Saint Mary s University

Graduate School Department Master of Science in Nursing

In Partial Fulfilment of our Requirements in Nursing Administration 4

A Report on Systematic Research Reviews

Submitted By: Prince Rener Velasco Pera, RN Submitted To: Peter Tom Callang, RN, MAN Submitted On: September 21, 2011

I.

Definition of Research Question

Research Question - A problem that someone would like to research. What is a Research Question? Research question should be clearly defined before method is determined. - Most of research questions can be answered by either exploratory or validating approach, as well as by either quantitative or qualitative method. A case one wishes better understanding of the problem - Probably qualitative study to obtain variables that relates to the problem. A case one has a complete list of variables that might be related to the problem - Survey research to find out which variables are most crucial. In case one knows the crucial variables Correlational research, where the relationships between the variables are statistically investigated. In case one knows a possible causal relationship between variables Experimental research. Characteristics of Good Research Questions a. The question is feasible It can be investigated with available resources. - Time; Money; Equipments b. The question is clear One way to clarify an ambiguous research question is to identify conceptual and operational definitions of key terms in the research question. Conceptual definition - A dictionary-like definition. - It broadly defines a term. - It helps researchers to say more clearly what is meant. - Sometimes, not clear enough for a specific situation. Operational Definition - A situated definition that a researcher intends to look at. - It precisely defines a term to be measured or identified. Example: Research Question: Is a humanisticaly oriented classroom effective? Key words: humanistically oriented classroom , effective Conceptual definitions: humanistically oriented classroom the needs and interests of students have the highest priority Students work on their own for a considerable amount of time in each class period The teacher acts as a guide and resource person rather than an informant. Research Question: What is the relationship between body-cathexis and selfesteem among college women?

Key terms: a. Body-cathexis b. Self-esteem c. College women Conceptual definitions: a. Body-cathexis = extent of satisfaction with various parts or process of the body b. Self-esteem = the sum total of a person s feeling of personal worth and selfconfidence c. College women = female students enrolled at public or private universities or colleges. Is the question significant? Why would it be important to answer this question? - Practically? Theoretically? How might answers to this question contribute to my field? - Connections to the previous research and research in future? Is the question ethical? - Any physical or psychological harm for anyone as a result of my research? - Institutional Review Board (IRB) Is it Researchable vs. Non-Researchable Question? A researchable question should contain information that can be collected in attempt to answer the question. (Examples) Should I put my youngster in pre-school? Not researchable Do children enrolled in pre-school develop better social skills than children not enrolled? - Researchable What is the best way to learn to read Not researchable. At which age is it better to introduce phonics to children age 5, 6, or 7? Researchable Are some people born bad? Not researchable. Do people who have personality disorders commit more crimes than others? Researchable Types of Variables Dependent Variable Outcome of interest; Affected or predicted by the independent variable. Independent Variable Precedes, influences, or predicts the dependent variable. Extraneous Variable Source of error affecting the dependent variable. Confounding Variable

Varies systematically with the independent variable, as a result, the interpretation of the result.

II.

Method to Identify a Research Question

1. Identify a burning concern (identifying the area of concern) Ex: What is it that is bothering me about the performance of the students in my classroom? - Provides a general direction for the study. This area of concern can emerge from a critical incident in the classroom12 or moments which surprise or perplex. - You may record such incidents in a personal journal, whether in hardcopy or in electronic form. - The actual refinement of the research question emerges from the data collection and analysis process. The concern must be something about which the teacher researcher cares passionately. It must be focused on improving instruction in the teacher s classroom so that student learning improves. - That passion provides momentum that carries the research through what may be difficult learning by the teacher. 2. Describe the burning concern - To get started, it is suggested that you tell a story about an incident. The story describes the situation that shows the concern: - Incidents can be captured in journal entries or on videotapes of classroom activities. - Capturing these initial stories allows the researcher to describe a starting point or baseline for future analysis. Once the story is written, it can be shared with a critical friend who may be asked to write down the values that are observed in the story. - The researcher may think about questions like, What are my values? Is my behavior consistent with my values? III. Synthesis of the Data Synthesis should begin with descriptive comparisons of the study question, methods and results. It may be useful to include summary tables which present key information relating to population, country, perspective, comparison of interventions, measure of benefit and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. The range of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios should be presented and the reliability (internal validity) and relevance (generalisability) of the estimates should be explored. The analytical approaches used in the studies should be compared and their robustness discussed, for example, whether the studies used the same type of modeling technique and the same model structure.