Nursing Research NCLEX Practice Quiz #3 (20 Questions)

NCLEX-Question-03-001

What is the purpose of grounded theory?

A. To support theoretical frameworks.
B. To generate theory from data.
C. To develop explanatory models.
D. To find significant differences among groups of people.

Correct Answer: B. To generate theory from data.

The grounded theory method refers to a qualitative approach of building theory about a phenomenon about which little is known. Grounded theory sets out to discover or construct theory from data, systematically obtained and analyzed using comparative analysis. While grounded theory is inherently flexible, it is a complex methodology.

Option A: A theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their definitions and reference to relevant scholarly literature, existing theory that is used for a particular study. The theoretical framework must demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant to the topic of the research paper and that relate to the broader areas of knowledge being considered.
Option C: An explanatory model is a useful description of why and how anything works or an explanation of why a phenomenon is the way it is. The explanatory model is used as a substitute for “the full explanation” of the thing in question: either because the full explanation is unavailable.
Option D: A significant difference between two groups or two points in time means that there is a measurable difference between the groups and that, statistically, the probability of obtaining that difference by chance is very small (usually less than 5%).

NCLEX-Question-03-002

Why is it important to understand the philosophy underlying each type of research?

A. Conclusions reached should be congruent with the research question.
B. The research method that best meets the intended purpose of the study should be used.
C. The paradigm of the method should be the same as that of the researcher.
D. The reader should understand the level of abstraction of the study.

Correct Answer: B. The research method that best meets the intended purpose of the study should be used.

Different research methods accomplish different goals and offer different types and levels of evidence that inform practice. Given these three points, the first point as proposed by Easterby-Smith et al (2012) understanding the research philosophies helps the researcher to highlight and specify the best suitable methods for the study at hand.

Option A: The point is focused on having insights into the research paradigm which helps the researcher to have the foreknowledge of possible research limitations pertaining to the research methodology employed.
Option C: In any research process, it is very important for the researcher to understand the research philosophies or the paradigms that contribute and add to research quality and creativity (Easterby-Smith et al (2012).
Option D: The ontological and the epistemological positions of the researcher influence his or her choice of what data to collect, how to collect and analyze the data, the meanings to make the data, and the extent of the generalizability of research findings.

NCLEX-Question-03-003

Which conceptual analysis point of the framework for rigor used for interpretive phenomenology refers to how the study findings will continue to have meaning for the reader?

A. Resonance
B. Concreteness
C. Actualization
D. Openness

Correct Answer: C. Actualization

Actualization refers to how the study findings will continue to have meaning for the reader. IPA’s emphasis on sense-making by both participant and researcher means that it can be described as having cognition as a central analytic concern, and this suggests an interesting theoretical alliance with the cognitive paradigm that is dominant in contemporary psychology.

Option A: Within an interpretive tradition of qualitative research, resonance refers to a researcher’s posture of openness and receptivity toward potential meanings embedded in text. It serves as an important ontological and epistemological counterpoint to the postpositivist stance of objective analysis of data.
Option B: In IPA, researchers gather qualitative data from research participants using techniques such as interviews, diaries, or focus groups. Typically, these are approached from a position of flexible and open-ended inquiry, and the interviewer adopts a stance that is curious and facilitative (rather than, say, challenging and interrogative).
Option D: Usually, participants in an IPA study are expected to have certain experiences in common with one another: the small-scale nature of a basic IPA study shows how something is understood in a given context, and from a shared perspective, a method sometimes called homogeneous sampling.

NCLEX-Question-03-004

Which question will critique the sampling of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. What is the projected significance of the work to nursing?
C. Are the informants who were chosen appropriate to inform the research?
D. What are the philosophical underpinnings of the research method?

Correct Answer: C. Are the informants who were chosen appropriate to inform the research?

A research critique is an analysis of a research undertaking that focuses on its strengths and limitations. Critiquing is a systematic process for evaluating research studies and the results reported.

Option A: “The purpose of a research critique is to determine whether the findings are usable for you” (Brink & Wood, 2001, p. 57). Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.
Option B: Determine if the methodology is properly applied. Assess if outcomes and conclusions are believable and supported by findings. Reflect on overall quality, strengths, and limitations.
Option D: Regardless of the type of critique, certain elements comprise a critique. Some general questions can be associated with the elements of a critique.

NCLEX-Question-03-005

Which question will critique the method of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. What is the projected significance of the work to nursing?
C. Are the informants who were chosen appropriate to inform the research?
D. What are the philosophical underpinnings of the research method?

Correct Answer: A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?

