Chapter 4 Polit & Beck Test Bank
research problem - Answer an enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling condition that a researcher
wants to address through disciplined inquiry
problem statement - Answer a statement articulating the research problem and indicating the
need for a study; developing an argument for the study, why the study is needed; should
identify the nature, context and significance of the problem being addressed, should be broad
enough to include central concerns, should be narrow enough to serve as a guide to study
design
research questions - Answer specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the
research problem; guides the type of data to collect; sometimes direct rewording of statements
of purpose, worded as questions, sometimes used to clarify or lend specificity to the purpose
statement; helps focus attention on the type of data needed to answer the question
hypotheses - Answer the researcher's predictions about relationships among variables; what
will be tested in the study; states a prediction, must always involve at least 2 variables, must
suggest a predicted relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable,
must contain terms that indicate a relationship such as more than, different from or associated
with
statement of purpose - Answer the researcher's summary of the overall study goal;
key points about statements of purpose- quantitative studies - Answer identifies key study
variables, identifies possible relationships among variables, indicates the population of interest,
suggests through use of verbs the nature of the inquiry; usually focus on concepts that are fairly
well developed, usually some existing data, reliable methods of measurement have usually been
developed
key points about statements of purpose - qualitative studies - Answer identifies the central
phenomenon, indicates the research tradition (grounded, etc.). indicates the group, community
or setting of interest, suggests through use of verbs the nature of the inquiry; develop rich and
context-bound understanding of poorly understood phenomenon
research aims or objectives - Answer the specific accomplishments to be achieved by
conducting the study; objectives can also include developing an effective treatment regimen,
process, or intervention
research problem - Answer an enigmatic, perplexing, or troubling condition that a researcher
wants to address through disciplined inquiry
problem statement - Answer a statement articulating the research problem and indicating the
need for a study; developing an argument for the study, why the study is needed; should
identify the nature, context and significance of the problem being addressed, should be broad
enough to include central concerns, should be narrow enough to serve as a guide to study
design
research questions - Answer specific queries the researcher wants to answer in addressing the
research problem; guides the type of data to collect; sometimes direct rewording of statements
of purpose, worded as questions, sometimes used to clarify or lend specificity to the purpose
statement; helps focus attention on the type of data needed to answer the question
hypotheses - Answer the researcher's predictions about relationships among variables; what
will be tested in the study; states a prediction, must always involve at least 2 variables, must
suggest a predicted relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable,
must contain terms that indicate a relationship such as more than, different from or associated
with
statement of purpose - Answer the researcher's summary of the overall study goal;
key points about statements of purpose- quantitative studies - Answer identifies key study
variables, identifies possible relationships among variables, indicates the population of interest,
suggests through use of verbs the nature of the inquiry; usually focus on concepts that are fairly
well developed, usually some existing data, reliable methods of measurement have usually been
developed
key points about statements of purpose - qualitative studies - Answer identifies the central
phenomenon, indicates the research tradition (grounded, etc.). indicates the group, community
or setting of interest, suggests through use of verbs the nature of the inquiry; develop rich and
context-bound understanding of poorly understood phenomenon
research aims or objectives - Answer the specific accomplishments to be achieved by
conducting the study; objectives can also include developing an effective treatment regimen,
process, or intervention
