N375 Research and Evidence-based Nursing Practice

Assignment: Critical thinking activity 1

20 points

Chapter 3: Complete the selected questions from the critical thinking exercise
Example 1: Project Schedule for a Quantitative Study on page 56 – 57.

1. Answer the following questions from Box. 3.3 (you can copy and paste the
questions in a word file and include your answers under each question):

a. What was the study all about?

The study by Beck and colleagues done in 2011 was about the likelihood of postpartum
depressive symptom levels occurring in women from the United states after 3 months of
birth and factors that could have been linked to differences in symptom levels.

b. What were the main phenomena, concepts, or constructs under investigation?

The phenomena and or concept would be the postpartum depression symptoms as it is an
abstract term for human characteristics. The women who gave birth 3 months prior and
were a part of the study would be the constructs due to them being the ones being
investigated.

c. If the study was quantitative, what were the independent and dependent
variables?
This was a quantitative study that was done but it was a nonexperimental study. With it
being a nonexperimental study, the study did not test any interventions to see if there
would be a change in outcomes. The independent variable would be during what stage of
labor (antepartum, intrapartum, or postpartum) would have more effect on postpartum
depression symptom levels which is the dependent variable. Also, race, low income, low
social support, depression, are independent variables.

d. Did the researcher examine relationships or patterns of association among

variables or concepts? Did the report imply the possibility of a causal
relationship?
Yes, the researcher did examine hundreds of variables that could potentially have
relationships to increased postpartum depression symptoms.
There are no casual relationship because it is not random and measurable.

e. Were key concepts defined, both conceptually and operationally?

The key concept which was postpartum depression symptom levels were defined
operationally because the study was quantitative. The researchers completed a survey, a
 telephone and online survey, for data collection for operational. For conceptually they
defined depression and what it meant for them in the study.

2. Also address the following targeted questions

a. Would you describe the method of data collection as self-report or observational?

The method of data collection was a survey, so it was a self­report. 

b. How would you evaluate Beck and colleagues’ dissemination plan? (does this
seem appropriate?)

It would be how the plan could be distributed to the rest of the world. I think that the plan
was appropriate as the study was done to see what variables could lead to certain women
having increased postpartum depression symptoms levels. The study was published and
won an award. I think that the study was something that could be beneficial for healthcare
professionals so it being published was not a bad idea. But there is also the fact that they
want the doctors to mostly distribute out the information out to women.

c. Do you think an appropriate amount of time was allocated to the various phases
and steps in this study?

I think that the amount of time put in for the study was adequate as it took 3 years to 
come up with a question. 

d. Would it have been appropriate for the researchers to address the research
question using qualitative research methods? Why or why not?

I believe that the researchers could have went the qualitative route for their study because they
were researching increased postpartum depression levels. Having a qualitative study where the
participants could voice why they think they were having the symptoms could have been
beneficial research to inquire about as well.

Chapter 4: Complete the critical thinking exercise Example 2: Qualitative

Research on pages 73 – 74 in Polit & Beck (2018).

Answer the following questions (again, you can copy and paste the questions in a word
file and include your answers under each question):

1. Consider the following targeted questions:

a. On which qualitative research tradition, if any, was this study based?

They used traditions that come from psychology. Grounded theory because they wanted to
understand the social psychological journey the adolescents went through. The tradition was
phenomenonology because they were concerned of the lived experience that the adolescents
dealt with from surgery of ulcerative colitis while being hospitalized.

b. Is the study experimental or non-experimental (justify your answer)

It was nonexperimental because the researchers were not implementing an intervention to

change an outcome rather, they were just focused on the adolescent’s experience being
hospitalized from surgery for ulcerative colitis.

c. How, if at all, is randomness used in this study?

. It was randomized because they had a group of adolescents and then the ones that wanted to
participate in the study did the study which was 8 people.

d. Is there any indication in the abstract that triangulation was used?

Reflexivity?

There was no use of triangulation or reflexibility in the abstract. In the abstract they did
not mention any methods for the study. The researchers had a no biased attitude towards
the study.

2. If the results of this study are trustworthy and transferable, what might be some
of the uses to which the findings could be put in clinical practice?

The findings from this study could be useful because as it was stated in the study, there
were no prior research on adolescents and their lived experienced in the hospital after
having surgery for ulcerative colitis. Some findings that could be put in practice could be
compassion and patient centered care nursing and also more nursing education.