IDENTIFYING A NURSING
PROBLEM, PURPOSE, AND
LITERATURE REVIEW
AMENABLE TO QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH STUDIES
CLASS 3
JUDITH ANNE SHAW, Ph.D., R.N.
September 30, 2009
REMINDER
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
SIMULTANEITY
PARADIGM
AIM
QUALIATIVE RESEARCH
TO UNDERSTAND THE INDIVIDUAL’S
MEANING OF THE WHOLE
OF
THEIR HUMAN EXPERIENCE
QUALITATIVE RESEACHER

The instrument

The bricoleur
CORE ACTIVITIES
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH



Identifying question about the phenomenon
Literature review
Explicating researcher’s beliefs




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Bracketing
Setting for data collection
Selection of participants
Saturation
Data analysis
RESEARCH TOPICS


FOCUS ON CURRENT CONCERNS AND
ISSUES
CONCEPTS OR BROAD PROBLEM AREAS
IDENTIFYING
A NURSING PROBLEM
Broad Problem Areas

Contain countless potential research problems
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE
NURSE RESEARCHER?
Nursing research topics focus on:

areas controlled by nursing

areas that will influence nursing practice
Research Problem
“A situation in need of:
a solution,
an improvement,
alteration” (Adebo, 1974, p. 53)
greater understanding of the
phenomenon (Speziale & Carpenter, 2007)




Research Problem

May be simply defined as:


what is and what should be from the
perspective of those experiencing the
phenomenon
what is the meaning of the phenomenon
of interest
Questions to ask to identify a
problem

What ….





Where…


is wrong
is a concern
known/not known
knowledge is needed
are discrepancies
Would…

another process be
more empowering
WHERE CAN YOU FIND NURSING
RESEARCH PROBLEMS?



NURSING PRACTICE
RESEARCHER AND PEER INTERACTION
LITERATURE REVIEW



replication of studies
THEORY
RESEARCH PRIORITIES
A RESEARCH PROBLEM SHOULD
INDICATE:

practice experience

a gap or inconsistent finding in the literature

an interest in an untested theory

limited understanding of a phenomenon
REFINING THE PROBLEM
STATEMENT
Refinementthe researcher’s thinking
Refining
Researcher’s Thinking
Defining a specific problem area
*Review of relevant literature
(*varies with qualitative approach)
Examine the problem’s significance to nursing
Pragmatically examine the feasibility of the research
problem
Problem Statement
Crux of the research project
Involves reflection and creativity
Refinement of the researcher’s thinking
Six Elements
Problem Statement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Information about what provoked the study
Scope of problem
Why important to study the problem
Benefit to nursing science
General characteristics- population of interest
Overall study goal/aim or question to be
answered
Thomas, 2000
Characteristics of a Good
Problem Statement
#1
Clearly identify:
phenomenon
o culture
o concepts under consideration
o variables (*generally quantitative
research)
o
Characteristics of a Good
Problem Statement
#2
Clear and concise
Characteristics of a Good
Problem Statement
#3
Justification of need
o gap in the literature
o conflicting findings
o omission of a group
o limited understanding of the phenomenon
KEY PHRASES

Little is known about….

Findings of previous studies are conflicting

Few studies of this have been done
HOW MUCH MILEAGE
CAN YOU GET
FROM YOUR PHENOMENOM
OF INTEREST?
Researchers have developed
a personal research program
lasting throughout their career,
based on a select phenomenom of interest.
Phenomenon
of
Interest
Purpose A
Purpose B
Purpose C
Purpose D
Purpose E
How much time is required to specify the
research problem, within the research
process?
Specifying
The Research
Problem
Summary About the Research
Problem

Identifying a problem is the initial and one of
the most important steps in the research
process.

A research problem should indicate:




a practice experience
a gap or inconsistent finding in the literature
an interest in an untested theory
limited understanding of a phenomenon
RESEARCH QUESTION
Interrogative statements
(who, what, which)
RESEARCH QUESTION
Focus:
What is to be described
phenomenon
 concepts (such as, culture),
 variables
relationships among them

WHAT IS A RESEARCH
PURPOSE
Statement of the specific goal
or aim of the study
[concise & clear].
Includes
the phenomenon, concepts/variables,
population and setting for a study
The purpose usually indicates the
type of study to be conducted.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to
understand the lived experience of……

The purpose of this study was to understand
the meaning of….
PURPOSE
Why
investigator is conducting the
study
PURPOSE
Generated from the problem
clearly focuses the development of the
study
 not to be confused with the problem

