FINAL NURSING RESERCH TESTBANK
CHAPTER 1
1. Which of the following groups would be best served by the development of a scientific
base for nursing practice?
A) Nursing administrators
B) Practicing nurses
C) Nurses' clients
D) Health care policymakers
Ans: C
Feedback:
Nursing research is systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence about
issues of importance to nurses and their clients. Nurse leaders recognize the need to base
specific nursing decisions on evidence indicating that the decisions are clinically
appropriate, cost-effective, and result in positive client outcomes. Although all of the
people listed would benefit from the development of a scientific base for nursing
practice, ultimately it is the clients themselves who would most benefit, as they would
then receive the most appropriate and most effective care.
2. An especially important goal for the nursing profession is to do which of the following?
A) Conduct research to better understand the context of nursing practice
B) Establish a solid base of evidence for practice through disciplined research
C) Document the role nursing serves in society
D) Establish research priorities
Ans: B
Feedback:
Nurses are increasingly expected to understand and undertake research and to base their
practice on evidence from research. Evidence-based practice is the use of the best
evidence in making patient care decisions and typically comes from research conducted
by nurses and other health-care professionals. All of the other answers are possible goals
for the nursing profession, but none is as important as establishing evidence for practice.
3. Which of the following is a fundamental belief of those who hold to the constructivist
paradigm?
A) A fixed reality exists in nature for humans to understand
B) The nature of reality has changed over time
C) Reality is multiply constructed and multiply interpreted by humans
D) Reality cannot be studied empirically
Ans: C
Feedback:
In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather
a construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. However, constructivists do believe that reality can be studied empirically.
Belief in a fixed reality that exists in nature for humans to understand would be an
example of a positivist belief, not a constructivist one. The constructivist belief does not
hold so much that the nature of reality has changed over time as that it has always been
constructed by human minds.
Page 1
,FINAL NURSING RESERCH TESTBANK
4. Which of the following is a fundamental belief of those who hold to the positivist
paradigm?
A) The researcher is objective and independent of those being studied
B) The researcher cannot interact with those being studied
C) The researcher instructs those being studied to be objective in providing
information
D) The distance between the researcher and those being researched is minimized to
enhance the interactive process
Ans: A
Feedback:
In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and that natural
phenomena are regular and orderly. In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that
reality is not a fixed entity but is rather a construction of human minds, and thus “truth”
is a composite of multiple constructions of reality.
5. Which of the following attributes is least characteristic of the traditional scientific
method?
A) Control over external factors
B) Systematic measurement and observation of natural phenomena
C) Testing of hunches deduced from theory or prior research
D) Emphasis on a holistic view of a phenomenon, studied in a rich context
Ans: D
Feedback:
Quantitative research (associated with positivism) involves the collection and analysis
of numeric information. Quantitative research is typically conducted within the
traditional scientific method, which is systematic and controlled. Quantitative
researchers base their findings on empirical evidence (evidence collected by way of the
human senses) and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
6. Empiricism refers to which of the following?
A) Making generalizations from specific observations
B) Articulating a study purpose in terms of an appropriate classification system
C) Gathering evidence about real-world phenomena through the senses
D) Verifying the assumptions on which the study was based
Ans: C
Page 2
, Feedback:
Empiricism is gathering and analyzing evidence through their senses. Quantitative
research involves the collection and analysis of numeric information. Quantitative
research is typically conducted within the traditional scientific method, which is
systematic and controlled. Quantitative researchers base their findings on empirical
evidence and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
7. Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?
A) Rigorous
B) Holistic
C) Systematic
D) Flexible
Ans: C
Feedback:
Quantitative research is typically conducted within the traditional scientific method,
which is systematic and controlled. Quantitative researchers base their findings on
empirical evidence and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
8. Which of the following limits the capacity of the scientific method to answer questions
about humans?
A) The necessity of departing from traditional beliefs
B) The difficulty of accurately measuring complex human traits
C) The lack of funding for research
D) The shortage of theories about human behavior
Ans: B
Feedback:
Nursing research focuses on human beings, who are inherently complicated and diverse.
