A major skill that is learned in this course is how to critically read and critique nursing research articles.
A major skill that is learned in this course is how to critically read and critique…
Instructions: A major skill that is learned in this course is how to critically read and critique nursing research articles. The purpose for critiquing an article is to critically evaluate the research process followed by the author(s) of the assigned article. This is an information-intensive, time-intensive process that is not learned overnight. To demonstrate your skill at critiquing an article, you will complete this open-book multiple choice assignment.
Here’s how you should approach completing this week’s assignment to finish critiquing an article:
1. First, do your assigned reading in Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) and complete the reading worksheets early in the week. This will introduce you to the critique skills you will need for the week.
2. Skim the entire instructor assigned research article that has been posted on Blackboard for you so that you will have an idea of what it is about. Then, for this week, re-read carefully the first half of the article, starting with the abstract and stopping after the first paragraph of the results or “findings” section.
3. Print this document and find the best answer to each question below based on your Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) assigned reading for the week and what you have read in the instructor assigned research article.
4. Some of the questions in the critique assignment below will seem unfamiliar to you. Look up key terms from the question in your textbook. Some examples of these terms might be: problem statement, variables, and cross-sectional. You can also look in Chapter 12 for an example of a critical appraisal (or critique) of a quantitative research article.
5. Once you have completed this assignment “on paper”, go into blackboard and enter your answers by the assignment due date and time listed in the syllabus. Ignore any wording from Blackboard that indicates that “this is a test” and carefully enter your answers from this document.
6. You will have two access attempts to record your answers. This is given to you so that if you encounter technical difficulties on your first attempt, or you would like a second attempt to try to improve your grade, you may do so. You will not be able to see the questions that you missed when you submit your attempt. Blackboard will record the highest grade from the two submissions.
If you have questions about this assignment, you can post them to your group discussion board for help. Please do not post the exact question from the assignment below and ask the group for the answer as this would constitute academic dishonesty.
Questions 1 – 4: Research Problem and Purpose.(For help with these questions, refer to chapters 2, 5, and 12)
1. Which choices below best reflect theproblem statement for the instructor-assigned article?
a. In an effort to address the shortages of nurses with undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees, nursing programs have been measuring student retention, attrition, and graduation rates.
b. There is a paucity of research regarding the relationship of emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in the context of nursing students.
c. The total score of the psychological empowerment scale represents psychological empowerment at that moment in time. This will not necessarily be the same when measured at a different point in time.
d. Nurse educators need to examine ways to promote student success by improving our current methodologies and practices.
2. Which of the choices below best reflects thepurpose statement for the instructor assigned article?
a. Graduate prepared nurses will be needed to replace the large number of retiring faculty in Canada and the United States. In addition, nurse practitioners are needed to help alleviate the family physician shortage.
b. The current rise in employment is improving forecasts for the future supply of registered nurses; however sizable shortages are still projected for the following decade in the United States.
c. Many universities and admission departments dedicate substantial time and money for the recruitment and admission of nursing students.
d. The purpose of the correlational study was to describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success and undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
3. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following statements are important when considering thesignificance and relevance of a study’s problem and purpose? (Select all that apply.)
a. Does it consider ethical principles in its design?
b. Does it predict the non-significant findings anticipated in the study?
c. Does it specifically influence nursing education in university settings?
d. Does it identify the population to whom they intend to generalize?
e. Does it promote theory testing or development?
f. Does it identify extraneous variables?
4. When considering thefeasibility of a study’s problem and purpose, Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) suggest that several areas should be evaluated, including: researcher expertise, money commitment, ethical considerations, and availability of subjects, facilities, and equipment. Which of the following statements accurately assesses the feasibilityof this article?
a. Funding sources for the study were identified in the article.
b. The author’s credentials to design and conduct research are fully described.
c. 100% of the eligible subjects contacted participated in the study.
d. Evidence of protection of the subjects’ rights was mentioned in this article.
Questions 5 – 7: Review of the Literature. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 6 & 12.)
5. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which one of the followingis NOT amajor purpose of the review of literature (ROL):
a. Describing the current knowledge of the practice problem
b. Identifying gaps in the knowledge base of the practice problem
c. Explaining how the current study contributes to the knowledge being built
d. To explain the reasons behind the selection of the statistics used in the study.
