Deck 6: Qualitative Approaches to Research

Question 1

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

Answer 1

Auditability

Question 2

A nurse researcher has chosen to use the phenomenologic method. What feature distinguishes 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.

Answer 2

The researcher is fully engaged, becoming a thoughtful presence during the interview.

Question 3

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

A) Case study
B) Phenomenology
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnographic method

Answer 3

Phenomenology

Question 4

The nurse researcher has opted to use grounded theory as the research method. Compared with phenomenologic research, which data-gathering technique is unique to grounded theory research?

A) Face-to-face interviews
B) Tape-recorded interviews
C) Participant-written responses to written questions
D) Skilled observation of individuals in a social setting

Question 5

The nurse planning to conduct a qualitative research study should have which understanding about ethical issues in naturalistic settings?

A) It is not possible to obtain informed consent from study participants.
B) The emerging nature of the research design may require ongoing negotiation of consent.
C) The researcher-participant interaction is intentionally therapeutic in nature.
D) Validation of data by cross-checking research findings with participants taints the study.

Question 6

Why is the literature review often 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.

Question 7

The nurse researcher opts to use grounded theory as the research method. Which action or behavior should be avoided in such a study?

A) Following hunches about emerging patterns before data collection is completed
B) Expressing the researcher's opinions or values to the participants
C) Changing the way experiences are collected or selected after the study has been initiated
D) Expanding codes or data categories as the study progresses

Question 8

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

A) Case study
B) Phenomenology
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnographic method

Question 9

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 high among African American men
D) White teenager's statement that being "skinny" is more socially acceptable than having a higher weight

Question 10

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) The challenge of retaining femininity after mastectomy

Question 11

In an ethnographic study titled, "How do rural Appalachian families with preschool children define and practice health?" the researcher gathered data from mothers who were identified as the primary directors of health care within the family unit. What role did the mothers have in this study?

A) Community informants
B) General informants
C) Local informants
D) Key informants

Question 12

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

A) Philosophy
B) Spirituality
C) Cultural anthropology
D) Social science

Question 13

Which feature 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 phenomenon being studied.
C) A grounded theory study is based on only a single research question.
D) Participants in a grounded theory study must experience the phenomenon currently, during the study.

Question 14

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

Question 15

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

A) Description of the lived experience
B) Identification of thought sequences
C) Generalization of the findings
D) Classification of recurring themes

Question 16

Which research question is appropriate for a grounded theory approach?

A) How do incarcerated prisoners interact with fellow prisoners who are known pedophiles?
B) How do Native American teenage girls select a method of contraception?
C) What percent of primary education teachers also have a degree in nursing?
D) How is the total number of clinical hours in a nursing program related to National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates?

Question 17

When reviewing the report of a phenomenologic study, the nurse 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 that emerged from the study
B) Examination of the data analysis methods used in the study
C) Examination of the questions or statements posed to the study participants
D) Examination and critical analysis of the articles reported in the literature review

Question 18

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 completed a questionnaire to measure their understanding of the topic.

Question 19

How can computer management of qualitative data assist a nurse researcher in the research process?

A) Interpretation of data
B) Organization of data
C) Credibility of data
D) Synthesis of data

Question 20

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

A) The researcher is supporting the study's findings.
B) The researcher is attempting to make the report more personal.
C) The technique violates the protection of human subjects.
D) The technique ensures that the proper level of data saturation has been reached.

Question 21

A nurse researcher critiques a phenomenologic study for fittingness. The researcher will examine the study to see whether the study included which of these elements? (Select all that apply.)

A) Queried participants to confirm identified themes
B) Documented the bracketing process used to maintain proper perspective
C) Described the experiences of participants in a way that "rings true" for the reader
D) Presented narrative in a way that captures everyday reality of participants
E) Discussed in detail the process through which identified themes emerged

Question 22

A nurse researcher conducts a grounded theory study examining the process of social support that occurs within interactions between nursing students and clinical faculty in the hospital setting. Which research activities are consistent with a grounded theory study? (Select all that apply.)

A) Using theoretical sampling
B) Having one set of predetermined interview questions
C) Visiting the archives at the school of nursing
D) Changing approaches to data collection as data emerge
E) Asking only one research question to avoid confusing participants

Question 23

Which are ethical concerns that the nurse must consider when evaluating qualitative research? (Select all that apply.)

A) Researchers can focus on the emic, rather than the etic, view of participants' experiences.
B) Researchers and participants may develop relationships that blur boundaries of their interactions.
C) Researchers may want to speak to participants on more than one occasion.
D) Researchers serve as instruments for data interpretation.
E) Researchers may change the research design as knowledge emerges, thus altering risks to participants.

Question 24

What similarities exist between grounded theory and ethnographic studies? (Select all that apply.)

A) Participants are observed in natural settings.
B) Researchers immerse themselves in the culture of study participants.
C) Researchers bracket their personal opinions and biases during the study.
D) Data gathering and data analysis occur simultaneously.
E) Techniques for data collection can change as the study progresses.

Question 25

Which research question will indicate to the nurse researcher that an ethnographic approach was used in the research study?

A) In what ways do Puerto Rican women learn about health information?
B) What is the quality of life for persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)?
C) What was Nightingale's involvement in sanitary reforms during the 1860s?
D) How do individuals who have heart disease experience anger?

Question 26

A nurse researcher is critiquing a research report of a phenomenologic study that examined the lived experience of domestic violence. The nurse should recognize which elements as consistent with a phenomenologic research report? (Select all that apply.)

A) Open-ended questions were used to ask participants to describe experiences with domestic violence.
B) Data about domestic violence reported by participants are presented in the form of narrative text.
C) The natural setting in which fieldwork was conducted is described in detail.
D) The data analysis section discusses use of a statistical software package.
E) The sampling section indicates the criteria for participation included a current unstable domestic relationship.

Question 27

Which criteria are used to judge a qualitative study's scientific rigor? (Select all that apply.)

A) Reality based
B) Credibility
C) Confidentiality of participants
D) Auditability
E) Recordkeeping
F) Fittingness