NURSING RESEARCH

Instruction: Choose the correct answer from the choices below. Erasure means wrong

1. The major reason for conducting research is to:

a. improve nursing care for clients c. promote the growth of the nursing profession
b. document the cost-effectiveness of care d. ensure accountability for nursing practice

2. The plan for how a study will be conducted is called:

a. design b. data collection method c. hypothesis d. research process

3. To obtain the desired data in a study, which of the following types of definition is mot essential?
a. theoretical b. conceptual c. dictionary d. operational

4. Collecting data from a sample to determine the characteristics of a population is the purpose of what type of
research?
a. correlational b. experimental c. survey d. historical

5. Which of the following methods is appropriate for the presentation of research findings
a. narrative presentations c. tabular presentations
b. graphical presentations d. all of the above

6. What communication medium is most likely to reach the largest percentage of nurses?
a. dissertation defense c. journal article
b. conference oral presentation d. poster presentation

7. A community health nurse of a maternity clinic decides to conduct a study to determine the number of clients
seen during the previous year who became anemic at some time during their pregnancy. The nurse’s research is
classified as which type of study?
a. Analytic b. Cohort c. Descriptive d. Experimental

8. A graduate nursing student is collecting data for a research study and approaches the assigned nurse for
permission to see a patient’s chart. The nurse’s first most appropriate steps is to determine:
a. if informed consent has been obtained c. the purpose of the study
b. If the supervisor has approved the study d. the specific data requested

9. Which statement about informed consent in nursing research is true?

a. Once participants have signed consent, they are expected to complete the study
b. Participants are informed of the sampling method used.
c. Participants receive a full explanation of the study, validity testing and hypotheses
d. The consent form states the researchers names, addresses, and telephone number

10. The three essential elements are informed consent are:

a. accountability, beneficence, and paternalism
b. confidentiality, truthfulness, and advocacy
c. financial risk, rule of utility, and protection of privacy
d. information, comprehension, and freedom from coercion

11. When writing a grant proposal for a domestic violence prevention program, the author addresses characteristics
of the target population that are related to:
a. current health care need c. risk factors prevalent among its members
b. recent utilization of health care services d. specific health conditions

12. Surveying clients’ knowledge of resources, identifying resource eligibility criteria, and comparing income levels
with agency fee structures are steps in which part of the grant proposal processes?
a. Budgeting b. Evaluation c. Needs assessment d. program design

13. The diabetes clinician designs a study to examine how a consistent and structured educational interaction
between diabetes educators and hospitalized diabetes patients would affect the patients’ anxiety levels. Two
groups of patients, ages 30 to 80 years, are studied. The first group receives daily visits from the same educator.
The second group receives one visit of basic skills teaching. A standardized anxiety scale is administered to both
groups on admission and again after at least 3 days of hospitalization. Forty patients admitted between
September 1 and September 30 serve as subject for the first group, and 40 admitted between October 1 and
October 30 serve as subjects for the second group. What are the independent and dependent variables in this
study?
a. Independent variable: daily interaction; Dependent variable; patient anxiety level
b. Independent variable: one visit of basic skills teaching; Dependent variable; daily interaction
c. Independent variable; patient anxiety level; dependent variable; daily interaction
 d. Independent variable; patient anxiety level; dependent variable; visit of basic skills teaching

14. In the discussion section of a research article, the author states that the lack of statistical significance may have
been caused by the small sample size and suggests the need for replication of the study with a large sample. In
evaluating the author’s statement, which statement is appropriate to consider?
a. An exact replication may produce the same results
b. If the study was otherwise well designed, replication may be advisable
c. Sample size is not related to statistical significance, so the author’s suggestion is illogical
d. Sample size is not important if the appropriate statistical techniques are applied.

15. The primary consideration when evaluating a research sample is its:

a. generalizabilityb. probability c. randomization d. representativeness

16. Statistical sources for population age distributions, and socioeconomic characteristics include:
a. census data b. morbidity data c. service utilization data d. vital statistics

17. The most effective way to asses the health care needs of older persons in a community is to:
a. Conduct personal interviews with local health care professionals and social services staff.
b. Rely on intuitive impressions obtained from working with older persons
c. Review demographic data from the most recent census
d. Survey a random sample of adult children who do not reside in the community

Many nurses left the country for better working conditions. Hospital and nursing school administrators are
questioning the commitment of professional nurses to their organization. Nurse Carmencita was commissioned to
conduct research amid this nursing crisis.

