Week 6: Research, Theory, Design & methods. 

Week 6: Quantitative Research Designs, Continued

1. No discussion about quantitative research design would be complete without mention of validity and reliability. Most broadly, validity refers to meaningfulness and reliability refers to consistency. Together, validity and reliability serve as the foundation for sound scientific inquiry. When quantitative researchers design and implement their research, they do so to identify valid and reliable descriptions, relationships, and/or predictions.

This week, you will consider the threats to validity in quantitative research and explore strategies to mitigate these threats. You will also consider the ethical issues in quantitative research, the implications these issues have on design decisions, and the strategies used to address them. You will also annotate a quantitative journal article on a research topic of your interest.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

· Explain threats to internal validity and external validity in quantitative research

· Explain strategies to mitigate threats to internal validity and external validity in quantitative research

· Identify ethical issues in quantitative research

· Explain how ethical issues influence design decisions in quantitative research

· Explain criteria for a research topic to be amenable to scientific study using a quantitative approach

· Apply strategies for addressing ethical issues in quantitative research

· Annotate a quantitative research article

· Apply APA Style to writing 

Learning Resources

Required Readings

· Babbie, E. (2017) Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Chapter 3, “The Ethics and Politics of Social Research”.

· Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing. Chapter 7. “Quality Considerations” 

· Document: Threats to internal Validity (PDF)

· Walden University: Center for Research Quality (2018). Research ethics & compliance: Documents and FAQs. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orec/documents

· Download the “Research Ethics Planning Worksheet”. Read this document to understand the ethical standards that researchers must address during the research planning process.

· Walden University: Center for Research Quality. (2015c). Research resources: Research planning & writing. Retrieved fromhttp://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/planning 

Download the “Litmus Test” document.

· Walden University. (2015a). How do I find an article that reports on research that uses a specific methodology? Retrieved from http://academicanswers.waldenu.edu/faq/72633 

· Walden University Writing Center. (2015). Common course assignments: Annotated bibliographies. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies 

Required Media

· Gjellstad, L. (nd). IRB Form for Ethics Review at Walden [online tutorial]. Retrieved from https://crq.adobeconnect.com/pz08vcneze53

· Price, S. (2015). Annotated bibliographies [Online webinar]. Retrieved from https://waldencss.adobeconnect.com/p7d6uqxv8g3?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal 

Discussion Part 

Discussion: Designing Quantitative Research

Researchers consider validity and reliability with each new study they design. This is because validity and reliability are not fixed but rather reflect a particular study’s unique variables, research design, instruments, and participants.

In the context of research design, two types of validity, which speak to the quality of different features of the research process, are considered: internal validity and external validity. Assuming that the findings of a research study are internally valid—i.e., the researcher has used controls to determine that the outcome is indeed due to manipulation of the independent variable or the treatment—external validity refers to the extent to which the findings can be generalized from the sample to the population or to other settings and groups. Reliability refers to the replicability of the findings.

· For this Discussion, you will consider threats to internal and external validity in quantitative research and the strategies used to mitigate these threats. You will also consider the ethical implications of designing quantitative research.

With these thoughts in mind:(2-3 pages)

By Day 4

· Post an explanation of a threat to internal validity and a threat to external validity in quantitative research. Next, explain a strategy to mitigate each of these threats. Then, identify a potential ethical issue in quantitative research and explain how it might influence design decisions. Finally, explain what it means for a research topic to be amenable to scientific study using a quantitative approach.

· Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Read a selection of your class By Day 6

Respond to a classmate by offering a strategy to address the ethical issue she or he identified.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria: To assess your rubric 

Week 6 Discussion Rubric: Post by day 4 and Respond by Day 6

To participate in this Discussion: Week 6 to participate in week 6 postings. 

Assignment Part (2-5 pages)

Assignment: Annotation of a Quantitative Research Article

1. Submit: Annotation of a Quantitative Research Article

· This week, you will submit the annotation of a quantitative research article on a topic of your interest. Quasi-experimental, casual comparative, correlational, pretest–posttest, or true experimental are examples of types of research designs used in quantitative research.

