Research Methods

• Research is a systematic inquiry that uses structured and rigorous scientific methods to explore an issue of interest in order to better understand the issue, solve a problem, establish new truth, and expand knowledge
• Nursing research is systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence about issues of importance to the nursing profession, including nursing practice, education, administration, and informatics
• Importance of Research:

  • Provides strong evidence that informs health interventions
  • Increases cost-effectiveness of health interventions
  • Contributes to improvement in health outcomes
  • Aids in developing and testing theories in health
  • Aids selection of appropriate teaching methodologies
• Types of Research:

  • Basic (Pure or Fundamental): enhances knowledge or understanding of fundamental principles in a discipline, generates new theory or modifies existing ones
  • Applied: seeks to solve existing problems using scientific methods, useful in policy formulation and evaluation
• Research Process stages:

  1. Conceptual phase

  2. Design phase

  3. Implementation phase

  4. Analytic phase

  5. Dissemination phase
• Conceptual Phase:

  • Formulating and delimiting the problem
  • Review related literature to find existing knowledge in the research area
  • Developing a theoretical/conceptual framework
  • Formulation of Hypothesis by identifying related concepts
• Factors influencing the generation and pursuit of research ideas:

  • Lack of available knowledge about dealing with a specific problem
  • Personal experience leading to uncertainty about best practices
  • Mistakes, complaints, or poor practice prompting a search for better methods
  • Good practices that could benefit from an evidence base
  • Policy needs for a firmer research base
  • Influence from colleagues, role models, patients, funding bodies, and previous research
• Factors to Consider in Choosing a Research Problem:

  • Relevance
  • Feasibility
  • Acceptability
  • Applicability
  • Avoiding duplication
• Defining the Research Problem:

  • Clearly defining the research problem helps prevent duplication, determine what to look for, choose instruments, and work within set limits
• Problem Statement:

  • Presents the idea or issues that the researcher wants to examine in the study
  • Identifies the nature of the problem, its context, and significance
  • Should start with background information
• Research Questions:

  • Research questions should be clearly and unambiguously stated
  • Perceived answers to research questions lead to a better formulation of the research problem
• Research objectives are the intended end results of the research, stated as general and specific objectives
• Characteristics of objectives:

  • SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound
• Objectives can be formulated with the topic verb in the infinitive form or in the gerund form
• In the design & planning phase of research:

  • Select a research design
  • Identify the population to be studied
  • Select measures for the variables
  • Design a sampling plan
  • Develop methods to safeguard human rights
  • Finalize and review the research plan
  • Prepare a research proposal
• During the implementation phase of research:

  • Data collection techniques/methods
  • Tools for data collection
  • Data processing/preparing data for analysis (data entry, verification, cleaning)
• In the analytic phase of research:

  • Data analysis techniques (descriptive statistics, regression, content analysis, thematic analysis)
  • Interpretation of results
• In the dissemination phase of research:

  • Communicate findings through written and oral reports
  • Utilize findings in practice by making recommendations on how they can be incorporated
• Key definitions in research:

  • Population, study unit, sample frame, sampling, subject/respondent/participant, representative sample
• Variables in research:

  • Independent variable, dependent variable, confounding variables
  • Continuous, discrete, and categorical variables
• Hypothesis in research predicts a relationship between phenomena
• Bias in research leads to systematically different conclusions from the truth, while validity measures if a measurement detects what it is supposed to measure
• Theoretical framework describes how abstract aspects of research problem interrelate, while conceptual framework comprises concepts and their relationships
• Operational definition is the researcher's own definition of terms used in the study
• Literature review is a strong foundation for new knowledge, involving a thorough review of existing information on a topic, analyzing key findings, identifying gaps, and presenting evidence in a written report before conducting research
• A literature review is a synthesis of all available information on a topic, focusing on what is known or studied regarding a specific research question or purpose
• The sources of literature for a review can be primary (original sources) or secondary (describing or interpreting primary sources), and can come from various mediums like the internet, library, journals, reports, or personal communications
• In the literature review process, researchers compile keywords, search for publications in libraries or online, and evaluate materials related to their study topic, ensuring to keep detailed records of references
• When writing the literature review section, it should be presented systematically, evaluating findings, following the research problem sequence, comparing conflicting results, and organizing summaries logically
• Referencing in a literature review includes in-text citations and a reference list, following specific styles like APA or Vancouver, with guidelines on citing authors and formatting references for books and articles
• Factors to consider in selecting literature for a review include the date, quality, primary or secondary sources, relevance to the profession, and the number of references accessed
• Research design is the logical plan used by the researcher to address the problem statement in a research study
• The design progresses in an organized manner from the idea stage to the final stage of the study
• The design influences the outcome of the research and the acceptability of the results
• Purposes of research design:

  • Indicates the basic strategies the researcher will adopt to gather and develop accurate information
  • Incorporates the most important methodological decisions in conducting the research, such as selecting subjects, collecting data, analyzing data, and interpretation
• Selection of an appropriate method depends largely on the nature of the research question and the researcher's taste and philosophy
• Basic elements of a research design include the research setting, samples/participants/respondents, sample size, conditions under which data are collected, data collection methods, and the researcher's plan for data analysis
• Research design expectations include appropriateness to the research question, lack of bias, precision, and power
• Bias is an influence/factor that can distort the results of research, often seen in studies comparing groups where subjects are not randomly selected
• Precision is achieved through accurate measuring tools, controls over confounding variables, and powerful statistical methods