Option B: This question will critique the purpose of a research project. Read the research article or report in its entirety to get a sense of the study and its contribution to knowledge development.
Option C: This question will critique the sampling of a research project. Read the article or report again, paying attention to the questions appropriate to each stage of the critiquing process.
Option D: This question will critique the philosophy of a research project. “The necessary elements in a research critique can be compiled in a series of questions for the process of critiquing research” (Boswell & Cannon, 2009, p. 308).

NCLEX-Question-03-006

Which question will critique the purpose of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. What is the projected significance of the work to nursing?
C. Are the informants who were chosen appropriate to inform the research?
D. What are the philosophical underpinnings of the research method?

Correct Answer: B. What is the projected significance of the work to nursing?

This question will critique the purpose of a research project. Read the research article or report in its entirety to get a sense of the study and its contribution to knowledge development.

Option A: A research critique is an analysis of a research undertaking that focuses on its strengths and limitations. Critiquing is a systematic process for evaluating research studies and the results reported.
Option C: This question will critique the sampling of a research project. Read the article or report again, paying attention to the questions appropriate to each stage of the critiquing process.
Option D: This question will critique the philosophy of a research project. “The necessary elements in a research critique can be compiled in a series of questions for the process of critiquing research” (Boswell & Cannon, 2009, p. 308).

NCLEX-Question-03-007

Which question will critique the credibility of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. Does the researcher document the research process?
C. Are the researcher’s conceptualizations true to the data?
D. Has adequate time been allowed to fully understand the phenomenon?

Correct Answer: D. Has adequate time been allowed to fully understand the phenomenon?

This question will critique the credibility of a research project. “The necessary elements in a research critique can be compiled in a series of questions for the process of critiquing research” (Boswell & Cannon, 2009, p. 308).

Option A: A research critique is an analysis of a research undertaking that focuses on its strengths and limitations. Critiquing is a systematic process for evaluating research studies and the results reported.
Option B: This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.
Option C: This question will critique the significance of a research project. “The purpose of a research critique is to determine whether the findings are usable for you” (Brink & Wood, 2001, p. 57).

NCLEX-Question-03-008

Which question will critique the auditability of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. Does the researcher document the research process?
C. Are the researcher’s conceptualizations true to the data?
D. Has adequate time been allowed to fully understand the phenomenon?

Correct Answer: B. Does the researcher document the research process?

This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.

Option A: A research critique is an analysis of a research undertaking that focuses on its strengths and limitations. Critiquing is a systematic process for evaluating research studies and the results reported.
Option C: This question will critique the significance of a research project. “The purpose of a research critique is to determine whether the findings are usable for you” (Brink & Wood, 2001, p. 57).
Option D: This question will critique the credibility of a research project. “The necessary elements in a research critique can be compiled in a series of questions for the process of critiquing research” (Boswell & Cannon, 2009, p. 308).

NCLEX-Question-03-009

Which question will critique the fittingness of a research project?

A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?
B. Does the researcher document the research process?
C. Are the researcher’s conceptualizations true to the data?
D. Has adequate time been allowed to fully understand the phenomenon?

Correct Answer: A. Is the strategy used for analysis compatible with the purpose of the study?

This question will critique the fittingness of a research project. A research critique is an analysis of a research undertaking that focuses on its strengths and limitations. Critiquing is a systematic process for evaluating research studies and the results reported.

Option B: This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.
Option C: This question will critique the significance of a research project. “The purpose of a research critique is to determine whether the findings are usable for you” (Brink & Wood, 2001, p. 57).
Option D: This question will critique the credibility of a research project. “The necessary elements in a research critique can be compiled in a series of questions for the process of critiquing research” (Boswell & Cannon, 2009, p. 308).

NCLEX-Question-03-010

What are the uses of qualitative research methods? Select all that apply.

A. Guiding nursing practice.
B. Studying the effects of nursing care on an outcome variable.
C. Developing survey instruments.
D. Developing nursing theory.

Correct Answers: A, C, D

Qualitative research refers to a method of inquiry in which the researcher, acting as a data collection instrument, seeks to answer questions about how or why a particular phenomenon occurs. Questions regarding what a phenomenon is comprised may also guide qualitative research

Option A: The most fundamental assumption underlying qualitative research is that reality is something socially constructed on an individual basis. Varied methods of qualitative research exist. Examples of qualitative methods employed in nursing research include grounded theory, phenomenology, ethnography, and qualitative description.
Option B: Regardless of method, participants are purposefully enrolled based on their familiarity with the phenomenon. Data are generally collected via one or a combination of three mechanisms: interviews, observation, or document/photograph review.
Option C: Qualitative findings provide idiographic knowledge about human experiences to readers, who can apply qualitative findings to the care of individuals who are in situations similar to that of those in the sample from which findings came
Option D: Qualitative findings are not generalizable in the prevalent sense of the word—they do not provide laws or relationships that can be taken from a single sample and applied to entire populations. Rather, they are generalizable in a way that is particularly pertinent to nursing practice, in which there is an expectation that scientific findings, and nursing care itself, be tailored to unique individuals in their distinct contexts.

