MODULE 1

NURSING RESEARCH

Lesson 1 and 2: What is Nursing Research, its Goals, and Importance in Nursing

What is Nursing Research?

Nursing research involves systematic and rigorous investigation aimed at

generating new knowledge, improving existing practices, and enhancing the
quality of patient care within the field of nursing.

It encompasses a wide range of inquiries, from exploring the effectiveness of specific

interventions to investigating the experiences of patients and healthcare providers.
Nursing research is essential for evidence-based practice, where clinical decisions
are grounded in the best available evidence.

Nursing research has a tremendous influence on current and future professional

nursing practice, thus rendering it an essential component of the educational
process. Throughout the 21st century, the role of nurse has evolved significantly.
Nurses work in a variety of settings, including the hospital, the classroom, the
community health department, the business sector, home health care, and the
laboratory.

Although each role carries different responsibilities, the primary goal of a

professional nurse remains the same: to be the client's advocate and provide
optimal care on the basis of evidence obtained through research.

Nursing research discovers new knowledge and innovation related to nursing

care to build a scientific basis for nursing practice that is generalizable.

The overall goals of nursing research are :

 to prevent disease and disability,

 eliminate pain and symptoms caused by disease states, and
 enhance palliative and end of life care.
 MODULE 2
RESEARCH PROCESS TITLE, STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM AND STUDY OBJECTIVES

Lesson 1: Significance of Research

The Importance of Ongoing Research

Improved Nursing Education. Nursing education needs to center around the

most up-to-date, evidence-based practices. Nurse research identifies ways to
make nurse education more effective.

Improved Health Care Delivery. Nurse research looks at how health care is
delivered, and how that influences the cost and quality of the service, as well as
the experience of patients and families.

It investigates the factors that influence access to health care and looks to
identify solutions that will improve the overall delivery system.

Improved Outcomes. Modern nursing is evidence-based, and nurse research

seeks to identify the treatment protocols that are most effective for patients
across the spectrum. Nursing research differs from biomedical research, which
seeks to identify the causes and treatments for disease. Nursing research looks
at the overall health of patients; it considers disease within the lenses of health
promotion, rehabilitation, and restoration, and looks for better ways to provide
care and comfort that meet patients’ needs.

Nurse researchers take what medical researchers discover about disease and
expand it to investigate the social, emotional, and behavioral aspects to help
develop protocols that improve outcomes and overall quality of life.

Improved Leadership. Nurse leadership is a primary goal of the American

Nurses Association, which has called for more nurse education focused on
leadership. Nurse research helps identify new practices for nurses, so they can
become more effective health care leaders and advocates for both their patients
and overall health care improvement.
Lesson 2: Characteristics of Research

Characteristics of Research (Venzon, 2018)

1. involves gathering of new and existing data from new sources or first-hand
information.
2. directed toward a solution of a problem.
3. it is analytical.
4. it emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles and theories that
may be helpful in predicting future events.
5. it requires expertise.
6. it is empirical.
7. strives to be logical.
8. its honest
9. it can be replicated.
10. it requires innovative approaches.
11. it is carefully recorded and reported.

Lesson 3: The Research Process

Major Steps in the Research Process

1. Formulation of the Problem

2. Formulation of the Hypothesis
3. Determining the Research Design
4. Selection and development of the tools/techniques for collecting data.
5. Development of the data analysis plan
6. Data collection
7. Organization and processing of data
8. Analysis and interpretation of data
9. Formulation of conclusion and recommendation
10. Writing the research report

Lesson 4: Choosing your Research Topic and Title

Sources of Research topic or Problems

The following are the things that may be considered before starting the research
activity:

1. Prevailing theories or philosophy

2. Observations, intuitions or a combination of both
3. Different subjects taken and from them identify a problem that interests
a student-researcher most
4. Fields of interest or specialization or event from related fields
 5. Existing problems in the classroom/school/campus/university which
one may want to solve are good sources of research problems
6. Existing needs of the community or society
7. Repetition or extension of investigations already conducted or may be
an offshoot of studies underway (Angeles, 1966, p. 86)
8. Related studies and literatures
9. Advice of authorities or experts from funding agencies
10. Offshoots of friendly conversations
11. Incidental from interesting topics of professors during the course