The traditional scientific method typically focuses on a relatively small aspect of human
experiences in a single study. Complexities tend to be controlled and, if possible,
eliminated rather than studied directly, and this narrowness of focus can sometimes
obscure insights.
9. The classic scientific method has its intellectual roots in which of the following?
A) Positivism
B) Determinism
C) Constructivism
D) Empiricism
Ans: A
Page 3
, Feedback:
In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and that natural
phenomena are regular and orderly. The related assumption of determinism refers to the
belief that phenomena result from prior causes and are not haphazard. In the
constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather a
construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. Although the word empiricism has come to be allied with the classic scientific
method, researchers in both traditions gather and analyze evidence empirically, that is,
through their senses.
10. Constructivist qualitative research typically does which of the following?
A) Involves deductive processes
B) Attempts to control the research context to better understand the phenomenon
being studied
C) Involves gathering narrative, subjective materials
D) Focuses on numeric information
Ans: C
Feedback:
In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather
a construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and
that natural phenomena are regular and orderly. Constructivist researchers emphasize
understanding human experience as it is lived through the collection and analysis of
subjective, narrative materials using flexible procedures; this paradigm is associated
with qualitative research. The other answers are truer of positivist, quantitative research.
11. Quantitative and qualitative research share which of the following features? Select all
that apply.
A) A desire to understand the true state of human affairs
B) An emphasis on formal measurement
C) A reliance on external evidence collected through the senses
D) Utility to the nursing profession
Ans: A, C, D
Feedback:
Both quantitative and qualitative research share a desire to understand the true state of
human affairs, a reliance on external evidence collected through the senses, and utility to
the nursing profession. However, quantitative, not qualitative, research emphasizes
formal measurement.
12. Which of the following is a descriptive question that a qualitative researcher most likely
would ask?
A) What is the nature of this phenomenon?
B) What is the average intensity of this phenomenon?
C) How frequently does this phenomenon occur?
D) What is the average duration of this phenomenon?
Ans: A
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CHAPTER 1
1. Which of the following groups would be best served by the development of a scientific
base for nursing practice?
A) Nursing administrators
B) Practicing nurses
C) Nurses' clients
D) Health care policymakers
Ans: C
Feedback:
Nursing research is systematic inquiry designed to develop trustworthy evidence about
issues of importance to nurses and their clients. Nurse leaders recognize the need to base
specific nursing decisions on evidence indicating that the decisions are clinically
appropriate, cost-effective, and result in positive client outcomes. Although all of the
people listed would benefit from the development of a scientific base for nursing
practice, ultimately it is the clients themselves who would most benefit, as they would
then receive the most appropriate and most effective care.
2. An especially important goal for the nursing profession is to do which of the following?
A) Conduct research to better understand the context of nursing practice
B) Establish a solid base of evidence for practice through disciplined research
C) Document the role nursing serves in society
D) Establish research priorities
Ans: B
Feedback:
Nurses are increasingly expected to understand and undertake research and to base their
practice on evidence from research. Evidence-based practice is the use of the best
evidence in making patient care decisions and typically comes from research conducted
by nurses and other health-care professionals. All of the other answers are possible goals
for the nursing profession, but none is as important as establishing evidence for practice.
3. Which of the following is a fundamental belief of those who hold to the constructivist
paradigm?
A) A fixed reality exists in nature for humans to understand
B) The nature of reality has changed over time
C) Reality is multiply constructed and multiply interpreted by humans
D) Reality cannot be studied empirically
Ans: C
Feedback:
In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather
a construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. However, constructivists do believe that reality can be studied empirically.
Belief in a fixed reality that exists in nature for humans to understand would be an
example of a positivist belief, not a constructivist one. The constructivist belief does not
hold so much that the nature of reality has changed over time as that it has always been
constructed by human minds.
Page 1
,FINAL NURSING RESERCH TESTBANK
4. Which of the following is a fundamental belief of those who hold to the positivist
paradigm?
A) The researcher is objective and independent of those being studied
B) The researcher cannot interact with those being studied
C) The researcher instructs those being studied to be objective in providing
information
D) The distance between the researcher and those being researched is minimized to
enhance the interactive process
Ans: A
Feedback:
In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and that natural
phenomena are regular and orderly. In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that
reality is not a fixed entity but is rather a construction of human minds, and thus “truth”
is a composite of multiple constructions of reality.