NCLEX-Question-03-011

What are scientific criteria appropriate for qualitative research? Select all that apply.

A. Auditability
B. Credibility
C. Fittingness
D. Reliability

Correct Answers: A, B, C

The rigor of qualitative research is judged by these criteria. They are the criteria by which qualitative research is evaluated for validity and reliability. In qualitative research, the researcher is the study instrument collecting the data, and doing the interpretation bias for inclusion and risk for harm is the researcher’s responsibility; they must constantly check with the subject.

Option A: Auditability is established by the reader being able to follow the steps of the research form, the research questions, to the data collection, to the data, and then to the findings (categories, themes, model) By the steps for interpretation and synthesis and data examples provided, the reader should be able to follow the researcher’s thinking.
Option B: Credibility is the truth of findings as judged by the participants themselves and others. To help establish, the researcher should return to the original participants and get them to validate the findings. Others within the discipline may also help establish by review of the data and findings.
Option C: Fittingness is the meaningfulness of the everyday findings to the everyday reality of that situation. Are the results described in enough detail so that one may evaluate them for their own practice?
Option D: A way to more fully address the nature of the human experience is to come at it from one in one fashion. Triangulation tries to address the problem using both quantitative and qualitative or multiple qualitative methods in one study.

NCLEX-Question-03-012

What are ethical concerns for qualitative researchers? Select all that apply.

A. Because the study emerges over time, the researcher may not anticipate and inform the participants of a potential threat.
B. To maintain a naturalistic environment for interviews, formal documents such as consent forms are not used.
C. Because there are so few participants in a qualitative study, no participant can opt-out of the study.
D. Because the researcher and participant interact over a period of time, relationships developed between them may change the focus of the interaction.

Correct Answers: A, D

In qualitative studies, researchers have a great responsibility and play many different roles. It is argued that qualitative research that deals with sensitive topics in depth can pose emotional and other risks to both participants and researchers.

Option A: The principle of ‘no harm’ to participants ought to be considered by researchers, who should be aware of the potential harms that might be inflicted upon study subjects. Obviously, sometimes a conflict between the right to know (defended on the basis of benefits to the society) and the right of privacy (advocated based on the rights of the individual) may happen.
Option B: Informed consent has been recognized as an integral part of ethics in research carried out in different fields. For qualitative researchers, it is of the utmost importance to specify in advance which data will be collected and how they are to be used.
Option C: Clear protocols for dealing with distress should be in place so that both parties involved in research can use them if necessary. It is not usually easy to predict what topics are likely to lead to distress, and researchers should therefore receive sufficient training in predicting traumatic situations.
Option D: The relationship and intimacy that is established between the researchers and participants in qualitative studies can raise a range of different ethical concerns, and qualitative researchers face dilemmas such as respect for privacy, establishment of honest and open interactions, and avoiding misrepresentations.

NCLEX-Question-03-013

Which of the following is most accurate regarding the grounded-theory method?

A. Data is collected using an etic perspective.
B. It is a process of constructing human experience.
C. Secondary sources are sometimes used.
D. It is an inductive approach.

Correct Answer: D. It is an inductive approach.

Grounded theory (GT) is a structured, yet flexible methodology. This methodology is appropriate when little is known about a phenomenon; the aim being to produce or construct an explanatory theory that uncovers a process inherent to the substantive area of inquiry. One of the defining characteristics of GT is that it aims to generate a theory that is grounded in the data.

Option A: Data is collected using the emic perspective. A hallmark of GT is concurrent data generation/collection and analysis. In GT, researchers may utilize both qualitative and quantitative data as espoused by Glaser’s dictum; ‘all is data’.
Option B: The grounded-theory method is a process of constructing theory from human experience. Constructivist GT’s methodological underpinnings focus on how participants construct meaning in relation to the area of inquiry. A constructivist co-constructs experience and meanings with participants.
Option C: In grounded theory, only primary sources (the participants) are used. Elicited data are produced by participants in response to, or directed by, the researcher whereas extant data includes data that is already available such as documents and published literature.

