this is about research

1. Chapter 1
Introduction to
research
By: Assefa Andargie
Wollo university
College of medicine and health sciences
Department of public health
Ethiopia

2. Objectives
 At the end of this chapter, learners will be able
to:
 Explain the concept of research and nursing
research
 Describe the different types of research
 Define common terms in research
 Explain the steps in research process

3. Definition
 The term ‘Research’ consists of two words:
Research = Re + Search
 ‘Re’ means again and again and ‘Search’
means to find out something
 the following is the process:

4. Definition …
 Research is systematic inquiry that uses
disciplined methods to answer questions or solve
problems.
 Research in simple terms, refers to a search for
knowledge.
 A scientific and systematic search for information
on particular topic or issue.
 The art of scientific investigation
 Systematized effort to gain new knowledge

5.  Nursing research is systematic inquiry
designed to develop knowledge about issues
of importance to the nursing profession,
including nursing practice, education,
administration, and informatics.
 Clinical nursing research, a research
designed to generate knowledge to guide
nursing practice and to improve the health and
quality of life of nurses’ clients.

6. Examples of nursing research
questions:
 What are the factors that determine the length
of stay of patients in the intensive care unit
undergoing coronary artery bypass graft
surgery
(Doering, Esmailian, Imperial-Perez, & Monsein, 2001)?
 How do adults with acquired brain injury
perceive their social interactions and
relationships
(Paterson & Stewart, 2002)?

7. The Importance of Research in
Nursing
– For evidence-based practice (EBP)
– For spiraling costs of health care and the cost-
containment practices
– To understand the varied dimensions of the
nursing profession.
 Research purposes for nursing research
include identification, description, exploration,
explanation, prediction, and control.

8. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
 The prime objectives of research are
1) to discover new facts
2) to verify and test important facts
3) to analyse an event or process or phenomenon
to identify the cause and effect relationship
4) to develop new scientific tools, concepts and
theories to solve and understand scientific and
nonscientific problems
5) to find solutions to scientific, nonscientific and
social problems and
6) to overcome or solve the problems occurring in
our every day life.

9. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
RESEARCH
The following characteristics may be gathered from
the definitions of ‘Research’
1. It gathers new knowledge or data from primary
or first-hand sources.
2. It places emphasis upon the discovery of general
principles.
3. It is an exact systematic and accurate
investigation.
4. It uses certain valid data gathering devices.
5. It is logical and objective.
6. The researcher resists the temptation to seek
only the data that support his hypotheses.

10. 7. The researcher eliminates personal feelings and
preferences.
8. It endeavours to organise data in quantitative
terms.
9. Research is patient and unhurried activity.
10. The researcher is willing to follow his procedures
to the conclusions that may be unpopular and
bring social disapproval.
11. Research is carefully recorded and reported.
12. Conclusions and generalisations are arrived at
carefully and cautiously.

11. PARADIGMS FOR RESEARCH
 A paradigm is a world view, a general
perspective on the complexities of the real
world.
 Paradigms for human inquiry are often
characterized in terms of the ways in which
they respond to basic philosophical questions.
 Ontologic: What is the nature of reality?
 Epistemologic: What is the relationship between
the inquirer and that being studied?
 Axiologic: What is the role of values in the
inquiry?
 Methodologic: How should the inquirer obtain
knowledge?

12. The Positivist Paradigm
 The fundamental ontologic assumption of
positivists is that there is a reality out there that
can be studied and known.
 Nature is basically ordered and regular and
that an objective reality exists independent of
human observation.
 E.g. If a person has a cerebrovascular accident,
the scientist in a positivist tradition assumes that
there must be one or more reasons that can be
potentially identified and understood.