5. Which of the following attributes is least characteristic of the traditional scientific
method?
A) Control over external factors
B) Systematic measurement and observation of natural phenomena
C) Testing of hunches deduced from theory or prior research
D) Emphasis on a holistic view of a phenomenon, studied in a rich context
Ans: D
Feedback:
Quantitative research (associated with positivism) involves the collection and analysis
of numeric information. Quantitative research is typically conducted within the
traditional scientific method, which is systematic and controlled. Quantitative
researchers base their findings on empirical evidence (evidence collected by way of the
human senses) and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
6. Empiricism refers to which of the following?
A) Making generalizations from specific observations
B) Articulating a study purpose in terms of an appropriate classification system
C) Gathering evidence about real-world phenomena through the senses
D) Verifying the assumptions on which the study was based
Ans: C
Page 2
, Feedback:
Empiricism is gathering and analyzing evidence through their senses. Quantitative
research involves the collection and analysis of numeric information. Quantitative
research is typically conducted within the traditional scientific method, which is
systematic and controlled. Quantitative researchers base their findings on empirical
evidence and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
7. Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?
A) Rigorous
B) Holistic
C) Systematic
D) Flexible
Ans: C
Feedback:
Quantitative research is typically conducted within the traditional scientific method,
which is systematic and controlled. Quantitative researchers base their findings on
empirical evidence and strive for generalizability beyond a single setting or situation.
Constructivist researchers emphasize understanding human experience as it is lived
through the collection and analysis of subjective, narrative materials using flexible
procedures; this paradigm is associated with qualitative research.
8. Which of the following limits the capacity of the scientific method to answer questions
about humans?
A) The necessity of departing from traditional beliefs
B) The difficulty of accurately measuring complex human traits
C) The lack of funding for research
D) The shortage of theories about human behavior
Ans: B
Feedback:
Nursing research focuses on human beings, who are inherently complicated and diverse.
The traditional scientific method typically focuses on a relatively small aspect of human
experiences in a single study. Complexities tend to be controlled and, if possible,
eliminated rather than studied directly, and this narrowness of focus can sometimes
obscure insights.
9. The classic scientific method has its intellectual roots in which of the following?
A) Positivism
B) Determinism
C) Constructivism
D) Empiricism
Ans: A
Page 3
, Feedback:
In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and that natural
phenomena are regular and orderly. The related assumption of determinism refers to the
belief that phenomena result from prior causes and are not haphazard. In the
constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather a
construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. Although the word empiricism has come to be allied with the classic scientific
method, researchers in both traditions gather and analyze evidence empirically, that is,
through their senses.
10. Constructivist qualitative research typically does which of the following?
A) Involves deductive processes
B) Attempts to control the research context to better understand the phenomenon
being studied
C) Involves gathering narrative, subjective materials
D) Focuses on numeric information
Ans: C
Feedback:
In the constructivist paradigm, it is assumed that reality is not a fixed entity but is rather
a construction of human minds, and thus “truth” is a composite of multiple constructions
of reality. In the positivist paradigm, it is assumed that there is an objective reality and
that natural phenomena are regular and orderly. Constructivist researchers emphasize
understanding human experience as it is lived through the collection and analysis of
subjective, narrative materials using flexible procedures; this paradigm is associated
with qualitative research. The other answers are truer of positivist, quantitative research.
11. Quantitative and qualitative research share which of the following features? Select all
that apply.
A) A desire to understand the true state of human affairs
B) An emphasis on formal measurement
C) A reliance on external evidence collected through the senses
D) Utility to the nursing profession
Ans: A, C, D
Feedback:
Both quantitative and qualitative research share a desire to understand the true state of
human affairs, a reliance on external evidence collected through the senses, and utility to
the nursing profession. However, quantitative, not qualitative, research emphasizes
formal measurement.
12. Which of the following is a descriptive question that a qualitative researcher most likely
would ask?
A) What is the nature of this phenomenon?
B) What is the average intensity of this phenomenon?
C) How frequently does this phenomenon occur?
D) What is the average duration of this phenomenon?
Ans: A
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