Research Exam 1

Why is research important in nursing?

It improves patient outcomes, informs best practices, and advances the profession through evidence-based decision-making.

What is the consumer-producer continuum in nursing research?

Consumers apply research; producers conduct and publish it. Nurses may shift between these roles.

What are current and future directions of nursing research?

Focus on EBP, patient-centered care, interdisciplinary collaboration, technology, and global health equity.

What’s the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?

Deductive starts with theory → tests with data; Inductive starts with data → builds theory.

Compare positivist and constructivist paradigms.

Positivist: objective, quantitative, prediction-focused. Constructivist: subjective, qualitative, meaning-focused.

What is empirical evidence?

Evidence based on observation or experience, not just theory.

How do quantitative and qualitative research differ?

Quantitative uses numbers to test hypotheses; qualitative uses narratives to explore experiences.

What are the four purposes of nursing research?

Description, explanation, prediction, and control.

What are the three pillars of EBP?

Best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values.

What is an evidence hierarchy?

A ranking of evidence reliability—systematic reviews at the top, expert opinion at the bottom.

Name two barriers to EBP.

Lack of time and limited access to research.

What is preprocessed/preappraised evidence?

Evidence summarized or evaluated by experts (e.g., guidelines, Cochrane Reviews).

What are the 5 A’s of EBP

Ask, Acquire, Appraise, Apply, Assess.

What’s the difference between background and foreground questions?

Background = general knowledge; Foreground = specific clinical decision-making.

What does PICO stand for?

Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome.

What’s the difference between knowledge-focused and problem-focused triggers?

Knowledge-focused = new research; Problem-focused = practice issues.

What are the criteria for appraising evidence?

Quality, magnitude, quantity, consistency, applicability.

What’s the difference in research settings for quantitative vs. qualitative?

Quantitative = controlled; Qualitative = naturalistic.

Define phenomena, concepts, and constructs.

Phenomena = observable events; Concepts = abstract ideas; Constructs = complex concepts measured indirectly.

What’s the difference between independent and dependent variables?

Independent = cause; Dependent = effect.

What’s the difference between conceptual and operational definitions?

Conceptual = dictionary meaning; Operational = how it’s measured in the study.

What’s the difference between causal and associative relationships?

Causal = one variable causes change;

Name three qualitative research traditions and their focus.

Ethnography = culture; Phenomenology = lived experience; Grounded Theory = theory development.

What are key characteristics of qualitative designs?

Flexible, emergent, uses interviews/observations, analyzes themes.

What are the phases of a quantitative study?

Conceptual, Design & Planning, Empirical,

How do quantitative and qualitative research questions differ?

Quantitative = focused, measurable; Qualitative = open-ended, exploratory.

What are the components of a problem statement?

Background, scope, consequences, knowledge gaps, proposed solution.

What verbs are used in statements of purpose?

Quantitative = test, measure, compare; Qualitative = explore, describe, understand.

How do you identify qualitative traditions in research questions?

Look for buzzwords like “lived experience,” “culture,” or “theory generation.”

What are the types of research hypotheses in quantitative studies?

Directional, nondirectional, and null.

Do qualitative studies use formal hypotheses?

No; they use guiding research questions instead.