Selecting the Nursing Research Topic

In choosing a research problem, be guided by the following criteria:

1. It should be something new or different from what has already been

written about.
2. It must be original.
3. It should be significant to the field of study or discipline.
4. It must be necessarily arousing intellectual curiosity.
5. It should be of researcher’s interest and researcher must be with the
topic.
6. It should be a modest one for a beginner to be carried on within a limited
period of time.
7. It should be clear, not ambiguous.
8. It should be specific, not general.
9. It should consider the training and personal qualifications of the
researcher.
10. It should consider the availability of data involved in the study and the
methods and techniques to be employed in gathering them.
11. It should consider the availability of effective instruments for
gathering the data and their treatment.
12. It should consider the financial capacity of the researcher to support the
project.
13. It should consider the time factor involved in the undertaking.

Selected Guidelines in the Formulation of a Nursing Research Title

1. The title must contain the following elements:

a. the subject matter or research problem;
b. the setting or locale of the study;
c. the respondents or participants involved in the study; and
d. the time or period when the study was conducted (If the title becomes too
long because of these elements, the timeframe or period may be omitted
except in evaluation studies)
2. The title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should
be brief and concise as possible.
 3. The use of terms as “Analysis of”, “A Study of”, “An Investigation of” and the
like should be avoided. All these are understood to have been done in a
research.
4. If the title contains more than one line, it should be written in inverted
pyramid.
5. When typed or encoded in the title page, all words in the title should be in
capital letters.
6. If possible, the title should not be longer than 15 substantive words.
7. Avoid a long, detailed title that gives too much information.
8. To shorten the title, delete the terms “assessment” or “evaluation” if these
are already emphasized in the text.

Characteristics of a Good Title

a. A title should give readers information about the contents of the

research and is preferable to one that is vague or general.
b. Titles do not need to be stuffy or dull but they should generally give
readers some idea at the outset of what the research paper will
contain.
c. Choose a title that is a phrase rather than a complete sentence.
d. Select a straightforward title over other kinds.
e. Use no punctuation at the end of a title.
f. Do not underline the title of research or enclose it in quotation
marks, instead, use a word processing program or printer that
permits italics. Use them in place of italics.

Examples of Nursing Research Titles:

a. "Exploring the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Meditation in Reducing Stress

among Oncology Nurses: A Randomized Controlled Trial"

b. "Patient-Centered Care Strategies and Their Impact on Hospital Readmission

Rates: A Longitudinal Study"

c. "Understanding the Lived Experiences of Family Caregivers in Managing

Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms: A Qualitative Inquiry"

d. "Impact of Simulation-Based Training on Nursing Students' Clinical Decision-

Making Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"

e. "Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Evidence-Based Fall Prevention

Interventions in Geriatric Care Settings: A Mixed-Methods Study"
Lesson 5 and 6: Research Problem and Objectives

Writing the statement of purpose

The purpose is usually expressed as a declarative statement. Sometimes the

investigator combines “what” is being done and “why” it is being done. The purpose must be
clear, precise, concrete and easy to communicate.

The statement of the purpose usually contains an active verb preceded by the
preposition “to.” Thus, it is common that purposes begin with “to assess,” “to gain insight” as
examples.

Writing the study objectives

The statement of objectives must denote measurable attributes, or observable

phenomena, so that one could determine whether the objectives or goals have been met or
whether the problems have been solved. Objectives serve as a guide in evaluating or
analyzing the research.

Formulation of Research Questions

Research questions are important components of your research which help define
the research problem of your study. They indicate specific concerns related to your research
problem that your study also intends to answer. They are classified into general and specific
types.

