College of Nursing

NCM 111- Nursing Research 1 Theory

Module 1
Introduction to Nursing Research

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the module, the learner will:

1. Recognize the significance of nursing research, and comprehend his/ her important
role in research.
2. Demonstrate the role of nurses appropriate for the promotion and maintenance of
health, and prevention of illness.

Mode of Instruction: Synchronous/Asynchronous

I. Activate prior knowledge

To activate prior knowledge, I will elicit from students via online discussion (or
using mentimeter.com) what they already know about (nursing) research and building
the initial knowledge and concepts that they need in order to access upcoming content
of the Introduction to Nursing Research.

II. Acquire New Knowledge

A. Definition of nursing research

Nursing research is a scientific process that validates and refines existing

knowledge and generates new knowledge that directly and indirectly influences nursing
practice.

B. The importance of research in nursing

Importance of Research in Nursing

1. Professionalism
2. Accountability
3. Social relevance of nursing
4. Research and decision making in nursing practice

The Consumer – Producer Continuum of Nursing Research

Consumer ------------------------------------- Producer

Other research- related activities

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 1. Participation in a journal club
2. Attendance at research presentations
3. Formal evaluation of completed research for possible utilization
4. Assistance in collection of research information
5. Review of proposed methods in gathering research information- feasibility
6. Collaboration in the development of an idea for a research project
7. Participation on an institutional committee (such as ethics review board)

C. Purposes of nursing research

1. Description involves identifying and understanding the nature of nursing

phenomena and, sometimes, relationships among them (Chinn and Kramer, 2008).
Nurses can (1) describe what exists in nursing practice, (2) discover new information,
(3) promote understanding of situations, and (4) classify information for use in the
discipline.

Examples of clinically important research evidence that is developed from

research focused on description include:
1. Identification of the responses of individuals to a variety of health conditions
2. Identification of the cluster of symptoms for a particular disease
3. Description of the health promotion and illness prevention strategies used by a
variety of populations
4. Determination of the incidence of a disease locally, nationally, and
internationally

Researchers observe, count, delineate, elucidate, and classify. It can be a major

purpose for both qualitative and quantitative researchers. Quantitative description
focuses on the,
▫ Prevalence
▫ Incidence
▫ Size
▫ Measurable attributes of a phenomenon

Example: Lierh, Mehl, Summers, and Pennebaker (2004) performed a study to

described some of the experiences and physiologic changes that people went through
during stressful upheaval on September 1, 2001.

Whereas, qualitative use in depth methods to describe the

▫ dimensions
▫ variations
▫ importance of the phenomena

Example: Zakrzewski and Hector (2004) undertook an in-depth study to describe

the experience of alcohol addiction among male members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

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 Identification: appropriately used in qualitative studies. Answering questions as
“What is this phenomenon?” and “What its name?”

Example: Dewar (2003) conducted an in- depth study in Canada to determine

how individuals were able to live with catastrophic illnesses and injuries. She called one
of the strategies they used boosting- people’s efforts to improve their self- esteem,
which helped them endure their circumstances.

2. Explanation clarifies the relationships among phenomena and identifies the

reasons why certain events occur. Examples include,
1. Determination of the assessment data that need to be gathered to
address a patient’s health need
2. The link of assessment data to a diagnosis
3. The link of causative risk factors or etiologies to illness, morbidity, and
mortality
4. Determination of the relationships among health risks, health behaviors,
and health status

Explanation is to understand the underpinnings of specific natural phenomena

and to explain systematic relationships among phenomena.

It is often linked to a theory, which represents a method of deriving, organizing,

and integrating ideas about a way phenomenon are manifested or interrelated.

It provides promising insights; explanatory research focuses on understanding

the causes or full nature of a phenomenon.

In quantitative research, theories or prior findings are used deductively as the

basis for generating explanations that are then tested empirically. That is, based on
existing theory or a body of evidence, researchers make specific predictions that, if
upheld by the findings, lend credibility to the explanation.

Example: McGinley (2004) undertook a study designed to explain women’s use

of hormone replacement based on their health beliefs and views about menopause.

In qualitative studies, researchers may search for explanations about how or why
a phenomenon exists or what a phenomenon means as a basis for developing a theory
that is grounded in rich, in- depth, experiential evidence.

Example: Kidner and Flanders- Stepans (2004) undertook a study designed to

develop an explanatory model of the experience of mothers whose pregnancies were
complicated with HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme, and low
platelets)

3. Exploration investigates the full nature of the phenomenon and other factors
to which it is related. It is undertaken when a new area or topic is being investigated.

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 Exploratory qualitative research is designed to shed light on the various ways in
which a phenomenon is manifested and on underlying process.

Example: Through interviews with and observations of eight critical care nurses,
Currey, Botti, and Browne (2003) explored the variability of critical care nurses’
hemodynamic decision- making in the 2- hour period after cardiac surgery.

