Module 1

Question 1

research

Answer 1

a systematic inquiry that uses disciplined methods to answer questions and solve problems

Question 2

What is the ultimate goal of formal research?

Answer 2

To gain knowledge that would be useful for many people

Question 3

nursing research

Answer 3

systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence about issues of importance to nurses and their clients

Question 4

clinical nursing research

Answer 4

research designed to guide nursing practice

Question 5

evidence based practice

Answer 5

the use of the best evidence in making patient care decisions, and such evidence typically comes from research conducted by nurses and other health care professionals

Question 6

systematic reviews

Answer 6

rigorously integrate research information on a topic so that conclusions about the state of evidence can be reached

Question 7

positivism

Answer 7

a reflection of a broader cultural movement that emphasizes the rational and the scientific

Question 8

assumption

Answer 8

a principle that is believed to be true without verification

Question 9

determinism

Answer 9

refers to the positivists’ belief that phenomena are not haphazard, but rather have antecedent causes

Question 10

constructivist paradigm

Answer 10

assumes that knowledge is maximized when the distance between the inquirer and participants in the study is minimized

Question 11

research methods

Answer 11

the techniques researchers use to structure a study and to gather and analyze relevant information

Question 12

quantitative research

Answer 12

most closely associated with positivism

Question 13

qualitative research

Answer 13

most closely linked to constructivist inquiry

Question 14

cause probing studies

Answer 14

studies designed to illuminate the underlying causes of phenomena

Question 15

research utilization

Answer 15

the use of findings from disciplined research in a practical application that is unrelated to the original research

Question 16

meta-analysis

Answer 16

a technique for integrating quantitative research findings statistically

Question 17

clinical practice guidelines

Answer 17

give specific recommendations for evidence-based decision making

Question 18

implementation potential

Answer 18

organizational “fit”

Question 19

Cochrane Collaboration

Answer 19

aim is to help providers make good health care decisions by preparing and disseminating systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions

Question 20

evidence hierarchy

Answer 20

purport to rank evidence sources according to the strength of the evidence they provide

Question 21

What is the highest level of evidence?

Answer 21

Systematic review

Question 22

meta-syntheses

Answer 22

integrate and amplify findings across qualitative studies

Question 23

problem-focused trigger

Answer 23

the identification of clinical practice problem in need of solution

Question 24

knowledge-focused trigger

Answer 24

begins with innovation or research finding

Question 25

informant

Answer 25

the people participating in a qualitative study

Question 26

subject or participant

Answer 26

the people being studied in a quantitative study

Question 27

study site

Answer 27

the overall location for a study

Question 28

concepts

Answer 28

abstractions of particular aspects of human behavior and characteristics Ex: pain, fatigue

Question 29

construct

Answer 29

also refers to an abstraction but often one that is deliberately invented Ex: self-care

Question 30

theory

Answer 30

explanation of some aspect of reality

Question 31

variable

Answer 31

characteristic or quality that takes on different values; quantitative research

Question 32

independent variable

Answer 32

the presumed cause

Question 33

dependent variable

Answer 33

the presumed effect

Question 34

continuous variable

Answer 34

variables that take on a wide range of values Ex: height, weight

Question 35

categorical variable

Answer 35

variable that takes on only a few values Ex: marital status, gender

Question 36

conceptual definition

Answer 36

the abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept being studied

Question 37

operational definition

Answer 37

the operations a researcher must perform to measure the concept and collect the desired information

Question 38

data

Answer 38

the pieces of information gathered in a study

Question 39

quantitative data

Answer 39

information in numeric form

Question 40

qualitative data

Answer 40

narrative descriptions

Question 41

relationship

Answer 41

a bond or connection between two or more phenomena

Question 42

cause and effect

Answer 42

causal relationship

Question 43

associative

Answer 43

functional relationship

Question 44

experimental research

Answer 44

researchers actively introduce an intervention or treatment

Question 45

non-experimental research

Answer 45

researchers collect data without introducing treatments or making changes

Question 46

clinical trials

Answer 46

experimental studies in medical or epidemiological research

Question 47

observational studies

Answer 47

non-experimental inquiries

Question 48

phenomenology

Answer 48

concerned with the lived experiences of humans

Question 49

grounded theory

Answer 49

seeks to describe and understand key social psychological processes that occur in a social setting

Question 50

ethnography

Answer 50

provides a framework for studying the patterns, lifeways, and experiences of a defined cultural group in a holistic fashion

Question 51

gaining entree

Answer 51

typically involves negotiations with gatekeepers who have authority to permit entry into their world

Question 52

emergent design

Answer 52

a design that emerges during the course of data collection; occurs in qualitative studies

Question 53

journal article

Answer 53

descriptions of studies published in professional journals

Question 54

abstract

Answer 54

brief description of the study placed at the beginning of the article

Question 55

findings

Answer 55

presented in the result section

Question 56

statistical tests

Answer 56

test hypotheses and assess the probability that the results are accurate

Question 57

statistically significant

Answer 57

the findings are probably true and replicable with a new sample

Question 58

level of significance

Answer 58

an index of how probable it is that the findings are reliable

Question 59

critique

Answer 59

an objective assessment of a study's strengths and limitations

Question 60

inference

Answer 60

a conclusion drawn from the study evidence using logical reasoning and taking into account the methods used to generate that evidence

Question 61

reliability

Answer 61

refers to the accuracy and consistency of information obtained in a study

Question 62

validity

Answer 62

more complex concept that broadly concerns the soundness of the study's evidence

Question 63

triangulation

Answer 63

the use of multiple sources or referents to draw conclusions about what constitutes the truth