18. Which of the following will be the priority action of Nurse Carmencita?
a. Formulate and delimit the research problem
b. Formulate research hypothesis
c. Develop a conceptual framework of the study
d. Conduct literature search on the topic

19. A basic characteristic of a research problem is that it is researchable, which means that:
a. It can be investigated through the collection and analysis of data
b. It can make great topics for debate
c. It deals with philosophical or ethical issues
d. It has no practical significance

20. After the research problem and purpose increase in clarity and conciseness, Nurse Carmencita has greater
direction in determining the feasibility of the study which include:
a. 1,2,3 1. Time and money commitment
b. 1,2,4 2. Researcher’s expertise
c. 1,3,4 3. Availability of subjectis, facility and equipment
d. 1,2,3,4 4. Study’s ethical considerations

21. After the problem has been carefully delineated and clearly stated, Nurse Carmencita is now ready to conduct a
literature review. The review of related literature involves which of the following:
a. Systematic identification of literature sources
b. Locating documents
c. All of the above

22. The major purpose of reviewing the literature is to:

a. Familiarize oneself with different types of research studies
b. Find a similar study and replicate
c. Familiarize oneseft with research formats used by different authors
d. To determine what has already been done that relates to your problem

23. After having acquainted herself with the library, Nurse Carmencita should make a list of key words to guide her
in the literature search. Possible key words that she can use in the search would include:
a. 1,2 1. Commitment
b. 1,3 2. Organizational commitment
c. 1,3,4 3. Nurses
d. 1,2,3,4 4. Nursing crisis

24. She considers accessing electronic database for her literature search. Which of the following is the most
appropriate database for nurses?
a. ERIC b. PsychINFO c MEDLINE d. CINAHL
25. When reading a journal article she first started reading the brief summary of the article placed at the beginning
of the journal report. This is referred to as the:
a. Introduction b. background c. abstract

26. She noted that the researcher himself who conducted the study wrote the journal article she is reading. This
refers to the:
a. Bibliography b. Secondary source c. Primary source

27. Which of the following research design is most appropriate for this study?
a. Descriptive b. Historical c. Case Study d. Phenomenological

28. Nurse Carmencita plans to collect data from nurses by using a questionnaire. Prior to administering the
questionnaire, she should first determine the degree to which the test consistently measures what it measures.
This is called.
a. Validity b. normality c. reliability d. sensitivity

29. She should also conduct a small-scale trial run of her research study which is referred to as:
a. Rehearsal b. sampling c. Hawthorne studies d. pilot study

30. She should also consider ethical considerations involved in all research studies that include:
a. 1,2 1. Subjects should not be harmed in any way
b. 1,2,3 2. Inform subjects concerning the nature of risk involved
c. 1,2,4 3. Subject’s right to privacy should be considered
d. 1,2,3,4 4. Respect for the dignity and welfare of the participant

31. A questionnaire was distributed by mail bearing an ID number in one corner. Respondents are assured their
responses will not be individually divulged. This is called:
a. informed consent b. anonymity c. confidentiality

32. Selection of sample in this study is an important step in doing research. A good sample is:
a. One that includes both male and female nurses
b. One that shows a balance in the number of nurses from hospital and school
c. One that is representative of the population from which it was selected
d. One that can be manipulated and controlled

33. The actual population of study participants selected from a larger population is known as:
a. Population b. Cluster c. Target population d. accessible population

34. Sampling criteria may be used by Nurse Carmencita to develop the desired sample. Characteristics that must be
present for a subject to be included in the sample is called:
a. Inclusion criteria b. exclusion criteria c. representativeness

35. From a sampling theory point of view, each individual in the population should have an equal and independent
chance of being selected for the sample. This is don through:
a. Purposive sampling b. quota sampling c. random sampling

36. Nurse Carmencita develops a sampling frame that involves random selection of provinces in the different
regions of the country and randomly selecting nurses in the selected provinces. This is an example of which
type of random sampling?
a. Simple random sampling b. stratified random sampling c. cluster sampling