4. Prediction estimates the probability of a specific outcome in a given situation

(Chinn and Kramer, 2008). Examples include,
1. Prediction of the risk for a disease in different populations
2. Prediction of behaviours that promote health and prevent illness
3. Prediction of the health care required based on patient’s need and
values

Example: Defloor (2000) conducted a study to determine the effects of position

and type of mattress on skin pressure in persons lying in bed. The researcher found that
use of the 3o- degree semi- Fowler position and a polyethylene- urethane mattress
produced a significant reduction in interface pressure between the mattress and skin.
However, this type of study does not determine whether reducing interface pressure will
decrease the incidence of pressure ulcers. Further research is needed to determine
whether controlling the position and type of mattress will decrease the incidence of
pressure ulcer development in patients on bed rest.

5. Control is the ability to write a prescription to produce the desired results. If

one can predict the outcome of a situation, the next step is to control or manipulate the
situation to produce the desired outcome. But extensive research can provide empirical
evidence that enables nurses to deliver care that will increase the control over the
outcomes desired for practice. Examples include,

1. Testing interventions to improve the health status of individuals,

families, and communities
2. Testing interventions to improve healthcare delivery

Example: Chouinard and Robichaud-Ekstrand (2005) conducted a study that

implemented a prescribed intervention to promote smoking cessation in patients with
cardiovascular disease. The researchers found that an inpatient smoking cessation
program with telephone follow up in the home significantly increased the smoking
abstinence rate in cardiovascular patients.

Acquiring Knowledge in Nursing

1. Traditions
2. Authority
3. Borrowing
4. Personal experience
5. Role modelling

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 6. Intuition
7. Reasoning

Approaches to Research

Research may be categorized in many ways, depending on its purpose, setting,

time involved, degree of control exerted, and specific design used. The various
categories of research are:
Basic versus Applied Research
Laboratory versus Field Research
Retrospective versus Prospective Studies
Cross- sectional versus Longitudinal Studies
Experimental versus Non-experimental Research Designs
Qualitative versus Quantitative Research

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/basic-vs-applied-research-kiki-ahmadi

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Source: https://pediaa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-retrospective-and-prospective/

Levels of Research

1. Exploratory
Identifies and described concepts related to the phenomenon under
study.
Used in the early stages when little is known
Both quantitative and qualitative approaches can be used to gather
data

2. Descriptive
Systematically describe a phenomenon as its occurs in its natural
environment

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 Used when phenomenon has been identified but little else is known
about it
To describe the identified phenomena with clarity and refinement to
generate relationships for further research or theory modification

3. Correlational
Explores relationships between variables
When a phenomenon has been described but relationships or
propositions between variables are not understood

4. Experimental
Phenomenon has been described and relationships explored,
Theory that predicts relationship is then needed so cause and
effect can be established
Manipulates one variable (the independent variable) to study its
effect on
another (the dependent variable)
Control is used to eliminate all other factors that might influence the
dependent variable

D. Roles of nurses in research

Role of the Nurse in Conducting Research

Research Participant
Advocate
Evaluator
Implementer
Investigator

Sources of Problems (Tashiro and Holzemer, 2010)

Clinical practice observation

Quality assurance data
Concept analysis
Literature review

III. Analysis

Reading material:

The importance of nursing research. Access at

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3677814/

In the article, you will find this in the conclusion (last paragraph),

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 as nursing students are the future members of the nursing profession, and for the
profession to continue to advance, nursing research must be the foundation of
comprehensive, evidence-based clinical practice. This may only occur with increased
exposure to nursing research. Therefore, it is critical that the future members of the
nursing profession be exposed to, develop an appreciation for, and become more
involved in nursing research, and thus incorporate its outcomes into the delivery of
optimal professional nursing practice (p. 6).

Make a reflective essay based on your understanding and experience.

IV. Application

Activity 1

Introduction to Nursing Research

Research Article: Pasay-an E, Magwilang JG, Pangket PP. (2020). Knowledge,

attitudes, and practices of adolescents regarding sexuality and reproductive issues in
the Cordillera administrative region of the Philippines. Makara J Health Res, 24. Access
at https://doi.org/10.7454/msk.v24i3.1245

Critique the paper by answering the following questions:

1. Write the main purpose of the study.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. What does the study pertain to, is it describing or explaining or exploring or predicting
or controlling?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
How?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. Does the study planned to validate or refine existing knowledge or generate new
knowledge? Explain how.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

V. Assessment
Preliminary examination.

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References and Suggested Readings

Burns, N. & Grove, S.K. (2013). Burns and Grove’s Understanding Nursing
Research: Building an Evidence- Based Practice. Elsevier (Singapore) Pte. Ltd, 3- 10.

Polit, DF and Beck, CT.(2006). Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods,

Appraisal, and Utilization, 6th Edition. Lippincott William and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 153-
167.

Talbot, L.(1995). Principles and Practice of Nursing Research. Mosby- Year

Book, Inc. USA, 15 - 33

Polit, D.F,, & Hungler, B.P.(1995). Nursing Research: Principles and Methods,
5th Edition. J.B. Lippincott Company, USA, 3- 5.

Disclosure
I declare no conflict of interest.

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