Question 1

In historical research,what or who constitutes the sample of the study?
A) The individuals who are the main characters in the historical context under study
B) The physical setting(s) in which the event occurred
C) The researchers and data gatherers
D) The data sources

Accepted Answer

Correct D: The sample consists of data sources that describe the event such as documents,videos,and witnesses.There are multiple data sources.
Incorrect A: Talking to individual participants alone is insufficient.
Incorrect B: Examining the physical setting alone is insufficient.
Incorrect C: Researchers are data gatherers and not the sample.

Question 2

How does nursing research using a phenomenologic approach differ from more traditional forms of phenomenologic research?
A) The results present the lived experience.
B) The study participants are people with illness, injury, or disease.
C) The focus of the study is the actual or objective phenomenon itself.
D) The focus is on understanding the reality of the phenomenon to the person experiencing it.

Accepted Answer

Correct D: American forms of phenomenology may focus on the realities of participants instead of the phenomenon itself.
Incorrect A: The lived experience emphasizes the experience of the phenomenon in day-to-day existence.
Incorrect B: Phenomenologies do not focus only on experiences of illness or injury.
Incorrect C: The study focuses on subjective experiences of participants,not the objective experience.

Question 3

Which title suggests an ethnographic study?
A) The phenomenon of breast self-examination among African American women
B) The lived experience of breast cancer in postmenopausal women
C) The need for culturally sensitive cancer prevention patient education materials
D) Retaining femininity after mastectomy

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Researchers use the ethnographic method to examine cultural variations in health.The other Answerwers do not refer to issues of cultural behavior.
Incorrect B: Lived experience is consistent with phenomenology.
Incorrect C: The need for culturally sensitive educational material is a patient need but not a research study.
Incorrect D: Femininity after mastectomy is not a research topic that specifically addresses issues of cultural variations.

Question 4

When a researcher analyzes data from a phenomenologic study,what is the final synthesis of participants' descriptions?
A) Description of the lived experience
B) Identification of thought sequences
C) Generalization of the findings
D) Classification of themes

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Final synthesis results in a narrative of the lived experience.
Incorrect B: Identification of thought sequences refers to the audit trail.
Incorrect C: Qualitative results are not generalized.
Incorrect D: Classification of themes occurs during data analysis.

Question 5

Which statement is consistent with an emic view of a factor or situation?
A) Health care provider's statement that Native Americans are stoic in the experience of pain
B) Kindergarten teacher's statement that there are fewer discipline problems among Asian children
C) The National Cancer Institute's report that the incidence rate of prostate cancer is higher for African American men
D) White teenager's statement that being "skinny" is more socially acceptable than being of normal weight or overweight

Accepted Answer

Correct D: Emic refers to an insider's view.The teenager's statement provides a view on weight as it is experienced by the teenager.
Incorrect A: The health care provider's statement provides an outsider's view or etic view.
Incorrect B: The kindergarten teacher's statement provides an etic view.
Incorrect C: The National Cancer Incidence report provides an etic view.

Question 6

What is the foundation for the grounded theory method of qualitative research?
A) Cultural anthropology
B) Spirituality and religiosity
C) Philosophy, art, and science
D) Symbolic interaction and social science

Accepted Answer

Correct D: Grounded theory emerged from sociology and symbolic interaction.
Incorrect A: Ethnographic studies emerged from anthropology.
Incorrect B: Spirituality is not a source of research.
Incorrect C: Phenomenology stems from philosophy.

Question 7

The nurse researcher has chosen to use the phenomenologic method.What features distinguish the intensive dialogue the researcher will use in this method from a simple interview?
A) Notes are made about the participant's responses during the interview.
B) The researcher is fully engaged, becoming a thoughtful presence during the interview.
C) The questions posed during the interview were developed before the actual interview occurred.
D) The researcher completes the questionnaire for the participant to avoid misunderstanding or confusion.

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Dialogue extends beyond the simple interview because the interviewer is actively present and engaged in the dialogue.
Incorrect A: Notes can be taken in a dialogue or interview.
Incorrect C: Questions can be developed before the dialogue or an interview takes place.
Incorrect D: Researchers do not complete questionnaires for participants because the goal is to hear the experience through the words of the participant.

Question 8

Why is the review of the literature expected to be limited in a study using grounded theory methods?
A) Research using grounded theory methods is sparse.
B) Grounded theory is more sensitive to cultural values than to the researcher's values.
C) Theories are expected to emerge directly from the data and not from previous research.
D) Limiting the literature review ensures that the researcher's personal biases are bracketed.

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Grounded theory emerges from the data and reflects the contextual values that are integral to the social processes being studied.
Incorrect A: Grounded theory studies are not sparse.
Incorrect B: Grounded theory does not focus specifically on cultural values.
Incorrect D: Limiting the literature review is not needed for a researcher to bracket preconceived notions of a phenomenon.