37. When data of nurses in the sample are categorized into gender and employment status, what level of
measurement is used?
a. Nominal scale b. ordinal scale c. interval scale d. ratio-scale

38. The nurse’s level of education in this study is classified in which level of measurement?
a. Nominal-scale b. ordinal scale c. interval scale d. ratio-scale

39. When Nruse Carmencita organizes her data using frequency distributions and computation of means, she is
using which approach to data analysis?
a. Descriptive statistics b. Inferential statistics c. parametric statistics

40. Nurse Carmencita is now done with analyzing the data. Her challenge is to reach the final stage of the research
process which is:
a. Conduct post-survey b. Write the final draft c. communicate results
41. The following are possible ways by which Nurse Carmencita’s study could be shared to others for dissemination
purposes, EXCEPT:
a. Oral presentation at conferences/conventions
b. Publication in research journals
c. Giving poster presentation at conventions
d. Keeping it in her personal journal

42. The process of disseminating and using research-generated information to make an impact on or change in the
existing practices in nursing is called:
a. Knowledge management b. knowledge utilization c. research critique

43. Nurse Carmencita is interested in conducting another study. She was asked by her superior to submit a written
plan identifying the major elements of the study. This is referred to as:
a. Proposition b. Pilot Study c. research proposal d. Thesis

44. A well written plan would include the following, EXCEPT

a. Research problem
b. Review of Related Literature and Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
c. Methods and Procedures
d. Research Findings

45. The following should be included in the methods and procedure section of her plan, which projects expenses
and facilitates completion of the project on schedule.
a. Budget b. timetable c. a and b d. b only

Research is the key to keep our knowledge base and our practice in nursing current. It provides a solid foundation on
which to base our practice. Because of this it is important that nurses directly or indirectly participate in research
activities in order to add knowledge in the profession.

46. Which of the following is the first step in the conceptual phase of the research process?
a. Formulation and delimiting the problem c. developing a theoretical framework
b. Review of Related Literature d. Formulation of hypothesis

47. Which of the following characteristics do NOT describe scientific investigation?

a. Planned and conducted in systematic and orderly manner
b. Based on empirical data that have been subjected to repeated investigation
c. Conducted to develop theories and study advance knowledge
d. Observations are made and verified not necessarily on the basis of actual observation

48. Which of the following is/are source/s of research problem?

a. Literature b. experience c. theoryd. all

49. This research approach uses numerical data to obtain information about the world:
a. Experimental b. survey c. qualitative d. quantitative

50. In which of the following type of research does a researcher control the independent variable but has no way of
assigning subjects to treatment conditions in a random manner?
a. Experimental c. exploratory
b. Quasi-experimental d. Correlational

51. Which of the following is TRUE in an experimental study?

a. Subjects who are likely to perform better are assigned under experimental group
b. The control group is given the theory being tested
c. Assigning subjects to both the experimental and control groups are done randomly
d. Conditions affecting the subjects are not controlled to allow generalization of findings

Given the following examples of hypothesis, answer the following questions:

Cancer patients receiving preparatory patient education (PPE) intervention experience lower levels of
anxiety that those who receive outline information. (Poroch, 1995)

52. The statement above is an example of which type of hypothesis?

a. 1,2 1. Associative
b. 1,3 2. Causal
c. 2,3 3. Null
d. 2,4 4. Simple

53. In this hypothesis, the independent variable is:

 a. Cancer patients b. PPE intervention c. anxiety level

54. In causal relationships, the variable that is manipulated by the researcher is the:
a. Independent variable b. dependent variable c. active variable

55. The hypothesis that is used for statistical testing and interpreting statistical outcomes in research is referred to
as:
a. Research hypothesis b. null hypothesis c. directional hypothesis

56. This type of variable exists in all studies an can affect measurement of study variables and the relationships
among these variables.
a. Independent variables b. Dependent variable c. extraneous variable

57. In research, the variables that is the presumed cause is the:

a. Independent variables b. Dependent variable c. extraneous variable

58. Characteristics or attitudes of the subjects that are collected to describe the sample like age, educational level,
gender, income, etc are referred to as:
a. Environmental variables b. confounding variables c. demographic variables

Under RA 9173 Section 28e, one of the duties of a nurse is research. Because nursing is a profession, nurses should
contribute to the generation of nursing. Professional nurses therefore should be equipped with knowledge of the
research process and be able to apply it.

