Question 1

Which type of clinical application of qualitative research would help a nurse describe the trajectory of an illness?&#10;A) Insight or empathy&#10;B) Assessment of status or progress&#10;C) Anticipatory guidance&#10;D) Coaching

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is a type of research that seeks to understand the experiences, perspectives, and behaviors of individuals and groups. This approach is particularly useful in healthcare and nursing, where it can be used to describe the trajectory of an illness.
Assessment of status or progress is a clinical application of qualitative research that is useful in understanding the trajectory of an illness. This approach involves ongoing evaluation of the patient's symptoms, physical and emotional state, and response to treatment over time. By using qualitative methods, such as interviews or observation, a nurse can gain a deeper understanding of the patient's experience of the illness and how it is evolving over time.
Insight or empathy, anticipatory guidance, and coaching are all other types of clinical applications of qualitative research, but they may not be as useful in describing the trajectory of an illness. Insight or empathy may be useful in understanding the patient's emotional experience of the illness, while anticipatory guidance and coaching may be more focused on providing information and support for the patient's future care.

Question 2

An older adult's description of pain, including descriptors, attributed causes, and what constitutes good care during a painful episode, would be an example of which category of qualitative findings?&#10;A) Restricted by a priori frameworks&#10;B) Descriptive categories&#10;C) Shared pathway or meaning&#10;D) Depiction of experiential variation

Accepted Answer

Descriptive categories refer to the identification and labeling of different aspects or themes that emerge from qualitative data. In this example, the older adult's description of pain, including descriptors, attributed causes, and what constitutes good care during a painful episode, would be categorized and labeled as different aspects or themes related to the experience of pain in older adults. Therefore, this example fits within the descriptive categories qualitative findings.

Question 3

The findings of a qualitative research study describe the main essence of an experience but also show how the experience varies, depending on the individual or context. These results fall into which of Kearney's categories of qualitative research findings?

A) Restricted by a priori frameworks
B) Descriptive categories
C) Shared pathway or meaning
D) Description of experiential variation

Accepted Answer

The findings described fall into Kearney's category of "Description of experiential variation" as they describe the main essence of an experience and also show how the experience varies depending on the individual or context.

Question 4

Which of Kearney's categories of qualitative findings describes a synthesis of a shared experience or process or integration of concepts that provides a complex picture of a phenomenon?&#10;A) Restricted by a priori frameworks&#10;B) Descriptive categories&#10;C) Shared pathway or meaning&#10;D) Depiction of experiential variation

Accepted Answer

Kearney's categories of qualitative findings are a set of four categories that describe the different ways in which qualitative data can be analyzed and presented. The four categories are:
A) Restricted by a priori frameworks
B) Descriptive categories
C) Shared pathway or meaning
D) Depiction of experiential variation
Of these four categories, the one that best describes a synthesis of a shared experience or process or integration of concepts that provides a complex picture of a phenomenon is C) Shared pathway or meaning. This category refers to the identification of a common theme or shared meaning across participants, which can provide insight into the underlying processes or mechanisms that contribute to a particular phenomenon. This can involve a complex analysis of the data, integrating multiple perspectives and interpretations, to create a nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon in question.

Question 5

In which of these circumstances should a nurse researcher select a qualitative research design instead of a quantitative design?&#10;A) The time for data collection is limited.&#10;B) The research question is clinical in nature.&#10;C) The goal is to view the phenomenon in the same way as those who experience it.&#10;D) The researcher is a novice with minimal experience in scientific problem solving.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research designs are chosen to explore phenomena from the perspective of those experiencing them, aiming to understand meanings, experiences, and concepts in depth. This approach is suitable when the goal is to capture the richness and complexity of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior, rather than quantifying elements or testing hypotheses with statistical analyses.

Question 6

Which research study characteristic would be inappropriate for qualitative methods?&#10;A) Testing a new hypothesis&#10;B) Using an intensive approach to data collection&#10;C) Employing inductive analysis of the data&#10;D) Examining individual responses to a nonmodifiable situation

Accepted Answer

Qualitative methods are typically used to explore and understand complex social phenomena in-depth rather than to test preconceived hypotheses. Instead of using pre-existing hypotheses, qualitative research tends to rely on an iterative, exploratory process of data collection and analysis, and is generally more focused on generating new insights and theories. Therefore, testing a new hypothesis would be more appropriate for quantitative methods, whereas qualitative methods would be better suited for exploring and generating new ideas.
In contrast, options B, C, and D are all characteristics that are typically associated with qualitative research. Option B emphasizes the use of intensive data collection methods, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, or ethnographic observation, that enable researchers to gather rich and detailed information about the experiences and perspectives of participants. Option C highlights the inductive approach to data analysis that is often used in qualitative research, which involves systematically examining the data to identify patterns, themes, and categories that emerge from the data, rather than starting with a preconceived theoretical framework. Finally, option D refers to the examination of individual responses to a nonmodifiable situation, which is a type of qualitative data that can help researchers to better understand how people experience and cope with various life events.

Question 7

A characteristic of qualitative research data is that they are what?&#10;A) In text form&#10;B) Dichotomous&#10;C) Free of patterns&#10;D) Inappropriate for analysis

Accepted Answer

One characteristic of qualitative research data is that they are typically collected in the form of text, rather than numerical or quantitative data. This text can take many forms, including transcripts of interviews or focus groups, field notes, or written observations. Qualitative research seeks to understand the meaning and experiences of participants, and text-based data is well-suited to capturing the richness and complexity of these experiences. Qualitative data are often analyzed through methods such as coding and theme extraction to identify patterns and themes within the data.