13. The Naturalistic Paradigm
 For the naturalistic inquirer, reality is not a
fixed entity but rather a construction of the
individuals participating in the research; reality
exists within a context, and many
constructions are possible.
 Reality is multiple

14. Major Assumptions of the Positivist
and Naturalistic Paradigms

15. CLASSIFICATION OF RESEARCH
A. Classification of Research based on the
Goal of Research
1. Basic research: is designed to add an
organized body of scientific knowledge and does
not necessarily produce results of immediate
practical value.
2. Applied research: is undertaken to solve an
immediate practical problem and the goal of
adding to scientific knowledge is secondary.
Applied research can further be classified into:
 Action Research (intervention and its effects)
 Operational Research (efficient way of performing
tasks)
 Essential research (national priorities)

16. B. Classification of Research based on
objectives.
 According to the specific objectives research
can be classified as:
1. Descriptive (to provide detail description of a
phenomena)
2. Explanatory (to establish potential risk factors to
a problem)
3. Exploratory (to find out unfamiliar information).

17. C. Classification based on designs
 Although there are endless ways of classifying
research designs, they usually fall into one of
three general categories:
 Experimental
 Quasi-experimental
 Non-experimental

18. D. Classification by Type of Data
 Depending on the type of data generated and
used research can be classified as
1. Primary research (also called field research):
involves the collection of data that does not
already exist.
2. Secondary research (also known as desk
research): involves the summary, collation
and/or synthesis of existing data rather than
generating primary data.

19. E. Classification by Field of Study
 Research can also be classified based on fields
of study. Therefore, there are:
1. Natural science research,
2. Social science research,
3. Educational research,
4. Behavioral science research,
5. Health science research, etc.

20. F. Classification Based on Research
approaches
 There are two main approaches to research:
 Quantitative approach፡ investigation in which
the researcher attempts to understand some
larger reality by isolating and measuring
components of that reality without regard to their
contextual setting.
 Qualitative approach: an inquiry process based
on distinct methodological traditions of inquiry for
exploring social and human behaviors in a natural
setting… and the researcher reports detailed
views of informants.

21. Common research terms
 Health Research: A systematic collection,
analysis and interpretation of data to solve a
health problem.
 Research methods: all those
techniques/methods that are adopted for
conducting research
 The practices and techniques used to collect,
process and analyze the data (e.g What type
of experiment or survey);
 Research methodology: the way of
systematically solving the research problem.

22.  Study subjects/study
participants/respondents: Subjects who provide
information to researchers by answering
questions directly— e.g., by filling out a
questionnaire.
 Researcher or investigator/scientist: The
person who undertakes the research is the
 Principal investigator (PI), the person directing
the investigation when a study is undertaken by a
research team.
 Co-investigators: Two or three researchers
collaborating equally.

23.  Study site/setting/area: is the overall location
for the research—it could be an entire community
or an institution within a community (e.g., Dessie
Referral Hospital).
 Variable: a characteristic or quality that takes on
different values (i.e., a variable varies from one
person or object to another).. E.g. weight, anxiety
levels, income, and body temperature are all
variables.
 Data (singular, datum): are the pieces of
information obtained in the course of the
investigation.

24. Terminologies …
 Research design: Refers to the overall
structure or plan of the research
 Research proposal: is a document that
presents a plan for a project to reviewers for
evaluation.
 Scientific method: refers to a general set of
orderly, disciplined procedures used to acquire
information.

25. Research process
 Research process comprises a series of steps or
actions required for effectively conducting research.
1. Formulating the research problem
2. Literature review
3. Developing hypothesis
4. Preparing the research design
5. Determining sample design
6. Collecting data
7. Execution of the project
8. Analysis of data
9. Hypothesis testing
10. Generalization and interpretation
11. Preparation of the report or presentation of the result

26. Exercises
1. Define the term ‘Research’, Enumerate the
characteristics of research. Give a
comprehensive definition of research.
2. Describe the specific features of Research,
3. Enumerate the main objectives of research and
explain them in detail.
4. Describe the various classification of research,
Differentiate between fundamental research and
applied research. Elaborate your answer with
examples.
5. List down the main differences between
qualitative and quantitative research
approaches?

27. Thank you!