Research Exam 1

Applicability

degree to which research evidence can be applied to individuals, small groups of individuals, or local contexts

Assumption

principle that is accepted as being true based on logic or reason, without proof

Cause-probing Research

research designed to illuminate the underlying causes of phenomena

Clinical Nursing Research

research designed to guide nursing practice and to improve the health and quality of life of nurses' clients

Clinical significance

practical importance of research results in terms of whether they have genuine, palpable effects on the daily lives of patients or on the health care decisions made on their behalf

Constructivist Paradigm

there are multiple interpretations of reality, and the goal of research is to understand how individuals construct reality within their context; associated with qualitative research

Empirical Evidence

evidence that is rooted in objective reality and gathered through the senses rather than through personal beliefs, quantitative

Evidence-based Practice (EBP)

practice that involves making clinical decisions based on clinical judgment, patient preferences, and on the best available evidence, usually evidence from disciplined research

Evidence Hierarchy

ranked arrangement of the strength of research evidence based on the rigor of the method that produced it; tradition evidence hierarchies are appropriate primarily for cause-probing research

Generalizability

ability to generalize research findings to individuals who did not take part in the study

Journal Club

group that meets in clinical contexts to discuss and critically appraise research articles published in journals

Level of Evidence Scale

rank orders evidence for cause-probing questions in terms of risk of bias, based on evidence hierarchies; Level I evidence is typically systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Meta-agression

approach to the synthesis of qualitative evidence in which findings are categorized and summarized rather than transformed, as in a metasynthesis

Meta-analysis

technique for quantitatively integrating the results of multiple studies addressing the same or highly similar research question

Metasynthesis

interpretive translation of evidence produced by systematically integrating findings from multiple qualitative studies

Mixed Methods Research

research in which both qualitative and quantitative data are collected and analyzed to address different but related questions

Mixed Studies Review

systematic review that integrates and synthesizes findings from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies on a topic

Nursing Research

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

Paradigm

worldview, a general perspective on the world's complexities

Patient Centeredness

focus, in both health care and in research, on individuals patients' needs and values, including involving patients in care decisions and research priorities

PICO format

framework for asking well-worded questions and for searching for evidence, where P=population, I=intervention, C=comparison, and O=outcome

Positivist Paradigm

paradigm underlying the traditional scientific approach, which assumes that there is and orderly reality that can be objectively studied; often associated with quantitative research

Primary Study

in a systematic review, an original study whose findings are the data in the review

Qualitative Research

investigation of phenomena, typically in an in-depth and holistic fashion, through the collection of rich narrative materials using a flexible research design

Quantitative Research

investigation of phenomena that lend themselves to precise measurement and quantification, often involving a rigorous and controlled design and statistical analysis of data

Research

systematic inquiry that relies on disciplined methods to answer questions and solve preoblems

Research Methods

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

Scientific Method

set of orderly, systematic, controlled procedures for acquiring dependable, empirical, and typically quantitative, information; the methodological approach associated with the positivist paradigm

Systematic Review

methodical, scholarly inquiry that summarizes and evaluates current evidence on a research question

Associative Relationship

association between two variables that cannot be described as casual

Cause and Effect (casual) relationship

relationship between two variables wherein the presence or value of one variable (the cause) determines the presence or value of the other (the effect)

Clinical Trial

study designed to assess the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of a new clinical intervention, often involving several phases

Concept

abstraction based on observation or self-reporting of behaviors or characteristics

Conceptual Definition

abstract or theoretical meaning of a concept of interest

Construct

abstraction or concept that is invented (constructed) by researchers based on inferences from human behavior or human traits

Data

pieces of information obtained in a study

Dependent Variabel

variable hypothesized to depend on or be caused by the independent variable (what is being measured)

Emergent Design

design that unfolds in the course of a qualitative study as the researcher makes ongoing design decisions reflecting what has already been learned

Ethnography

branch of human inquiry, associated with anthropology, focuses on the culture of a group of people, with an effort to understand the worldview and customs of those under study

Experimental Research

research using a design in which the researcher controls (manipulates) the independent variable by randomly assigning people to different treatment groups; randomized controlled trials use experimental designs

Gaining Entree

process of gaining access to study participants through the cooperation of key gatekeepers in a selected community or site

Grounded Theory

approach to collecting and analyzing qualitative data that aims to develop theories about social psychological processes grounded in real-world observations

