Quantative Research

Question 1

Research report

Answer 1

A research report is a summary of the elements of a study and it answers and identifies how the study will fill in the gaps of nursing knowledge.

Question 2

Quantative research

Answer 2

Quantitative research is a formal, objective, rigorous, and systematic process for generating information about the world from numerical data.

Question 3

Examine the relationship through health related variables

Answer 3

Measuring the amount of screen time to the amount of sleep hours to the child’s bmi

Question 4

Describing new situations or events

Answer 4

Describing the current spread of covid 19 cases and their potential influence on local,national and global health

Question 5

Determine the effectiveness of health interventions on health outcomes that matters to patient and society

Answer 5

Determining the effectiveness of a fall prevention program on the fall rate of hospitalized older patients

Question 6

Campbell and stanley (1963)

Answer 6

Campbell and Stanley (1963) developed quasi-experimental research to study the effects of interventions under less controlled conditions.meaning researchers don’t make the group they go outside and see differences of one hospital from another without controlling anything

Question 7

Karl Pearson

Answer 7

Karl Pearson developed statistical approaches for examining relationships among variables, known as correlational research

Question 8

Example of karl Pearson

Answer 8

Pearson’s “Numbers” (r)

Karl Pearson created a way to give this relationship a “score” called the Correlation Coefficient, or simply r. This number tells you how strong the link is:

+1.0 (Perfect Positive): Every time the temperature goes up exactly 1 degree, ice cream sales go up by a perfect, predictable amount.

0 (No Correlation): The temperature has absolutely nothing to do with ice cream sales (like trying to find a link between the price of socks and the color of the sky).

−1.0 (Perfect Negative): As one goes up, the other goes down—like how as the temperature goes up, the sales of heavy winter coats go down.

Question 9

Descriptive research

Answer 9

It is the process of quantifying the “What.” It doesn’t look for causes or links; it just uses numbers to give a precise, objective “snapshot” of a situation.

The 3-Point Summary

Objective over Opinion: It replaces vague feelings (like “the coffee is hot”) with hard data (like “the coffee is 82
∘
C”).

The “Baseline” Creator: It identifies the current state of a problem so you have a starting point for future studies.

Numerical Tools: It uses “descriptive statistics” like averages (means), percentages, and counts to organize the information.

The “Research Journey” Map

To see how it fits with everything else we’ve talked about, just look at this flow:

Descriptive: “1 in 4 kids has a high BMI.” (The Problem)

Correlational: “High BMI is linked to 4+ hours of screen time.” (The Link)

Experimental/RCT: “Reducing screen time by 2 hours lowers BMI.” (The Solution)

One Final Nursing Example

If you were a nurse on a heart unit, Descriptive Research would be a report at the end of the month that says: “The average blood pressure of our patients this month was 130/85, and 10% of them were readmitted within 30 days.” It doesn’t tell you why they were readmitted, but it gives you the exact numerical picture you need to start asking questions!

Question 10

Why ebp needs all quantitative research

Answer 10

The “Broad Range” (The Toolkit)

As you’ve learned, we need all three types of research because they answer different questions:

Descriptive: Tells us what the problem is (e.g., “How many patients are getting infections?”).

Correlational: Tells us what is linked to the problem (e.g., “Is infection linked to how often we change the bandages?”).

Experimental/Quasi-Experimental: Tells us how to fix the problem (e.g., “If we use this new cleaning solution, do infections stop?”).

2. “Empirical Knowledge” (The “2 + 2 = 4” Facts)

“Empirical” is just a fancy word for evidence that comes from observation and measurement. When they say “empirical knowledge,” they mean knowledge built on those objective numbers you identified earlier, rather than on a nurse’s gut feeling or a tradition.

3. “Building Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)”

This is the ultimate goal in nursing. EBP means that every action a nurse takes at the bedside is backed up by high-quality research.

Putting it all together

Think of building EBP like building a house:

Descriptive Research is the survey of the land (knowing what you’re dealing with).

Correlational Research is the blueprint (knowing how the pieces fit together).

Experimental Research is the construction (testing the materials to make sure the house stands).

Without the “Broad Range,” the house falls down. If you only had descriptive research, you’d know there was a problem, but you’d have no idea how to fix it!

Question 11

Why we need to do descriptive and correlation studies before the other studies

Answer 11

Types of quantitative research The four common types of quantitative research conducted in nursing are presented in Fig. 2.1. The type of quantitative research conducted is influenced by current knowledge about a research problem. When little knowledge is available, descriptive studies are conducted that provide a basis for correlational research. Descriptive and correlational studies are conducted frequently to provide a basis for quasi-experimental and experimental studies to test nursing interventions.

Question 12

An example of why correlation and descriptive is important

Answer 12

research isn’t just a random pile of studies; it’s a ladder that scientists climb as they learn more about a problem.

You start at the bottom when you are “clueless” and work your way up to being “certain.”