Question 9

What criterion of scientific rigor for qualitative research is met when the research report leads the reader from the research question and raw data through the steps of analysis and interpretation of the data?
A) Confirmability
B) Auditability
C) Fittingness
D) Credibility

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Auditability refers to the adequacy of information that leads a reader through the steps of data analysis to interpretation.
Incorrect A: Confirmability does not refer to the sequence of the audit trail.
Incorrect C: Fittingness does not refer to the sequence of the audit trail.
Incorrect D: Credibility does not refer to the sequence of the audit trail.

Question 10

Which qualitative approach would be most appropriate for a nurse researcher to use when studying an aspect or dimension of the daily experience of women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer?
A) Case study
B) Phenomenology
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnographic method

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Phenomenology is most appropriate because it focuses on day-to-day experiences of a phenomenon.
Incorrect A: Case study focuses on a specific scenario.
Incorrect C: Grounded theory is focused on social process.
Incorrect D: Ethnographic method is focused on culture.

Question 11

Which statement related to ethical issues in qualitative research is true?
A) In naturalistic settings, there is no need to request informed consent from study participants.
B) The emerging nature of the design may require ongoing negotiation of consent.
C) The researcher-participant interaction is intentionally therapeutic in nature.
D) Data validation with the participant taints the study.

Accepted Answer

Correct B: The emerging nature of the design might require ongoing consent related to possible risks in the study.
Incorrect A: Informed consent is required for studies in naturalistic settings.
Incorrect C: The intent of the researcher is not to be therapeutic because this is not a treatment relationship.
Incorrect D: Data validation by participants does occur in studies,but it varies based on the research approach.

Question 12

Which of the following features is characteristic of the grounded theory method of qualitative research?
A) Data gathering and data analysis occur simultaneously.
B) The researcher has also experienced the specific phenomenon being studied.
C) Grounded theory studies are each based on only a single research question.
D) Participants in a grounded theory study must experience the phenomenon currently with the study.

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Data analysis and data gathering occur simultaneously.Emerging patterns are pursued by the researcher.
Incorrect B: The researcher does not have to have experienced the phenomenon of interest.
Incorrect C: Grounded theory studies often have multiple questions as the data emerge.
Incorrect D: Study participants do not have to be currently experiencing the phenomenon.The participants can provide a present account of a past experience.

Question 13

When reviewing the report of a phenomenologic study,the nurse researcher finds there is no section that describes or reports the research question.What approach should be used to determine the research question?
A) Examination of the themes emerged from the study
B) Examination of the data analysis methods used by the study
C) Examination of the questions or statements posed to the study participants
D) Examination and critical analysis of the articles composing the literature review

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Examination of questions posed to participants tells the reader what human phenomenon is of interest to the researcher.
Incorrect A: Themes do not provide the research question.
Incorrect B: Data-analysis methods do not indicate the research question.
Incorrect D: Research articles can provide insight into the topic but not the specific research question.

Question 14

Which qualitative research approach is most commonly used by nurse researchers for the purpose of theory building?
A) Case study
B) Phenomenology
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnographic method

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Grounded theory is associated with theory building.
Incorrect A: Case study focuses on specific clinical scenarios or situations.
Incorrect B: Phenomenology focuses on the lived experience of a particular phenomenon.
Incorrect D: Ethnographic method focuses on culture.

Question 15

How does the nurse researcher know when data saturation has been reached?
A) When the participants all agree on the themes derived from the study
B) When the ideas or information coming from new participants have been expressed previously by other participants
C) When the emerging themes are congruent with those developed as a result of previous studies of the same phenomenon
D) When the participants are no longer interested or willing to discuss their experiences or feelings

Accepted Answer

Correct B: Data saturation occurs when the researcher recognizes that he or she has heard themes before in multiple prior interviews.
Incorrect A: Participant agreement on themes is not an influence on data saturation.
Incorrect C: Phenomenologists do not use previous studies to determine data saturation because each new group of participants has its own unique set of subjective experiences compared with past groups in similar studies.
Incorrect D: Length of an interview does not influence data saturation.

Question 16

Which factor in a research report indicates that the study used a qualitative design?
A) Hypotheses are stated.
B) The sample is described as convenient.
C) People who participated in the study are described as informants.
D) Participants were asked to complete a forced choice questionnaire to measure their understanding of the topic.

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Informants points to a qualitative study,specifically ethnographic design studies.
Incorrect A: Hypotheses are stated in correlational and experimental quantitative research studies.
Incorrect B: Some,but not all,qualitative research studies include convenient samples; convenient samples are sometimes used in quantitative research studies as well.
Incorrect D: Forced-choice questionnaires suggest survey research or tests to measure knowledge.

