The importance of developing workable hypotheses

Step 1: Read the following scenario.

You are a nurse on 5 West who has concerns about visiting hours in the Critical Care Unit. The unit currently has a visiting-hours policy that allows patients to rest and the staff to provide care in an environment that protects patient privacy and modesty. However, many nurses now feel that family presence improves patient outcomes. You and other nurses on your unit have noted that vital signs are improved and patients are more responsive when family is present. You are considering whether to use a quantitative or qualitative study to research this topic.

Step 2: Consider the following questions:
• What is the purpose of hypotheses and research questions?
• Why is it important to develop workable hypotheses and research questions in conducting research?
• What type of research—qualitative or quantitative—would be most conducive to the scenario in Step 1? Why?
• Which would be more appropriate given the scenario in Step 1: the development of a hypothesis or a research question or both? Why?
• Step 3: Write a two-four page paper.
• Write a paper that describes the purpose of hypotheses and research questions. Articulate the importance of developing workable hypotheses and research questions in conducting research. Based on the provided scenario, describe whether a qualitative or quantitative research study would be most appropriate and why. Explain whether, and why, you would develop a hypothesis or a central research question for this scenario.

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Sample Answer

 

 

Purpose of Hypotheses and Research Questions

The purpose of hypotheses and research questions is to guide the research process and to provide a framework for analyzing the data. Hypotheses are specific predictions about the relationships between variables, while research questions are more general inquiries about a phenomenon.

Why is it important to develop workable hypotheses and research questions?

It is important to develop workable hypotheses and research questions in order to ensure that the research is well-designed and that the findings are meaningful. Well-developed hypotheses and research questions help to focus the research and to make it more efficient. They also help to ensure that the research is replicable and that the findings can be generalized to other populations and settings.

Full Answer Section

 

 

Which type of research—qualitative or quantitative—would be most conducive to the scenario in Step 1? Why?

Qualitative research is best suited to the scenario in Step 1 because it is designed to explore complex phenomena and to understand the perspectives of individuals and groups. Qualitative research can be used to gather data on the experiences of patients and families in the Critical Care Unit, and to explore their perceptions of the impact of visiting hours on patient outcomes.

Quantitative research, on the other hand, is best suited to testing specific hypotheses about the relationships between variables. Quantitative research could be used to test the hypothesis that family presence improves patient outcomes in the Critical Care Unit. However, it would be difficult to design a quantitative study that could adequately control for all of the other factors that could influence patient outcomes.

Which would be more appropriate given the scenario in Step 1: the development of a hypothesis or a research question or both? Why?

A research question would be more appropriate given the scenario in Step 1 because the goal of the research is to explore the relationship between family presence and patient outcomes. A research question would allow for a more open-ended and exploratory approach to the research.

A hypothesis would be more appropriate if the goal of the research was to test a specific prediction about the relationship between family presence and patient outcomes. For example, a hypothesis could be developed to test the prediction that patients who have family members present in the Critical Care Unit will have shorter hospital stays than patients who do not have family members present.

However, it is also possible to develop both a research question and a hypothesis for the study. For example, a research question could be: “What is the relationship between family presence and patient outcomes in the Critical Care Unit?” A hypothesis could then be developed to test a specific prediction about the relationship between these two variables, such as: “Patients who have family members present in the Critical Care Unit will have shorter hospital stays than patients who do not have family members present.”

The specific research question and hypothesis would need to be developed in consultation with a statistician or other research expert.

 

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