic.
• Nursing Research analysis should be sufficient.
• Nursing Research procedure should be described in a sufficient way.
• Nursing Research conclusions should be confined to justify the data of the research.
• Nursing Research conclusions should be confined to justify the data of the research.
• Nursing Research emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles, or theories that will help in understanding, perdition, and control.

Question 3. Purpose Of Research
Answer:

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering the questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Purpose Of Nursing Research:

• It unravels the mysteries of life.
• It aims to analyze interrelations between variables and to derive causal explanations.
• It aids planning and helps in national development.
• It aims at finding solutions to problems.
• It helps in the development of general laws.
• It aims at developing new tools, concepts, and theories for better study of unknown phenomena
• It extends the knowledge of human beings regarding social life and the environment.
• It verifies existing facts and theory and these in turn help in improving our knowledge and ability to handle situations and events.

Question 4. Scope Of Research
Answer: 

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering the questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Scope Of Nursing Research:

• It promotes scientific and legal thinking.
• Operational: It is involved in solving operational problems, e.g., industries, factories, etc
• It is also used as an aim for economic policy and has gained its importance in government and business.
• It helps in planning the budget for the nation.
• It facilitates the decisions of policymakers.
• It is concerned with the allocation of national resources.
• It studies the economic and social structure of a nation and gives a detailed account of the change taking place in society. Introduction to Research
• It helps in predicting future development.
• It studies the motivation underlying the consumer behavior.
• It helps the social scientist in studying social relationships and seeking answers to various social problems
• It helps in the attainment of a high position in social structure.
• It helps in the development of new ideas and insight for analysis for the generation of new theories.
• It helps to identify new facts as an advancement of a profession.
• It is a measure of means of attaining livelihood for professionals.

Question 5. Qualities Of a Good Researcher
Answer:

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Qualities Of Good Researcher:

• Method of approach: The researcher should adopt the correct procedure for identifying a problem and then working on it, to find a solution for that problem.
• Knowledge: The researcher should be well aware and should have complete knowledge and information of the field of investigation so that he can go in for correct planning and then implementation of the correct and effective methods for selection of the problem and then for solving it.
• Qualification: The researcher should have a good background of study, which will enable the researcher to have a better knowledge and understanding of the subject.
• Attitude: The researcher must have a vision of his own, an aim with some objectives to achieve something.
• Should have open thinking.
• Should be stable, and have consistent thinking.
• Should be honest, sincere, brave, and ambitious.

Question 6. Methods Of Research
Answer:

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Methods Of Research:

There are three basic methods of research:

1. Survey
2. Observation
3. Experiment.

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

• Experiment
• Observation
• Survey

Methods Of Research Survey:

• The survey is the most common method of gathering information in the social sciences.
• It can be a face-to-face interview, telephone, mail, email, or web survey.
• A personal interview is one of the best methods of obtaining personal, detailed, or in-depth information.
• It usually involves a lengthy questionnaire that the interviewer fills out while asking questions.
• It allows for extensive probing by the interviewer and gives respondents the ability to elaborate on their answers.
• Telephone interviews are similar to face-to-face interviews.
• They are more efficient in terms of time and cost, however, they are limited in the amount of in-depth probing that can be accomplished, and the amount of time that can be allocated to the interview.
• A mail survey is more cost-effective than an interview methods.
• The researcher can obtain opinions, but trying to meaningfully probe opinions is very difficult. Email and web surveys are the most cost-effective and fastest method.

Methods Of Research Observation:

• The Observation research monitors respondents’ actions without directly interacting with them.
• It has been used for many years by A.C. Nielsen to monitor television viewing habits.
• Psychologists often use one-way mirrors to study behavior.
• Anthropologists and social scientists often study societal and group behaviors by simply observing them.
• The fastest growing form of observation research has been made possible by the bar code scanners at cash registers, where the purchasing habits of consumers can now be automatically monitored and summarized.

