NURS 5366 Chapter 5: Research Problem and Purpose Test Bank

Chapter 5: Research Problem and Purpose Test Bank MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. A researcher has conducted 9 clinical studies, some quantitative and others qualitative, all of which focus on depression’s relationship to perceived abandonment. “Depression’s relationship to perceived abandonment” is an example of which of the following? a. Research problem b . Research topic c. Research purpose d . Problem statement ANS: B Research topics are concepts, phenomena of interest, or broad problem areas that researchers can focus on to enhance evidencebased nursing. A research problem is an area of concern where there is a gap in the knowledge base needed for nursing practice. Research topics contain numerous potential research problems, and each problem provides the basis for developing many research purposes. The problem statement identifies the specific gap in the knowledge needed for practice. A nursing situation often includes a variety of research topics or concepts. DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: Page 73 2. Why is replicating a research study essential for knowledge development? a. Each time a study is replicated, its probability of error decreases. b . Reproducing a study decreases theoretical knowledge, increasing real knowledge. c. Replication helps confirm that the initial results were not reached in error. d . Replication studies represent the majority of published nursing literature. ANS: C Replication involves reproducing or repeating a study to determine if similar findings will be obtained. Replication is essential for knowledge development because it (1) establishes the credibility of the findings, (2) extends the generalizability of the findings over a range of instances and contexts, (3) reduces the number of type I and type II errors, (4) corrects the limitations in studies’ methodologies, (5) supports theory development, and (6) lessens the acceptance of erroneous results. Some researchers replicate studies because they agree with the findings and wonder if the findings will hold up in different settings with different subjects over time. Others want to challenge the findings or interpretations of prior investigators. However, the number of nursing studies replicated continues to be limited. DIF: Cognitive Level: Synthesis REF: Page 77 3. A nurse researcher working in a subacute orthopedic hospital floor. She notes that her elders with knee replacements sleep as many as 16 hours a day, waking only for physical therapy and meals, but she also notices that those with many visitors sleep fewer hours and seem to experience more pain. She wonders whether sleep in elders after knee replacement prevents pain, or whether elders select the coping strategy of sleeping more, in response to pain, and begins to attempt to identify the relationship between the two. A literature search reveals only three descriptive studies on this topic, one quantitative and two qualitative. What is “the relationship between elders’ hours of sleep following knee replacement and its relationship with report of pain”? a. The research aim b . The research purpose c. The research problem d . The research topic ANS: C Research topics are concepts, phenomena of interest, or broad problem areas that researchers can focus on to enhance evidencebased nursing. A research problem is an area of concern where there is a gap in the knowledge base needed for nursing practice. Research topics contain numerous potential research problems, and each problem provides the basis for developing many research purposes. DIF: Cognitive Level: Synthesis REF: Page 73 4. A master’s student who works in cardiothoracic ICU reads a 20-year-old nursing research study; the findings document use of much larger per-kilogram amounts of opioids and anxiolytics postoperatively in adults with open-heart surgery, as opposed to children with open-heart surgery. The student strongly suspects that modern hospitals medicate children and adults more or less the same, on a per-kilogram basis. She decides to replicate the original research in her hospital. What type of replication is this? a. Exact replication b . Concurrent replication c. Systematic replication d . Approximate replication ANS: D Replication involves reproducing or repeating a study to determine whether similar findings will be obtained. Four different types of replication are important in generating sound scientific knowledge for nursing: (1) exact, (2) approximate, (3) concurrent, and (4) systematic extension. An exact, or identical, replication involves duplicating the initial researcher’s study to confirm the original findings. All conditions of the original study must be maintained. An approximate, or operational, replication involves repeating the original study under similar conditions, following the methods as closely as possible. A concurrent, or internal, replication involves the collection of data for the original study and its simultaneous replication to provide a check of the reliability of the original study. A systematic extension or constructive replication is done under distinctly new conditions. DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: Page 77 5. A research study contains the question, “Can the application of twice-daily cortisone in the period from 6 to 10 weeks postoperatively produce significantly increased range of motion in 50- to 60-year-old rotator-cuff repair patients at the six-month mark?” The study is _____ research. a. Ethnographic b . Historical c. Experimental d . Basic ANS: C Experimental studies are conducted in highly controlled settings and under highly controlled conditions to determine the effect of one or more independent variables on one or more dependent variables. An experimental research question takes the form of, “Does provision of increased A have an effect on B?” where the study variables are A and B, the relationship is a change in A and its effect on B, and the question ends with a question mark. DIF: Cognitive Level: Synthesis REF: Page 87 6. A knowledge gap is identified by a nurse researcher. Which of the following may NOT necessarily represent a knowledge gap? a. A literature search that shows that no quantitative research, but only qualitative research, exists in the area. b . The National Institutes of Health (NIH) identify the area as one of research priority. c. The phenomenon of interest is a new disease, just identified in Phoenix, Arizona. d . There is one study examining a new intervention, but the research has not yet been replicated. ANS: A The lack of quantitative research may mean only that the phenomenon or idea of the research is not suited for quantitative research, since some concepts are suitable only for qualitative enquiry. By questioning and reviewing the literature, researchers begin to recognize a specific area of concern and the knowledge gap that surrounds it. The knowledge gap, or what is not known about this clinical problem, determines the complexity and number of studies needed to generate essential knowledge for nursing practice. Since 1975, expert researchers, specialty groups, professional organizations, and funding agencies have identified nursing research priorities. DIF: Cognitive Level: Application REF: Page 87 7. Which of the following represents a concise, clear statement of the specific goal or aim of a research study? a. The research problem was identified as the general area of ignorance surrounding the causation and diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis, especially among soldiers in uniform, and this constituted a significant gap in the literature. b . The purpose of the project, then, was to define changes in the variable of hypertension across time, with the four most prevalent treatment modalities prescribed by primary care physicians in the greater Chicago area. c. The phenomenon of depression experienced by the primary schoolchild was focused upon in this study. It is an underresearched topic, especially since recent research has identified correlational links with childhood obesity, especially Hispanic and African-American populations. d . Despite the fact that studying the disease, especially from standpoints of prevention and early detection, is costly and timeconsuming, it represents a clear priority, since treatment itself is remarkably costly and the afflicted are not likely to experience even short remissions without early intervention. ANS: B The research purpose is a concise, clear statement of the specific goal or aim of the study that is generated from the research problem. A research problem is an area of concern where there is a gap in the knowledge base needed for nursing practice. Research topics are concepts, phenomena of interest, or broad problem areas that researchers can focus on to enhance evidencebased nursing. One source of research problems is research priorities identified by funding agencies and specialty groups. DIF: Cognitive Level: Comprehension REF: Page 74 8. What is the relationship between a research topic and a research problem? a. The purpose is the most general statement; the research topic is the most specific to the research itself. b . Research topics contain numerous potential research problems, and each problem provides the basis for developing many purposes. c. The research topic and the research probl