Question 17

The nurse researcher finds that statements made by one person interviewed during the conduct of a phenomenologic study are very similar to those made by a previous participant.How should the researcher proceed,given this circumstance?
A) Stop interviewing more participants because the data are considered saturated.
B) Ask the second participant whether he or she has been talking with the first participant.
C) Continue to interview more participants to determine whether the similarities in responses persist or were coincidental.
D) Continue to interview participants but change the wording of the question used to initiate dialogue within the interview.

Accepted Answer

Correct C: The researcher should continue with further interviews.Themes need to be consistent among multiple interviews before the researcher stops collecting data.
Incorrect A: Two interviews are not sufficient for data saturation.
Incorrect B: The researcher should not discuss previous interviews with a participant.
Incorrect D: The question should not be modified because to do so would change participant responses and make it difficult to determine whether common themes can emerge from the data.

Question 18

Why is the question used to initiate dialogue with a participant in a study using phenomenologic methods often different from the investigator's formal research question?
A) Qualitative methodology dictates that research questions should be implied rather than explicitly stated.
B) The investigator needs to ensure that the initiating question is clear and understandable to the study participant.
C) Research questions are considered an outcome of qualitative research rather than a driving force for conduct of the study.
D) Research questions must be congruent with the themes and connected to the data generated by the study.

Accepted Answer

Correct B: The question posed to the participant may vary from the research question because questions must be made clear and understandable to participants.
Incorrect A: Research questions can be explicitly stated in qualitative research.
Incorrect C: Research questions should be formulated at the beginning of a qualitative study.
Incorrect D: The research question is posed first and themes emerge through interviews.

Question 19

In reading a report of a phenomenologic study,the nurse researcher finds direct quotes from the participants threaded throughout the narrative.What is the significance of this observation?
A) The researcher is supporting his or her findings.
B) The researcher is attempting to make the report more personal.
C) The technique violates human subjects' protection.
D) The technique ensures that the proper level of data saturation has been reached.

Accepted Answer

Correct A: Direct quotes allow the reader to evaluate what the participants said and how the researcher labeled what was said.
Incorrect B: Using quotes is not a researcher's attempt to make a report personal.Using direct quotes in consistent with phenomenologic method.
Incorrect C: Using direct quotes does not violate human subject rights as long as the researcher does not cite the participant's real name.
Incorrect D: Use of direct quotes is a part of data reporting and not a related to data saturation.

Question 20

What is the purpose of grounded theory?
A) To expand the scope of nursing practice into areas formerly reserved for other disciplines
B) To provide an exhaustive description of how individuals or groups have experienced an event
C) To examine patterns of action and interaction between and among various types of social units
D) To identify precepts and mores common to all members of a distinct cultural or ethnic group

Accepted Answer

Correct C: Grounded theorists are interested in social process and human interaction.
Incorrect A: Expanding research into other disciplines is not a focus of grounded theory.
Incorrect B: Phenomenology examines human experience.
Incorrect D: Ethnographic studies examine cultural aspects.

Quiz 5: Qualitative Approaches to Research

In historical research,what or who constitutes the sample of the study?

How does nursing research using a phenomenologic approach differ from more traditional forms of phenomenologic research?

Which title suggests an ethnographic study?

When a researcher analyzes data from a phenomenologic study,what is the final synthesis of participants' descriptions?

Which statement is consistent with an emic view of a factor or situation?

What is the foundation for the grounded theory method of qualitative research?

The nurse researcher has chosen to use the phenomenologic method.What features distinguish the intensive dialogue the researcher will use in this method from a simple interview?

Why is the review of the literature expected to be limited in a study using grounded theory methods?

What criterion of scientific rigor for qualitative research is met when the research report leads the reader from the research question and raw data through the steps of analysis and interpretation of the data?

Which qualitative approach would be most appropriate for a nurse researcher to use when studying an aspect or dimension of the daily experience of women undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer?

Which statement related to ethical issues in qualitative research is true?

Which of the following features is characteristic of the grounded theory method of qualitative research?

When reviewing the report of a phenomenologic study,the nurse researcher finds there is no section that describes or reports the research question.What approach should be used to determine the research question?

Which qualitative research approach is most commonly used by nurse researchers for the purpose of theory building?

How does the nurse researcher know when data saturation has been reached?

Which factor in a research report indicates that the study used a qualitative design?

The nurse researcher finds that statements made by one person interviewed during the conduct of a phenomenologic study are very similar to those made by a previous participant.How should the researcher proceed,given this circumstance?

Why is the question used to initiate dialogue with a participant in a study using phenomenologic methods often different from the investigator's formal research question?

In reading a report of a phenomenologic study,the nurse researcher finds direct quotes from the participants threaded throughout the narrative.What is the significance of this observation?

What is the purpose of grounded theory?