An annotation consists of three separate paragraphs that cover three respective components: summary, analysis, and application. These three components convey the relevance and value of the source. As such, an annotation demonstrates your critical thinking about, and authority on, the source. This week’s annotation is a precursor to the annotated bibliography assignment due in Week 10.

An annotated bibliography is a document containing selected sources accompanied by a respective annotation of each source. In preparation for your own future research, an annotated bibliography provides a background for understanding a portion of the existing literature on a particular topic. It is also a useful first step in gathering sources in preparation for writing a subsequent literature review as part of a dissertation.

Please review the assignment instructions below and click on the underlined words for information about how to craft each component of an annotation.

It is recommended that you use the grading rubric as a self-evaluation tool before submitting your assignment. 

By Day 7

· Use the Walden library databases to search for one quantitative research article from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic of your interest.

· Before you read the full article and begin your annotation, locate the methodology section in the article to be sure that the article describes a quantitative study. Confirm that one of the types of quantitative designs, such as quasi-experimental, casual comparative, correlational, pretest–posttest, or true experimental, was used in the study.

· Annotate one quantitative research article from a peer-reviewed journal on a topic of your interest.

· Provide the reference list entry for this article in APA Style followed by a three-paragraph annotation that includes:

· A summary

· An analysis

· An application as illustrated in this example

· Format your annotation in Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced. A separate References list page is not needed for this assignment.

· Submit your annotation. 

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

· Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK6Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.

· Click the Week 6 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.

· Click the Week 6 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.

· Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK6Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.

· If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.

· Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric: Week 6 Assignment rubric

Check your assignment draft for authenticity

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 6 Assignment draft and review the originality report. 

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7: To submit your assignment

Week 6 Assignment

 

Benchmark – Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management

In this assignment, you will be writing a 1,000-1,250 word paper describing the differing approaches of nursing leaders and managers to issues in practice. To complete this assignment, do the following:

1. Select an issue from the following list: bullying, unit closers and restructuring, floating, nurse turnover, nurse staffing ratios, use of contract employees (i.e., registry and travel nurses), or magnet designation.
2. Describe the selected issue. Discuss how it impacts quality of care and patient safety in the setting in which it occurs.
3. Discuss how professional standards of practice should be demonstrated in this situation to help rectify the issue or maintain professional conduct.
4. Explain the differing roles of nursing leaders and nursing managers in this instance and discuss the different approaches they take to address the selected issue and promote patient safety and quality care. Support your rationale by using the theories, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus manager described in your readings.
5. Discuss what additional aspects mangers and leaders would need to initiate in order to ensure professionalism throughout diverse health care settings while addressing the selected issue.
6. Describe a leadership style that would best address the chosen issue. Explain why this style could be successful in this setting.

Use at least three peer-reviewed journal articles other than those presented in your text or provided in the course.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. 

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competencies:

RN to BSN

1.1:       Exemplify professionalism in diverse health care settings.

1.3:       Exercise professional nursing leadership and management roles in the promotion of patient safety and quality care.

3.4:       Demonstrate professional standards of practice.

 

Prepare a 3–4-page report on nurse-patient communication in which you address types of communication, factors that influence the communication experience, and how the patient experience affects health outcomes. Recommend evidence-based strategies to improve nurse-patient communication and explain how the strategies consider patient demographics.

Nursing professionals do not only communicate with others within their organizations—often, they are also the first point of contact with patients. Thus, nursing professionals need superior communication skills to explain procedures and medication instructions, as well as to listen to what patients need to say.

 

Imagine that, in an effort to reduce the number of patient complaints about nursing staff, organizational leadership has asked your department to prepare some preliminary research on a number of different topics. Your topic is patient communication, such as the following:

• The types of communication that take place between nurses and patients.
• The factors that can influence both positive and negative experiences.
• How the experience can impact health care outcomes.
• Strategies that can improve the communication between nurses and patients.