6. Selectthree MAJOR topics covered in the review of literature (ROL) from the list below:
a. The nursing profession should be concerned about attrition rates for masters and doctoral nursing students.
a. A descriptive correlational design was used with a convenience sample recruited from a private Catholic University.
b. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
c. In an effort to address the shortages of nurses with undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees, nursing programs have been measuring student retention, attrition, and graduation rates.
d. Many university admission departments dedicate substantial time and money for the recruitment and admission of nursing students.
f. The instruments utilized were the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), Spreitzer Psychological Empowerment Scale, Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), as well as a background data sheet.
7. Current knowledge in the review of literature (ROL) (all information included before the “Methods”) is considered to be articles that are within 5 years of the publication date of the article. This is often assessed by reviewing the citations that are used in the ROL and counting the number that meet this criteria. Which number below most closely reflects the number of current citations in the ROL?(HINT-start with the year 2014 as the year published in the journal.)
a. 10
b. 15
c. 20
d. 25
Questions 8 – 10: Study Framework.(For help with these questions, refer to chapters 7 & 12)
8. Which of these statements best describes thisstudy’s research framework?
a. This study has an implicit framework, which is not fully developed.
b. The conceptual framework supporting the research is underpinned by social exchange theory and Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy.
c. The authors developed the study’s conceptual framework based on Watson’s Theory of Caring to describe the concept of caring for the self as a nursing student.
9. What are some of the key concepts in thisstudy’s conceptual framework?
a. This study does not have any clearly defined concepts within a framework because it has an implicit framework.
b. Nursing student depression is defined as a psychosocial phenomenon occurring within 12 months of starting in either an undergraduate or graduate program.
c. The authors clearly identify the concepts of the framework in a map or model.
10. Which one of the statements below is an example of arelational statement from the conceptual framework?
a. Feelings of psychological empowerment will have an effect on student depression levels
b. This study does not have any clearly defined relational statements because it has an implicit framework.
c. Researchers found that managing emotions was positively correlated with academic success.
Questions 11 – 15: Research objectives, questions, or hypotheses and research variables.(For help with these questions, refer to chapters 5 & 12)
11. The authors state that the research objective, question, or hypothesis was “describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in undergraduate and graduate nursing students” on page 918. This is best described as a
a. Research objective
b. Research question
c. Research hypothesis
d. None of the above
12. Which of these are considered to beMAJOR studyvariablesin this study.(Select all that apply)?
a. emotional intelligence
b. psychological empowerment
c. undergraduate and graduate retention rates
d. costs of student recruitment
e. predictions of nursing shortages for the future
f. testing anxiety in undergraduate students
13. What is theconceptual definition (as defined in the review of the literature) of the following study variable:spiritual well being
a. The conceptual definition of spiritual well-being is not clearly provided in the review of the literature.
b. The factors that influence nursing academic success need to be better understood.
c. After students are admitted, they are to be afforded resources that will foster their persistence in the nursing program as well as promote their academic success.
d. Admissions staff are tasked with the ever more difficult charge of distinguishing applicants who can be successful.
14. What is theoperational definition (as defined in the methods section) of the following study variable:spiritual well being
a. Recruiting qualified applicants is just the beginning step in fostering program completion.
b. Spiritual Well Being Scale
c. The factors that influence nursing academic success need to be better understood.
d. The Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS).
15. Whichdemographic variables were assessed by the author for this study?(Select all that apply.)
a. Age
b. Education level
c. Years of nursing experience
d. Number of nursing school applications
e. Admission cut-off criteria
f. Race
Questions 16- 19: Research Design(For help with these questions, refer to chapters 1, 8, & 12)
16. Which phrase best describes theresearch design of this study? (Select the three that apply.)
a. Descriptive
b. Correlational
c. Quasi-experimental
d. Experimental
e. Mixed methods
17. Which phrase best describes the time element of the research design of this study?
a. Cross-sectional design
b. Longitudinal design
c. None of the above
18. Does the study include atreatment or intervention described in the methods section?
a. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) used in the study may be considered a treatment or intervention.
b. 516 students were invited to participate in the intervention.
c. A control group of accounting students were also asked to complete the survey.
d. This study was not designed with a treatment or intervention.
19. Does the author specifically mention that apilot study was doneprior to conducting this study? (Hint: look at the words “prior to this study”.)
a. Yes
b. No
20. The authors indicate on page 920 of the article that the institutional review board (IRB) authorization was acquired.This indicates than an IRB gave approval to conduct the research. In addition, anonymity and confidentiality was protected. Per Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following wouldNOT be considered essential information for informed consent? (Select all that apply.)
a. a statement of the research purpose and any long-term goals of the study
b. a copy of the abstract of the article that will be used in the publishing journal.
c. an explanation of the procedures to be followed in the study
d. a complete list of references to be used in the study.