Question 8

A description of how adolescent girls recovering from addiction to prescription narcotics might or might not move forward to create a new life is an example of which of Kearney's category of qualitative findings?

A) Restricted by a priori frameworks
B) Descriptive categories
C) Shared pathway or meaning
D) Depiction of experiential variation

Accepted Answer

Depiction of experiential variation describes how individuals move forward to create a new life after addiction.

Question 9

A nurse reads a qualitative study concerning the grief process. Later, the nurse explains to a grieving widow that grief is a process and that many others have successfully made their way through the process. The nurse is using which clinical application of research?

A) Insight or empathy
B) Assessment of status or progress
C) Anticipatory guidance
D) Coaching

Accepted Answer

Anticipatory guidance is a clinical application of research that involves using research findings to provide information and support to patients and families, in order to help them anticipate and cope with potential challenges or changes. In this case, the nurse is using the findings of a qualitative study on the grief process to provide anticipatory guidance to a grieving widow, by explaining that grief is a process and that others have successfully navigated it. This can help the widow to understand her own experiences and expectations, and to feel less isolated or overwhelmed in her grief. While empathy, assessment, and coaching are all important aspects of nursing care, in this scenario, the focus is on providing anticipatory guidance based on research evidence.

Question 10

The determining factor for a researcher in selecting a qualitative research approach should be what?&#10;A) The need to test a theory&#10;B) The nature of the research question&#10;C) The age and gender of the research participants&#10;D) The availability of valid instruments to measure the phenomenon

Accepted Answer

The nature of the research question is the most important determining factor in selecting a qualitative research approach. Qualitative research is a flexible and exploratory approach that is useful in investigating complex phenomena and understanding the subjective experiences of participants. Therefore, the research question should be open-ended, exploratory, and focused on understanding the experiences, perspectives, and meanings of participants. Qualitative research is not well-suited for testing a theory or hypothesis, which is better suited for quantitative research. The age and gender of the participants may be relevant to the research question, but they are not the determining factor in selecting a qualitative research approach. Additionally, the availability of valid instruments to measure the phenomenon is not a relevant factor in qualitative research since the goal is to understand the subjective experiences of participants, not to measure a phenomenon with standardized instruments.

Question 11

Which of these terms is synonymous with paradigm?&#10;A) Empiricism&#10;B) Worldview&#10;C) Holism&#10;D) Viewpoint

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of these terms is synonymous with...

Question 12

Which of Kearney's categories of qualitative findings describes a phenomenon portrayed vividly from a new perspective?&#10;A) Restricted by a priori frameworks&#10;B) Descriptive categories&#10;C) Shared pathway or meaning&#10;D) Depiction of experiential variation

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of Kearney's categories of qualitative findings...

Question 13

How does the nurse researcher know when data saturation has been reached?&#10;A) When the participants all agree on the themes derived from the study&#10;B) When the ideas or information coming from new participants have been expressed previously by other participants&#10;C) When the emerging themes are congruent with those developed as a result of previous studies of the same phenomenon&#10;D) When the participants are no longer interested or willing to discuss their experiences or feelings

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

A nurse researcher who is considering whether to use a qualitative research design should be aware that the focus of qualitative research is what?&#10;A) Measuring one or more human characteristics&#10;B) Controlling variables that interfere with the phenomenon being studied&#10;C) Viewing human beings as composites of many body systems&#10;D) Studying human experiences that occur within a person's natural setting

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Question 15

Which aim of research is characteristic of or appropriate for qualitative research methods?&#10;A) Control&#10;B) Prediction&#10;C) Explanation&#10;D) Understanding

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Question 16

Computer management of qualitative data can assist a nurse researcher with which of these processes?&#10;A) Organization of data&#10;B) Interpretation of data&#10;C) Credibility of data&#10;D) Synthesis of data

Accepted Answer

The answer of Computer management of qualitative data can assist...

Question 17

Which description is typical of a qualitative research study?&#10;A) Deductive reasoning is used.&#10;B) Truth is a subject's perception of reality.&#10;C) Sample size is determined before the study begins.&#10;D) One or more variables are measured in a context-free setting.

Accepted Answer

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Question 18

How is the number of subjects for participation determined for a qualitative study?&#10;A) Data are collected from new subjects until data saturation is reached.&#10;B) The number of subjects is the number available at a specific location.&#10;C) The number of subjects is the number available within the researcher's specified time frame.&#10;D) A power analysis of data collected in a pilot study is used to determine the number.

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

Which research topic would most likely be studied through a qualitative research approach?&#10;A) The meaning of health and health promotion among low-income Southern rural women.&#10;B) Changes in hope and coping in older adults during rehabilitation after hip fracture.&#10;C) Exercise effects on fatigue and emotional distress during radiation therapy for breast cancer.&#10;D) Older adults and HIV/AIDS: The relationship of perceived risk and willingness to interact with individuals with HIV/AIDS.

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

A nurse's research question is, &#34;What is the grief experience of women older than 30 years from rural Mexico who have a late-stage pregnancy loss?&#34; Which aspect of the question represents the study's context?&#10;A) Late-stage pregnancy loss&#10;B) Women older than 30 years&#10;C) Grief experience&#10;D) Rural Mexico

Accepted Answer

The answer of A nurse's research question is, &#34;What is...

Question 21

Which are steps in the qualitative research process? (Select all that apply.)&#10;A) Sample selection&#10;B) Data collection&#10;C) Review of the literature&#10;D) Evaluation&#10;E) Description of findings&#10;F) Implementation of findings&#10;G) Discussion of conclusions

Accepted Answer

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Deck 5: Introduction to Qualitative Research