Preparation

Search  the Internet for peer-reviewed journal articles or other professional resources on the topic of effective communication with patients. You will need at least 3 resources to support your work in this assessment.

Directions

Prepare a report on patient-nurse communication in which you include the following:

• Describe the types of communication that take place between nurses and clients/patients. Do not forget to consider types of communication beyond verbal and written on paper.
• Explain the factors that influence positive and negative experiences during the communication process. (Hint: Consider the experiences of both the client/patient and the nurse. Also, consider things such as age, gender, culture, and so on, of both the client/patient and the nurse.)
• Explain how the client/patient experience can impact health care outcomes.
• Recommend evidence-based strategies for improving communication between client/patients and nurses.
• Explain how the strategies consider different client/patient demographics.

Format this assessment as a report that you would give to your supervisor. It may be helpful for you to review how your organization formats internal reports and incorporate your findings. You are still required to adhere to APA guidelines for in-text citations and references, as well as for formatting your reference page.

Additional Requirements

• Include a title page and a reference page.
• Ensure your assessment is 3–4 pages in length.
• Use double-spaced, 12-pt., Times New Roman font.

 

The first step of the evidence-based practice process is to evaluate a nursing practice environment to identify a nursing problem in the clinical area. When a nursing problem is discovered, the nurse researcher develops a clinical guiding question to address that nursing practice problem.

For this assignment, you will create a clinical guiding question know as a PICOT question. The PICOT question must be relevant to a nursing practice problem. To support your PICOT question, identify six supporting peer-revised research articles, as indicated below. The PICOT question and six peer-reviewed research articles you choose will be utilized for subsequent assignments.

Use the “Literature Evaluation Table” to complete this assignment.

1. Select a nursing practice problem of interest to use as the focus of your research. Start with the patient population and identify a clinical problem or issue that arises from the patient population. In 200–250 words, provide a summary of the clinical issue.
2. Following the PICOT format, write a PICOT question in your selected nursing practice problem area of interest. The PICOT question should be applicable to your proposed capstone project (the project students must complete during their final course in the RN-BSN program of study).
3. The PICOT question will provide a framework for your capstone project.
4. Conduct a literature search to locate six research articles focused on your selected nursing practice problem of interest. This literature search should include three quantitative and three qualitative peer-reviewed research articles to support your nursing practice problem.

Note: To assist in your search, remove the words qualitative and quantitative and include words that narrow or broaden your main topic. For example: Search for diabetes and pediatric and dialysis. To determine what research design was used in the articles the search produced, review the abstract and the methods section of the article. The author will provide a description of data collection using qualitative or quantitative methods. Systematic Reviews, Literature Reviews, and Metanalysis articles are good resources and provide a strong level of evidence but are not considered primary research articles.  Therefore, they should not be included in this assignment.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. 

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Scenario Information

Your company has been nominated for a national diversity award associated with your efforts and dedication to diversity initiatives in the workplace and their impact on the organization and community. You have been asked to summarize your efforts for the year in a slide presentation for the diversity committee who selects the winner. Be sure to include details of the changes you made in your organization and the impact the changes made.

Instructions

As part of your nomination, you have been asked to create a PowerPoint slide presentation  include the following slides: 8 slides minimum 

• Title slide
• Highlighting the importance of workplace diversity -2 examples
• Discussing the points that were included in your diversity plan- 2 examples
• Describing how culture and inclusion impact your organization- 2 examples
• Providing examples of how diverse workgroups work together in the workplace- 2 examples
• Gives examples of strategies used to incorporate Hofstede’s cultural dimensions in a global workforce-3 examples
• Provides best practices for managers associated with managing a diverse, global workforce-3 examples
• Conclusion slide that includes a summary of why you should win this award & Provided an overview of best practices for managers using clear examples.
• Any additional, relevant information
• References