Chapter 3
Deciding What to Study
Choosing a Topic and
Stating the Problem
Sources of Research Topics
• Observed discrepancies (the difference between the
way things are and the way they ought to be) in
nursing practice
• common patterns of phenomena across clinical
situations
• Testing folk wisdom (some taken-for-granted
wisdom)
• Understanding phenomenon from the insider’s
perspective
Sources of Research Topics (cont’d)
• Tackling current issues (eg. expanded roles for
nurses)
• Inconsistencies in the literature
• Testing relationships between variables predicted in
a theory
• Exploring variations in a dependent variable (here
the goal is to understand the factors influencing the
dependent variable)
• Evaluation of a nursing intervention or policy
• Replicating a study
Non Researchable Problems
• Not all problems of interest to nurses are
researchable
• Value questions or questions that involve
choosing a moral course of action are not
researchable
• Policy questions may not be directly
researchable although research findings
may inform or shape policy
Terminology
• Research Topic is
simply a broad area
of interest for
investigation.
• Research Problem
identifies what is
problematic about
the topic
• Problem Statement
elaborates on the
research problem
What is a Research Problem?
• A situation or circumstance that requires a solution
to be described, explained, or predicted, or
• A discrepancy between the way things are and the
way they ought to be, or
• A knowledge gap in an area that needs to be
investigated
• The problem is related to but different from the
Process of Limiting the Problem
• review the literature
• talk to those in the field who have
experienced the problem
• eliminate all the unrelated information so
that a clear, unambiguous research question
can emerge
Research Purpose
• A declarative statement that identifies what
the researcher intends to do
• It is the specific goal of the study
• One research problem may become the
basis for several research purposes leading
to a program of research
Examples
• Research Topic: Accidental Falls in the Elderly
• Research Problem: Type of elderly who sustain falls
versus those who do not
• Research Purpose:the purpose of this study is to
extend knowledge beyond the known risk factors of
age & diagnosis by comparing the characteristics of
elderly who fell while hospitalized with a group
matched for age & diagnosis who did not fall
The Research Problem Statement
• The research statement presents the research
problem
• A narrative that elaborates on the research problem
and identifies the specific area of concern. It
communicates to others the problem to be studied.
• The problem statement provides direction for the
entire study and guides the study toward a
quantitative or qualitative design
6 Elements of the Problem Statement
•
•
•
•
Information about the topic that provoked the study
the scope of the problem (e.g. # of people affected)
importance of the problem
how nursing science would be influenced by the
study
• characteristics of the population
• overall goal or aim (purpose) of the study
Problem Statement
• No single approach exists to write a
research problem statement but it is helpful
to include the six elements
• Frequently the research purpose is included
as the sixth element
Example of Problem Statement - Declarative
…Falls are the most frequent cause of accidents in the
hospital setting (Catchen, 1983)... and may be a
primary reason for placement in nursing homes. The
proportion of falls resulting in a fracture is low (5%)
but the additional costs of treatment may be high. The
literature consistently identifies age and medical
diagnosis as risk factors. Most research has examined
only characteristics of fallers and not compared
characteristics of fallers and non fallers. The purpose
of this study is to extend knowledge beyond known
risk factors of age and diagnosis by com paring
characteristics of hospitalized adults who fell with a
group matched on age & diagnosis who did not fall.
Research Question
• The research problem stated in the
interrogative form is referred to as the
research question
• It is stated in the present tense
• A question invites an answer
• e.g. “What is the relationship of age to
frequency of falls in hospitalized adults?”
Literature Review
• A critical step in focusing the research problem, the
problem statement, and the research purpose
• A process of reviewing current knowledge about the
problem, describing characteristics of previous
studies, noting similarities and differences in
research results, evaluating strengths and limitations,
and identifying gaps in knowledge.
Literature Review
• Tells us what is known about the research problem
and what is not known
• Places the existing study in the context of prior
research studies and current knowledge
• Some qualitative designs do not include review of
the literature at this stage of the research process
Feasibility of Study
• Time Commitment
• Money (budget, literature review, subjects,
equipment, personnel, supplies, computer,
travel)
• Researcher Expertise
• Availability of Subjects
• Availability of Equipment & Facilities
• Cooperation of Others
• Ethical Considerations