Nursing Research Lecture Notes o In the example above, could the results be

generalized to first time mothers outside

REVIEW OF SELECTED TERMS Bgy. Sto. Tomas?
 Internal Validity – the degree to which it can be
 Bias – any influence that result in distortion of the
inferred that the experimental treatment
results of the study
(independent variable), rather than uncontrolled,
 Clinical research – research designed to generate
extraneous factor, is responsible for the observed
knowledge to guide nursing practice
effects
 Construct – an abstraction or concept deliberately
o In the above example, the independent
invented (constructed) by researchers for a scientific
variable is the prenatal health teachings
process (Ex. Freud’s Id, Ego and Superego)
and the dependent variable will be its effect
 Deductive Reasoning – the process of developing
on the attitude towards early child care of
specific predictions from general principles
first time mothers in Bgy. Sto. Tomas.
 Delphi Technique – a method of obtaining
However, we know very well that other
judgment from a panel of experts. The experts are
extraneous variables such as:
questioned individually, and a summary of the
 The emotional support of the
judgment is circulated to the entire panel. The
husband or the significant others
experts are questioned again as needed until there is
 Previous experience with child
some consensus
care, be that of a younger sibling
 Gantt Chart - a chart depicting the scheduling of
or someone else’s child
activities (tasks) of a research study and highlighting
 Physical condition of the mother in
the sequencing and interrelationships among
the early postpartum period,
activities
among others may affect the
 Generalizability – the inference that the findings
independent variable. Thus, the
can be generalized from a sample to the entire
researcher may control these
population
extraneous variables to improve
 Inductive Reasoning – the process of developing
the internal validity of the
generalizations from specific observations
research.
 Likert Scale – a type of composite measure of
 Reliability – the degree of consistency or
attitudes that involves summation of scores on a set
dependability with which an instrument measures
of items (statements) to which respondents are
the attribute it is designed to measure
asked to indicate their degree of agreement or
o Does the Glasgow Scale reliably measure
disagreement
 Naturalistic Paradigm – reality is not a fixed entity the level of consciousness of a patient?
but rather a mental construction of individuals;  Sensitivity – in measurement, the ability of the
reality is multiple and subjective and it exists within measuring tool to make fine discriminations
a context; qualitative research is often associated between objects with differing amounts of the
with naturalistic inquiry attribute being measured
 Paradigm - world view or a general perspective on  Does the Glasgow Coma Scale of 0
the complexities of the real world to 15 make fine discriminations
 Positivist Paradigm – assumes that nature is between varying levels of
basically ordered and regular and that an objective consciousness of a patient?
reality exists independent of human observation,
thus reality exists and that it can be studied and
known; quantitative research is often associated
with positivist tradition
 Psychometrics – the theory underlying principles of The greater difficulty, the more
measurement and the application of the theory in glory in surmounting it… Epicurus
the development of measuring tools

Example: The effects of prenatal health teachings for

first time mothers in Bgy. Sto. Tomas on their attitude
towards early child care

 Content Validity – the degree to which the items in

an instrument adequately represent the universe of
content
o In the example above, the instrument that
will measure the mother’s attitude towards
early child care should include the mother’s
preparation to perform early child care,
mother’s level of motivation, mother’s
sense of adequacy to perform early child
care among others.
 External Validity – the degree to which the results
of a study can be generalized to settings of samples
other than the ones studied