The “Knowledge Ladder”

Here is how the four types work together in order, just as your text describes:

Descriptive (The Foundation): * When: Used when “little knowledge is available.”

Goal: To define the problem.

Example: “We noticed a new type of skin rash in the ICU. Let’s count how many patients have it and what it looks like.”

Correlational (The Connection):

When: Once you have the descriptive numbers.

Goal: To see what factors are linked to the problem.

Example: “Is this new rash linked to the type of soap we are using? (As soap use ↑, do rashes ↑?)”

Quasi-Experimental (The Real-World Test):

When: Once you find a link.

Goal: To see if changing something helps in a real-world setting.

Example: “Let’s switch the soap on Ward A but keep the old soap on Ward B and see if the rashes stop.” (Groups are already made).

Experimental (The Proof):

When: When you are ready to prove “Cause and Effect.”

Goal: To test an intervention under the strictest “2 + 2 = 4” conditions.

Example: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) where patients are randomly assigned to a specific new skin-care protocol to prove it prevents the rash.

Why this matters for Nursing Knowledge

The text says these studies provide a “basis” for each other. This is crucial because:

You can’t experiment on a solution if you haven’t described the problem first.

You don’t want to waste money on a big RCT (Experimental) if your Correlational study showed there wasn’t even a link between the variables.

Question 13

Descriptive research definition from book

Answer 13

Descriptive research Descriptive research is the exploration and description of phenomena in real-life situations. Its purpose is to provide an accurate account of characteristics of particular individuals, situations, or groups using numbers (Grove & Cipher, 2020). Descriptive studies are usually conducted with large numbers of participants, in natural settings (see Chapter 9), with no manipulation of the situation. Descriptive studies are conducted to (1) determine the frequency with which a phenomenon occurs, (2) categorize the attributes of a phenomenon and measure the relative amount of each category, and (3) determine quantity when a phenomenon can be characterized by amount. In descriptive studies, researchers often compare the results across different groups and/or time. The underlying research questions in descriptive research are (1) To what extent does this variable exist? (2) What are the principal types of this variable? (3) What are the relative amounts of this variable? (4) Are there differences between existing groups, such as females and males, on this variable? (5) Do individuals change over time regarding this variable? Box 2.1 provides definitions for the following terms: constructs, concepts, and variables. You can easily refer to these definitions as you read this chapter (for further details, see Chapters 5 and 7).

Question 14

Meaning of construct,abstract and varibles

Answer 14

Constructs: concepts at very high levels of abstraction that have general meanings Concepts: terms that abstractly describe and name objects or phenomena, thus providing them with a separate identity or meaning Variables: concrete or abstract qualities, properties, or characteristics of persons, things, or situations that change or vary and are manipulated, measured, or controlled in research Adapted from Gray, J. R., & Grove, S. K. (2021). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (9th ed.). Elsevier.

Question 15

Correlational approach

Answer 15

Correlational research Correlational research involves the systematic investigation of relationships between or among variables. The numerical strength of relationships is determined to discover whether a change in the value of one variable is likely to occur when another variable increases or decreases. Correlational analysis allows the researcher to determine the degree or strength of the relationship and the type (positive or negative) of relationship. The strength of a relationship varies, ranging from −1 (perfect negative correlation) to +1 (perfect positive correlation), with 0 indicating no relationship (Grove & Cipher, 2020). A positive relationship indicates that the variables vary together; that is, both variables increase or decrease together. For example, research has shown that the more minutes people exercise each week the greater their bone density. A negative relationship indicates that the variables vary in opposite directions; thus as one variable increases, the other will decrease. As an example, research has shown that as the number of smoking pack-years (number of years smoked multiplied by the number of packs smoked per day) increases, an individual’s life span decreases. The intent of correlational studies is either to explain the nature of relationships or to allow prediction, all in the context of the real world. It is important for you to remember that the relationships revealed in correlation studies are associations, not cause-and-effect relationships (Gray & Grove, 2021; Kazdin, 2017). The associations identified by correlational studies provide the basis for generating hypotheses to guide quasi-experimental and experimental studies that do focus on cause-and-effect relationships (see Fig. 2.1). Examples of underlying research questions in correlational research include the following: What is the nature of the relationship between these two variables? To what extent do these variables predict a specified outcome? Are the relationships in a model or theory supported by research? Cho and colleagues (2021) conducted a correlational study to determine the relationship between quality of sleep and daytime fatigue in hospital nurses. They examined this relationship in participants who came back to work from time off and then worked two 12-hour consecutive day shifts. Not surprisingly, they found that a poor night’s sleep was associated with increased fatigue the next day for both shifts. However, the relationships were strongest for the first shift. Based on these results, the researchers suggested that nurses find ways to psychologically disengage from work on their days off for better sleep quality the night before coming back to work. In addition, “healthcare organizations should facilitate work schedules to ensure that nurses have sufficient recovery between shifts and systematically monitor and support nurses in the management of their sleep and fatigue levels” (Cho et al., 2021, p. 133).