define prob/hypothesis

the statement of the topic under study; outlines all relevant variables, justifies the choice of topic, and guides selection of the research design

problem statement

describes WHY a study is being conducted

purpose statement

Consider ALL for —-: Cost required to conduct the study, Researchers’ expertise, Potential ethical concerns, Availability to procure a sample of participants

feasibility of a study

non-traditional/non-peer-reviewed sources (reports, theses, conference papers, etc.)

grey literature

accepts manuscripts based on the recommendations of peer reviewers, a scholarly publication that requires submitted articles to be evaluated and approved by a panel of experts in the same field before they can be printed or posted online

refereed journals

a collection of bibliographic files accessed through an online search

electronic database

words used to connect or exclude keywords in a search for more focused results

boolean operators

Explanation of concepts or variables in terms of how they are defined for THAT study - clear concise statement to avoid confusion of multiple definitions

operational definition

not controlled for in a study; threatens internal validity, ex: environmental factors (background noise, etc)

extraneous variables

predicts a relationship between variables (not formed after data analysis, doesn’t ask a question)

research hypothesis

also called a statistical hypothesis; states that NO relationship or difference exists between two variables

null hypothesis

makes a specific prediction about the DIRECTION of the relationship between two variables

directional hypothesis

does NOT stipulate in advance the direction/nature of the relationship between two variables

nondirectional hypothesis

predicts a relationship between ONE independent and ONE dependent variable

simple hypothesis

explains/predicts relationships between TWO OR MORE independent and dependent variables

complex hypothesis

What type of nonexperimental research examines the relationship between and among variables?

correlational research

Which type of nonexperimental study is designed to provide a knowledge base when little is known about a phenomenon and is used to describe variables rather than to test predicted relationships?

descriptive research

theory taken from other disciplines and applied to nursing questions and research problems

borrowed theory

is an organized and systematic set of interrelated statements (concepts) that specify the nature of relationships between two or more variables, with the purpose of understanding a problem or the nature of things

theory

What type of research manipulates and controls one or more variables to measure or observe the effect on one or more other variables?

experimental research

Which term refers to the primary phenomena that are of interest to a particular discipline?

metaparadigm

Which type of study collects data at a single point in time and does not involve follow-up with participants?

cross sectional research

What type of research examines data collected in the past?

retrospective research

nursing theory primarily used to —, —-, or —- nursing phenomena

describe, explain, predict

What is another name for practice theories?

prescriptive theories

Which theories are complex and broad in scope? They also attempt to explain broad areas and include numerous concepts that are not well defined and have ambiguous and unclear relationships

grand theories

Which theory looks at a piece of reality and contains clearly defined variables in which the nature and direction of relationships are specified?

middle range theory

What term refers to a set of abstract and general concepts that are organized to address a phenomenon of interest

conceptual model

What term describes the researcher’s responsibility to protect subjects participating in a research study, including the right to freedom from injury, the right to privacy and dignity, and the right to anonymity and confidentiality

human rights

The primary or —- phenomena within nursing are the concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing

central

A deductive approach to reasoning includes which of the following? goes from —- to the —-

general, specific

What is the term used to identify higher-level abstract concepts that represent nonobservable behaviors?

constructs

refers to observations that lead to conclusions or hypotheses - specific to broad

inductive reasoning