Nursing Research: Discussion Questions Quantitative Research Includes

¶ … nursing research: Discussion questions

Quantitative research includes descriptive, correlative, quasi-experimentational, and experimentational research (Burns 2010: 21). Descriptive research describes a phenomenon, purely and simply. Correlative research attempts to determine if there is a correlation between two types of phenomenon (such as a correlation between participation in athletic sports and overweight adolescents' decrease in BMI). Quasi-experimental research may have a 'control group' in the real world (such as overweight adolescents who do not participate in sports) while experimental research actively isolates extraneous variables that could affect the result in a controlled setting. Problem-solving involves setting goals and identifying solutions while the nursing process involves planning for those interventions. The research process uses clinical studies and literature reviews to identify and prescribe specific phenomenon in a more general fashion (Burns 2010: 41)

Q2. Phenomenology involves a description of a particular phenomenon. Grounded theory is theory which has its roots in a specific study or collection of data, rather than attempts to be all-encompassing like an abstract theory or a scientific theory that is meant to be true across generalized populations. An ethnography attempts to understand a population and how it views the world from a specific, cultural vantage-point. Historical research examines events from the past in a case study format to better understand the present (Burns 2010: 71- 78).

Q3. Scientific misconduct can include falsification, in which the authors of the data deliberately distort or inaccurately report the results, usually for self-interested purposes (such as to get a particular drug approved by overstating its benefits). The construction of the experiment may be manipulated to produce a specific result, such as skewing the membership of the experimental group. Fabricating involves making up data to support a specific conclusion to bolster one's reputation or achieve a specific financial end. With plagiarism, the researchers use the data of others without giving credit, and thus profit in terms of their reputation or financially from the benefits of publishing the experiment's results. The human rights of subjects must always be protected in research -- and that includes not publishing data that could result in harm to individuals, who are treated in a particular manner, based upon inaccurate data.

Q4. A simple hypothesis states the relationship between two variables. A complex hypothesis states the relationship between three or more variables. A nondirectional hypothesis states that a relationship exists between two variables. A directional hypothesis predicts the relationship between the two variables (Burns 2010: 172-173). An associative hypothesis describes phenomenon that occur together, while causal hypothesis describes one phenomenon that causes another (Burns 2010: 168). A null hypothesis states that there is no relationship between two variables (and usually the researcher wants to disprove the null hypothesis). The research hypothesis states that there is a relationship between the two variables, which the researcher is usually trying to prove.