Hypothesis

statement of predicted relationships between variables

Independent Variable

variable that is believed to cause or influence the dependent variable, in experimental research, the manipulated variable; the independent variable is both the I and C in PICO, what's being changed

Informant

person who provides information to researchers about a phenomenon under study; a term used mostly in qualitative studies

Intervention Protocol

specification of what the intervention and alternative (control) treatment conditions are, how they should be administered and who should administer them

Literature Review

summary of research on a topic, often prepared to put a research problem in context or to summarize existing evidence; typically less rigorously conducted that a systematic review

Nonexperimental Research

studies in which the researcher collects data without introducing an intervention; also called observational research

Observational Study

study that does not involve an intervention, nonexperimental research in which phenomena are merely observed

Operational Definition

definition of a concept or variable in terms of the procedures by which it is to be measured

Outcome Variable

term often used to refer to the dependent variable, the outcome (endpoint) of interest, the O in PICO

Phenomenology

qualitative research tradition, with roots in philosophy and psychology, that focuses on the lived experience of humans

Population

entire set of individuals or objects having some common characteristics, P in PICO

Qualitative Data

information in narrative (nonnumeric) form, such as the information provided in an unstructured interview

Qualitative Descriptive Research

qualitative studies that yield rich descriptions of phenomena but that are no embedded in a qualitative tradition such as phenomenology

Quantitative Data

information collected in a quantified (numeric) form

Relationship

bond or connection between two or more variables

Research Design

overall plan for addressing a research question, including strategies for enhancing the study's integrity

Sample

subset of a population comprising those selected to participate in a study

Saturation

collection of qualitative data to the point where a sense of closure is attained because new data yield redundant information

Statistical Analysis

organization and analysis of quantitative data using statistical procedures, including both descriptive and inferential statistics

Subject

an individual who participates and provides data in a study; used in quantitative research

Theme

recurring regularity emerging from an analysis of qualitative data

Theory

explanation of some aspect of reality

Variable

attribute that varies, take on different values

Abstract

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

Bias

any influence that distorts the results of a study and undermines validity or trustworthiness

Blinding

used in some quantitative studies to prevent biases stemming from people's awareness

Confounding Variable

variable that is extraneous to the research question and that confounds the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

Credibility

criterion for evaluating trustworthiness in qualitative studies, referring to confidence in the truth of the data

Critical Appraisal

objective assessment of a study's strengths, limitations, and relevance, often to reach a conclusion about whether its evidence can be applied to practice

Findings

results of the analysis of research data

IMRAD format

Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion

Inference

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

Journal Article

descriptions of studies publishes in professional journals

Level of significance

index of how probable it is that the findings are reliable

p value

probability that the obtained results are due to chance

Placebo

sham or pseudo intervention, sometimes used as a control group condition

Randomness

having certain feature of the study established by chance rather than by researcher preference

Reflexivity

process of reflecting critically on the self and of analyzing and noting personal values and beliefs that could affect data collection and interpretation

Reliability

accuracy and consistency of information obtained in a study

Research Control

holding constant influences on the outcome so that the relationship between the independent and dependent variables can be understood

Scientific Merit

degree to which a study is methodologically and conceptually sound

Statistical Significance

the findings are probably true and replicable

Statistical Test

used to test hypotheses and to evaluate the reliability of the findings

Transferability

extent to which qualitative findings can be transferred to other settings, as another aspect of trustworthiness

Triangulation

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

Trustworthiness

degree of confidence qualitative researchers have in their data and analyses, often assessed using the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability, and authenticity

Validity

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

Anonymity

most secure means of protecting confidentiality, occurs when the researcher cannot link participants to their data

Assent

child's affirmative agreement to participate in a study

Belmont Report

Beneficience

imposes a duty on researchers to minimize harm and maximize benefits

Certificate of Confidentiality

allows researchers to refuse to disclose information on study participants in any legal proceeding

Code of Ethics

fundamental ethical principles established by a discipline or institution to guide researchers' conduct in research with human or animal participatns

Confidentiality

protection of study participants' privacy, such that data they provide are never publicly identified and divulged

Consent Form

written agreement signed by a study participant and a researcher concerning the terms and conditions of voluntary participation in a study

Debriefing

communication with study participants after participation is complete regarding aspects of the study

Ethical Dilemma

situation in which there is a conflict between ethical principles and the research methods needed to maximize the quality of study evidence

Full Disclosure

researcher has fully described the study, the person's right to refuse participation, and potential risks and benefits