The general research question is derived from the main problem of the study. It
must contain words related to quantitative research, such as effects or relationship. The
words who, when, or where shall not be placed in the general research question as these
elicit factual questions that may not require extensive investigation and discussion.

Specific research questions are anchored on the general research question. They
are helpful in developing tools for collecting data, gathering related references, organizing
your paper, and drawing valid conclusions from findings. How you write your specific
research questions depends on the type of quantitative research you are doing. However,
they must always include the significant variables in the study and the subject being
analyzed.
Types of Quantitative Research Questions

A quantitative research problem can generate a set of research questions or sub-

problems that fall under any of these types of research questions:

1. Descriptive research questions – ask questions on the kind, qualifications, and

categories of the subjects or participants
2. Relation questions – are questions about the nature and manner of connection
between or among variables
3. Causal questions – reasons behind the effects of the independent variable o the
dependent variable is the focus of these types of research questions

Approaches to Quantitative Research Questions

Likewise, you may start asking research problems or research questions based on any of
these two approaches:

1. Deductive Approach (Quantitative Studies)

Your questions begin from “hunches or predictions” or expectations about the

outcome of your research. Ask questions centering on a theory or concept, discover the
accuracy of the theory, ponder o variables to represent the extent of the application of the
theory, and make up your mind on which variable to study through observation,
interview, or experimentation. Explaining the meaning of a variable based on its
involvement or role in the research process, particularly, in the measurement,
manipulation, or control of the concept application is giving such term its operational
definition.

2. Inductive Approach (Qualitative Studies)

Deductive approach goes from bigger ideas such as theories or concepts to smaller
ideas; conversely, inductive approach starts from smaller and simpler ideas to bigger or
more complex ones. Inductively formulated research questions focus on description of
things to prove an idea or system. Central to this approach are specific details to prove
the validity of a certain theory or concept. (Walsh 2009, p. 35)

Related to the specific research questions are the research objectives or the goals that
your research aims to achieve. Another important component related to the research
questions and the research problem is the thesis statement, which serves as a one-sentence
summary of the arguments that you are presenting in your study.
Lesson 7: Background of the Study

After identifying your research topic, you must situate your research in a particular
academic field his is when you establish the background of your study. The background of
the study introduces important facets that establish the general context where the study
revolves. This part may include le description of the subjects of the study or the history
involving the research.

Let us use an example showing how to establish the background of the study. You may
want to conduct a study on the effects of traffic on your city. To establish the background of
your study, you need to discuss several aspects describing your topic. For instance, you may
first provide a brief overview of the changes in the traffic situation in your city through the
years. Then, you may discuss and determine the effects of heavy traffic on both passengers
and motorists. Finally, you may explain the factors that contribute to heavy traffic in your city.
Possible factors include the increase in the number of vehicles on the road and problems in
the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations.

Another important component of the background of the study is the establishment of

the research gap. A research gap is an issue that has not been fully addressed by previous
studies. Doing this helps you show where your research stands in the academic field. Here
are the four components to consider in establishing the research gap of your paper.

1. The current state of the field

Explain that the general field in which your current study is situated remains to be a
significant area of research up to the present. Point out that it continues to interest many
researchers and practitioners.

2. The current and conventional practices in addressing the issue

Discuss the current practices being used by researchers, practitioners, or authorities

within the particular field of study you are investigating. Make sure to explain the merits of
these practices and their contribution to your field of study.

3. The research gap

Explain that there are other aspects under the topic which may not have been
addressed by current practices and conventions in your field of study. It may be also possible
that these established practices have failed to provide conclusive findings in investigating
your Chosen topic. Additionally, you may state that there are very few studies that have
explored the area of your current research. Make sure that the research gap you have
identified remains relevant and has not been addressed yet; otherwise, you will fail to
provide a convincing justification for conducting your research.
4. The contribution of the present study in addressing the research gap

Discuss how your own study will help fill in the research gap you have identified.
Filling the gap may be in the form of a new methodology or approach, or the development of
a new perspective or theory.