Polit and Beck Essentials Superlative Learning.

an alternative paradigm (also called naturalistic paradigm) to the positivist paradigm that holds that there are multiple interpretations of reality, and that the goal of research is to understand how individuals construct reality within their context; associated with qualitative research Empirical evidence evidence rooted in objective reality and gathered one's senses as the basis for generating knowledge Evidence-based practice a practice that involves making clinical decisions on the best available evidence, with an emphasis on evidence from disciplined research Generalizability the degree to which the research methods justify the inference that the findings are true for a broader group than study participants Paradigm a way of looking at natural phenomena that encompasses a set of philosophical assumptions and that guides one's approach to inquiry; a world view Positivist paradigm the paradigm underlying the traditional scientific approach, which assumes that there is an orderly reality that can be objectively studied Qualitative research the investigation of the phenomena, typically in an in depth and holistic fashion, through the collection of rich narrative materials using a flexible research design Quantitative research