Methods Of Research Experiment:

• In an experiment, the investigator changes one or more variables over the course of the research
• When all other variables are held constant (except the one being manipulated), changes in the dependent variable can be explained by the change in the independent variable.
• It is usually very difficult to control all the variables in the environment.

Question 7. Types of Research/ Classification of Research
Answer:

• Research is defined as the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.
• Research means searching for facts or ideas and answering the questions in order to find a solution to the problem.

Classification of Research:

Research may be classified by purposes, i.e. it may be classified crudely according to its earnest desire directed towards or methods

According to earnest desire directed towards research may be classified as:

• Basic research Applied research
• Exploratory research Descriptive research
• Diagnostic research
• Evaluative research

Action research.

According to methods of study research may be classified as:

1. Qualitative research Phenomenological

• Grounded theory
• Historical
• Action research.

2. Quantitative research

1. Experimental
2. Non-experimental

1. Quantitative Experimental Research

True experimental:

• Pre-test/post-test control group design
• Solomon four-group design
• Two-group random sample design
• Matching sample design Factorial design.

Quasi-experimental:

• One-group pre-test/post-test design
• Non-randomized control group design Counter-balanced design
• Time series design
• Control group time series design

2. Non-experimental Quantitative design

• Correlational design
• Descriptive design
• Time perspective design
• Retrospective design
• Prospective design
• Design that uses existing data
• Focus group research
• Content analysis.

Research can be classified and discussed according to their purposes and approaches as follows:

1. Classification on the Basis of Purpose
   1. Basic Research
      • It is also known as pure, theoretical, or fundamental research, which is always aimed at enriching the theory by unraveling the untold mysteries of nature.
      • It is a process in which data are scientifically collected to advance knowledge without particular reference to its immediate or practical use, which means, it advances scientific knowledge, regardless of whether knowledge is immediately usable or not.
   2. Applied Research:
      1. Applied research or empirical research always aims at enriching the application of the theory by discovering various new uses to which findings of basic research may be put and by showing the limitations of these findings.
2. Classification on the Basis of Approaches: On the basis of approaches, research can be classified into two groups, i.e.,
   1. Experimental approaches and
   2. Non-experimental.

1. 1. Experimental Approaches
      • Experimental research is one in which the researcher makes changes in independent variables and studies their effects on dependent variables under controlled conditions.
   2. Non-experimental.
      • Non-experimental research is one in which the researcher simply measures the present level of the independent variable. For example, if a researcher wants to test the hypothesis, of whether “increased autonomy of a job increases the level of satisfaction of nurses,” he may carry this out in two ways.
      • First, he may take an existing job of a nurse and redesign it to vary its levels of autonomy and see if there are concomitant variations in a nurse’s level of job satisfaction. This is conducting an experiment in which he actually manipulates autonomy-the study’s independent variables
      • Second, he may look at incumbents in jobs that differed in terms of autonomy and see if jobs with greater autonomy have given a greater level of job satisfaction to their incumbents.
      • This is conducting a nonexperimental study.

The following are some points of difference between these two types

Classification Of Research According To Methods:

1. Qualitative Research and
2. Quantitative Research

 

1. Qualitative Research is a systematic, interactive, subjective approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning.
   • Whereas quantitative research is a formal, objective systematic process to describe, test relationships, and examine cause and effect interaction among variables.
   • These two qualitative and quantitative approaches have emerged in recent years to develop nursing knowledge.
2. Quantitative Research is based on the measurement of quantity or amount and it is applicable to phenomena that can be exposed in terms of quantity.
   • Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with qualitative phenomena, phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind

Pure research:

• Also called fundamental or theoretical research.
• Is basic and original.
• This can lead to the discovery of a new theory.
• Can result in the development or refinement of a theory that already exists.
• Helps in getting knowledge without thinking formally of implementing it in practice based on the honesty, love, and integrity of the researcher for discovering the truth

Applied research:

• Based on the concept of pure research.
• Is problem-oriented?
• Helps in finding results or solutions for real-life problems.
• Provides evidence of usefulness to society.
• Helps in testing the empirical content of a theory.
• Utilizes and helps in developing the techniques that can be used for basic research.
• Helps in testing the validity of a theory under some conditions.
• Provides data that can lead to the acceleration of the process of generalization.