PROBLEM versus PURPOSE

PROBLEM

WHAT
[research question to
be answered]

PURPOSE

WHY
[the study is being
conducted]
Observation of real world situations
(Nursing Practice)
Identify research topics
Generate Questions
Nonresearchable
Questions
Review of
RESEARCH PROBLEM
literature
Clarification & refinement
Input
others
RESEARCH PURPOSE
Objectives, questions, or hypotheses
RESEARCH PROCESS
Problem Statement
Purpose Statement
RESEARCH PROCESS
Problem Statement:

identifies gap in the knowledge in a
select area.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Purpose Statement:

clarifies knowledge to be generated in a
particular study
How do You Formulate the
Research Questions?
PROBLEM
STATEMENT
Includes:
The nature of the problem
 The context of the problem
 The significance of the problem

PROBLEM
STATEMENT
Terms and concepts often indicate
the select research approach
Possible Terms and Concepts
in Problem Statement

Phenomenology – lived experience

Grounded Theory- social process

Ethnography- meaning of
Literature Review
WHAT IS A
LITERATURE REVIEW
LITERATURE REVIEW
An examination of research sources
to generate a picture of what is
known and not known about a
clinical problem to determine if the
knowledge is ready for use in
practice
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
Purpose and Timingvary according to the
type of study to be
conducted.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Qualitative Research

Researchers differ about the extent of an
initial literature review
LITERATURE REVIEW

Phenomenological Study: after data
collection & analysis

Ethnographic Study- cursory review, early
in the research/ general understanding or
background for conducting the study
LITERATURE REVIEW

Grounded Theory Study- minimal review at
the beginning, with more in-depth review
during data collection & analysis

Historical Study- initial review to select a
research topic and to develop a research
question and is a source of data in the study
PURPOSE
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Varies for each Qualitative Approach

(MUST determine when is the
appropriate time to review literature)
PURPOSE
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
may be:
 to determine current knowledge of a
phenomenon
 to raise philosophical questions
 to explain, support, and extend the generated
theory
 to provide a background for conducting the
study
may be:
to verify the significance of the research
problem
 to specify the purpose of the research
problem


to clarify questions

to develop a study orientation

to select research design

to direct data collection and analysis

to interpret findings
Common Nursing Research
Journals
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Canadian Journal of Nursing Research
Journal of Nursing Scholarship
Nursing Research
Scholarly Inquiry for Nursing Practice
Western Journal of Nursing Research
Advances in Nursing Science
Applied Nursing Research
Research in Nursing and Health
LEVELS OF READING

Skimming Sources

Comprehending Sources

Analyzing Sources
How You Review the
Research Literature
Three Stages
STAGE ONE
LITERATURE REVIEW
Identify literature sources:
. Ask professors working in the area
. Ask reference librarian
. Check textbooks, appropriate
discipline’s abstracts, and journals
STAGE ONE
LITERATURE REVIEW
Identify literature sources:
•
Select databases to search
•
Select keywords
STAGE ONE
LITERATURE REVIEW
Limit
Your Search
STAGE TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Summarize the read research study.
Answer the questions:
. Who?
. What?
. Where?
. When?
STAGE TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Write a statement about the
quality of the study
.Was the study sound?
. Merit of findings?
. Key article?
STAGE THREE
LITERATURE REVIEW
Integrative Review
of
Findings
INTEGRATIVE REVIEW
Ask are reported findings:
Consistent
Supportive of
Contrary to others
CRITIQUING
THE
LITERATURE REVIEW
ASK:

Are relevant studies identified and
described?

Are the studies critiqued by the researcher?

Are the references current? (What is
“current”?)

Is a summary of current knowledge
provided?
LITERATURE REVIEW
SUMMARY
The end product of the literature review:
-the generation of a written report
that summarizes what is known and
not known about a phenomenon.
GROUP WORK
Determining the Feasibility
of a Study

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Time Commitment
Money Commitment
Researcher’s Expertise
Availability of Subjects
Availability of Facility and Equipment
Cooperation of Others
Ethical Considerations
Determining the Feasibility
of a Study
Time Commitment
Money Commitment
Determining the Feasibility
of a Study
Researcher’s Expertise
Availability of Subjects
Availability of Facility and
Equipment
Determining the Feasibility
of a Study
Cooperation of Others
Ethical Considerations
PRAXIS:
Nursing Scholarship and
Practice
In Motion