59. Which of the following is the correct sequence of steps in doing quantitative research?
a. 1,2,3,4,5 1. Formulating research problem and purpose
b. 1,4,5,2,3 2. Developing plan for data collection and analysis
c. 1,4,3,5,2 3. Formulating research questions and hypothesis
d. 1,3,4,5,2 4. Review of relevant literature an developing a framework

60. Common sources of research problems in nursing are:

a. 1,2 1. Nursing practice
b. 2,3 2. Patterns trends
c. 1,2,3 3. Somebody else’s completed research
d. 1,2,3,4 4. Researcher’s intellectual and scientific interests

61. Researchers have been exploring alternative design strategies that might increase validity of studies. Most
recent interest is the combined use of two or more theories, methods, data sources, or methods of analysis in a
study. This is referred to as:
a. Research Combo b. Stratification c. Traingulation

62. The following are the characteristics of quantitative research EXCEPT:

a. Objective c. Element of analysis number
b. Develops theory d. basic is knowing: cause-and-effect relationship

63. Which of the following is not a qualitative research method?

a. Correlational b. Phemoenological c. Ethnographic

64. In order for a study to be considered a true experiment, it must have three essential characteristics. Which of the
following is NOT a characteristic of an experimental study:
a. Independent variable must be manipulated by the experimenter
b. Dependent variable must be manipulated by the experimenter
c. Subjects must be randomly assigned to groups
d. A control group must be incorporated within the design

65. Which of the following is an example of manipulation of variables in experimental research:

a. Assigning subjects in a random manner
b. Giving the control group a standard treatment as basis for comparison
c. Creating more groups
d. By assigning subjects to varied conditions, giving intervention to one group and withholding it from
another group.

66. In experimental studies, the researcher should control biases. The bias that occurs when subjects know that they
are being involved in a study is called:
a. Hawthorne effect b. Hawthorne studies c. Halo effect

67. A descriptive study design that examines changes in the same subjects over an extended period of time is called:
 a. Cross-sectional design b. Longitudinal design c. Trend design

68. Which of the following studies that examine relationships between variables do not establish causality?
a. Experimental b. Quasi-experimental c. Correlational

69. In experimental studies where two or more independent variables, with independent groups of subjects
randomly assigned to various combination of levels of the two variables, the design is called
a. Pretest-posttest control group design c. Factorial design
b. Posttest-only design

70. When an experiment lacks randomization or comparison groups it becomes which of the following:
a. True experimental c. Quasi-experimental
b. Pseudo-experimental d. descriptive correlational

71. Which of the following is not true about sample size determination in research?
a. The larger the sample, the more representative it is likely to be
b. The more representative a sample is, the more generalizable the results would be.
c. Large samples can lead to erroneous results when not well selected
d. The more generalizable the sample is, the more representative will be the results

72. In a population of 2,000 nurses in the list of professional nurses in the region, you plan to have 80 as the desired
sample size. Using systematic sampling technique, what will be your Kth factory?
a. 20 b. 15 c. 5 d. 24

73. What does this statement refer to? The level of educational attainment of the mothers is not correlated with their
degree of compliance to the treatment regimen.
a. Limitation of the study b. hypothesis c. assumptions

74. When a subject of a research verbalizes her intention to withdraw her participation in the study, which is
considered an ethical action on the part of the research?
a. Advise him to put it in writing c. Allow him to withdraw anytime
b. Remind him of his duty as a participant d. Tell him his withdrawal has legal implications

75. Which of the following is NOT one of those groups who are vulnerable to coercion and deception due to
inability to give informed consent in research?
a. Children/minors b. Mentally impaired adults c. new RN

76. If a researcher studies the effect of a scheduling assignment on nurses’ morale, the scheduling assignment would
be referred to as the:
a. Independent variable b. dependent variable c. population

77. What ethical principle is violated when a researcher do not consider freedom to participate or not participate in
research
a. Principle of respect for persons b. beneficence c. justice