Exploratory research:

• Involves exploring a general aspect.
• Includes studying a problem, about which nothing or very little is known.
• Follows a very formal approach to research.
• Helps in exploring new ideas
• Helps in gathering information to study a specific problem very minutely.
• Helps in knowing the feasibility of attempting a study.

Descriptive research:

• The simplest form of research.
• More specific in nature and working than exploratory research.
• It involves a mutual effort.
• Helps in identifying various features of a problem.
• Restricted to the problems that are describable and not arguable and the problems in which valid standards can be developed for standards.
• Existing theories can be easily put to the test by empirical observations.
• Underlines factors that may lead to experimental research.
• It consumes a lot of time.
• It is not directed by hypothesis.

Diagnostic study:

• Quite similar to descriptive research.
• Identifies the causes of the problems and then solutions for these problems.
• Related to causal relations.
• It is directed by the hypothesis
• Can be done only where knowledge is advanced.

Evaluation study:

• Form of applied research.
• Studies the development project.
• Gives access to social or economic programmes.
• Studies the quality and quantity of an activity.

Action research:

1. Type of evaluation study.
2. Is a concurrent study.

Question 5. Definition of nursing research and scientific steps of nursing research.
Answer:

Definition of Nursing Research

Nursing research is research that provides evidence used to support nursing practices. Nursing, as an evidence-based area of practice, has been developing since the time of Florence Nightingale to the present day, where many nurses now work as researchers based in universities as well as in the health care setting.

Steps Of Scientific Research.

1. Identifying the problem: It is a clear finding of the problem that should be studied. In general broad topic area is selected and then the topic is narrowed down to a specific one. It may be from personal experiences or literature sources.
2. Review of literature: It is one of the most important steps in the research process. A literature review is an account of what has been already established or published on a particular research topic by various researchers.
3. Developing the theoretical/conceptual framework: It is a valuable part of scientific research. Which helps in the selection of the study characters and in defining them. It also directs to the prediction and the interpretation of the study findings.
4. Identifying the study Assumptions: Assumptions are held to be true but have not necessarily been proven. It influences the questions that are asked. It is based on the information collected and study interpretation.
5. Developing the theoretical/conceptual framework: It is a valuable part of scientific research. Which helps in the selection of the study characters and in defining them. It also directs to the prediction and the interpretation of the study findings.
6. Identifying the study Assumptions: Assumptions are held to be true but have not necessarily been proven. It influences the questions that are asked. It is based on the information collected and study interpretation.
7. Formulating the Hypothesis or Research Question: The hypothesis predicts the relationship between two or more characters. According to the asked questions in the problem statement. The hypothesis furnishes the answer to it. It is testable or verifiable by the information gathered. The research is guided by research questions that are further elaboration of the problem statement.
8. Selecting the Research Design: It is the plan for how the study will be conducted as well as concerned with the type of information that will be collected.
9. Identifying the population/sample: The population means the complete set of individuals or objects that possess some common characteristics of interest to the researcher. The subgroup of populations is called the study sample.
10. Conducting a pilot study: A pilot study is a miniature trial version of the planned study. It reveals the feasibility of the study and helps to test the instruments. It also plays a role in gaining experience with the study process and it indicates where the revision should be made.
11. Collecting Data: It is the process of collecting or gathering pieces of information’s facts that are related to the study.
12. Organizing the data for Analysis: It is the grouping of information for tabulation and evaluation purposes. A statistician should be consulted in the early phase of the research process. The statistician can help to follow the appropriate analytical method.
13. Interpreting the findings: After the data are analyzed the findings of the results are compared with those of previous studies for further recommendation.