1. List five similarities and five differences between quantitative and qualitative research (be thorough!) (10 points)
2. Below is a description of a fictitious study. Read the description and then answer the questions that follow.
Brady hypothesized that the absence of socio-emotional support among the elderly results in a high level of chronic health problems and low morale. He tested this hypothesis by interviewing a sample of 250 residents of one community who were aged 65 years and older. The participants were randomly selected from a list of town residents. Brady asked a series of questions about the availability of socio-emotional supports (e.g., whether the participants lived with any family, whether they had any living children who resided within 30 minutes away, etc.). Based on responses to the various questions on social support, participants were classified in one of three groups: low social support, moderate social support, and high social support. In a 6-month follow-up interview, Brady collected information from 214 participants about the frequency and intensity of the respondents’ illnesses in the preceding 6 months, their hospitalization record, and their overall satisfaction with life. The data analysis revealed that participants in the low-support group had significantly more health problems, hospitalizations, and lower life satisfaction ratings than those in the other two groups. Brady concluded that the availability of social support resulted in better physical and mental adjustment to old age.
(20 points total)
(1) What is the independent variable(s) in this study? (1 point)
(2) What is the dependent variable(s) in this study? (1 point)
(3) Is the design experimental, quasi-experimental or non-experimental? Why? (2 points)
(4) Is the study design within-subjects or between-subjects? Why? (2 points)
(5) Is the study design cross-sectional or longitudinal? Why? (2 points)
(6) Is the study design prospective or retrospective? Why? (2 points)
(7) Was randomization used to control extraneous variables? Support your answer. (2 points)
(8) What type of sampling was used? Support your choice. (2 points)
(9) Was there attrition in this study? How do you know this? (2 points)
(10) Is the researcher justified in concluding that lower levels of social support cause more health problems and lower life satisfaction? Why or Why not? (2 points)
(11) Would it be possible to address the same research question with an experimental design? Why or why not? (2 points)
3. PICOT (17 points total)
George wants to discuss the possibility of a vasectomy. He says he has heard something about vasectomy causing an increase in testicular cancer later in life. You know that the risk of this is low but want to give him a more precise answer.
From the above scenario— fill in the table below and write a research question.
Fill in what each letter means List what each letter represents according to the scenario above.(1 point each) List multiple search terms (2+) based off of each of PICOT
(2 points each)
Population
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
Time
Research Question (2 points)
4. What have you learned about nursing research? Identify at least three areas. (Write 1-2 sentences for each area) (3 points)
1.
2.
3.