78. Cuasality in research means:

a. There must be no correlation between variables
b. The cause may not always be present whenever the effect occurs
c. Things have causes and that causes lead to effects

79. Measures of Central Tendency and variability are examples of

a. Descriptive statistics b. inferential statistics c. Vital statistics

80. Extending the implications of the findings from the sample studies to a larger population is called:
a. Generalization b. Conclusion c. Limitation

81. Which of the following types of research makes use of past events to answer a problem?
a. Expost-facto analysis c. Case study
b. Field experiment d. Historical

82. Which of the following actions of a researcher ensures anonymity?

a. Obtain informed consent
b. Provide equal treatment to all the subjects of the study
c. Release the findings of the study to the subjects only
d. Keep the identifies of the subjects secret

83. After the analysis of the data, which of the following steps will the researcher do next?
 a. Interpret the data
b. Write the conclusion and recommendation
c. Organize the data using frequency distributions
d. Disseminate the results of the study

84. If variable X increases as variable Y increase in a specified population, this reflects which of the ff?
a. Predicts a positive relationship c. Predicts no relationship
b. Predicts a negative relationship

85. When a researcher would like to study the lived experiences of patients with prostate cancer confined in their
homes, most likely the type of research that he will design is:
a. True experimental b. ethnographic c. phenomenological

86. The sampling technique used in this kind of study would be

a. Cluster sampling b. quota sampling c. purposive sampling

87. The type of setting that is appropriate for this kind of study would be:
a. Natural setting b. clinical setting c. controlled setting

88. The outcome that the investigator is interested in understanding explaining, or predicting is described as:
a. Dependent variable b. independent variable c. extraneous variable

89. In a certain study, the researcher was asked to consider the variable pain. Pain is classified in what scale of
measurement?
a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio

90. What part of the research report contains the background of the problem?
a. Introduction b. Literature Review c. Methodology d. Results & Discussion

91. When a researcher gives a description of how variables or concepts in the study will be measured or
manipulated in the study she is actually giving which type of definition?
a. conceptual definition b. operational definition c. personal definition

The following are examples of sampling methods taken from studies. Identify which types of sampling method the
researcher used:

92. Five hundred nurses were randomly selected using table of random numbers from a list of all registered nurse in
the Philippines
a. simple random b. stratified random c. systematic random

93. Gender was used to stratify a sample of 100 randomly selected subjects.
a. Simple random b. stratified random c. systematic random

94. A sample of 50 adolescents was obtained at a fast-food restaurant

a. Convenience sampling b. purposive sampling c. cluster sampling

95. Identify the type of study in the following research purpose: To examine the health practices of Ibanag woman
and the impact of these practices to their families.
a. Phenomenological b. ethnographic c. historical

96. Identify the independent variable in the following example of hypothesis. Oxygen inhalation by nasal cannula
of up to 6 liters/minute does not affect oral temperature measurement with an electronic thermometer.
a. Oxygen inhalation by cannula c. Electronic thermometer
b. Oral temperature measurement d. 6 liters per minutes

97. A special type of observation where researchers immerse themselves in the setting so they can experience the
reality as the participants do is:
a. Natural observation b. participant-as-observer c. observer-as-participant

98. Two nurse practitioners are asked to combine their researcher findings with those of some colleagues who are
studying the same group of patients. The nurse practitioners’ response is to:
a. agree because combining the findings will make for some statistically relevant research
b. agree on condition that proper credit is given to the institution where it was conducted
c. refuse because of incongruence between study purposes
d. refuse because they did not obtain the proper patient consent to share their findings
99. After reading a research article that describes a tool for measuring parental anxiety, a pediatric clinical nurse
specialist uses the tool in a replication study on the unit. The repealed uses of the tool provide inconsistent and
inaccurate results. In critiquing the tool, the clinical specialist concludes that it is :
a. not reliable and not likely to be valid c. reliable but not valid
b. reliable but not consistent d. valid but not reliable

100.The subjects of a research project have been informed that only summary group data will be released. Two staff
members request their patients’ test results. The principal investigator’s response is to:
a. Explain why only aggregate results can be shared
b. Meet with the staff members individually to determine why they need the information
c. Set up a meeting to discuss the study
d. Tell the staff members that only data projections are available on their patients

GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!