NCLEX-Question-03-014

What is the term used for the coding and clustering of data to form categories in the grounded-theory method?

A. Theoretical sampling
B. Constant-comparative method
C. Emic method
D. Metasynthesis

Correct Answer: B. Constant-comparative method

Constant comparative analysis is an analytical process used in GT for coding and category development. The constant comparative technique is used to find consistencies and differences, with the aim of continually refining concepts and theoretically relevant categories.

Option A: The purpose of theoretical sampling is to allow the researcher to follow leads in the data by sampling new participants or material that provides relevant information. Theoretical sampling in GT is for the development of a theoretical category, as opposed to sampling for population representation.
Option C: The emic approach to studying human culture focuses on the members of the culture being studied. Their words, perceptions, and beliefs are the main sources of information used to understand the culture. For this reason, the emic approach is often referred to as the ‘insider approach.
Option D: Qualitative metasynthesis is an intentional and coherent approach to analyzing data across qualitative studies. It is a process that enables researchers to identify a specific research question and then search for, select, appraise, summarize, and combine qualitative evidence to address the research question.

NCLEX-Question-03-015

What is a characteristic of an intrinsic case study?

A. It yields a better understanding of each case.
B. It provides a foundation to challenge a generalization.
C. It does not include quantitative data.
D. It can scrutinize only uncomplicated phenomena.

Correct Answer: A. It yields a better understanding of each case.

An intrinsic case study is undertaken to have a better understanding of the case. An intrinsic case study is the study of a case (e.g., person, specific group, occupation, department, organization) where the case itself is of primary interest in the exploration.

Option B: An intrinsic case study is typically undertaken to learn about a unique phenomenon. The researcher should define the uniqueness of the phenomenon, which distinguishes it from all others.
Option C: The case study approach can offer additional insights into what gaps exist in its delivery or why one implementation strategy might be chosen over another. This in turn can help develop or refine theory.
Option D: In an intrinsic case study, the case is selected on its own merits. The case is selected not because it is representative of other cases, but because of its uniqueness, which is of genuine interest to the researchers.

NCLEX-Question-03-016

What is a characteristic of metasynthesis?

A. It is useful for triangulating research.
B. It synthesizes critical masses of qualitative findings.
C. It leads to higher reliability of research findings.
D. It cannot be conducted on historical or case study findings.

Correct Answer: B. It synthesizes critical masses of qualitative findings.

Qualitative synthesis refers to a collection of different methods for systematically reviewing and integrating findings from qualitative studies. The aims of such methods are to capture the increasing volume of qualitative research, to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to improve healthcare and to bring together a broad range of participants and descriptions.

Option A: Qualitative synthesis requires not only a systematic approach to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting results across multiple studies, but also to develop overarching interpretation emerging from the joint interpretation of the primary studies included in the synthesis.
Option C: It involves going beyond the findings of any individual study to make the “whole into something more than the parts alone imply” They have been shown to be particularly useful to identify research gaps, to inform the development of primary studies, and to provide evidence for the development, implementation, and evaluation of health interventions
Option D: Qualitative research sheds new light on scientific questions by emphasizing the participants’ subjective understanding and experience. Metasynthesis proposes a third level of comprehension and interpretation that brings original insights.

NCLEX-Question-03-017

What is meant by the “fittingness” of a research study?

A. Truth of findings as judged by the participants.
B. The appropriateness of the interview questions posed.
C. Faithfulness to everyday reality of the participants.
D. The adequacy of the coding system used.

Correct Answer: C. Faithfulness to everyday reality of the participants.

Fittingness is the meaningfulness of the everyday findings to everyday reality of that situation. Are the results described in enough detail so that one may evaluate them for their own practice?

Option A: Credibility is the truth of findings as judged by the participants. To help establish, the researcher should return to the original participants and get them to validate the findings. Others within the discipline may also help establish by review of the data and findings.
Option B: Auditability assists the reader to judge the appropriateness of the interview questions posed. Auditability is established by the reader being able to follow the steps of the research from the research questions, to the data collection, to the data, and then to the findings (categories, themes, model).
Option D: Auditability assists the reader to judge the adequacy of the coding system used. By the steps for interpretation and synthesis and data examples provided, the reader should be able to follow the researcher’s thinking.

NCLEX-Question-03-018

How can qualitative outcome analysis be used? Select all that apply.

A. To determine the reliability of intervention outcomes in a study.
B. To confirm the applicability of clinical strategies.
C. To develop interventions and then test those selected.
D. To build theory.

Correct Answers: B, C, D

Qualitative Outcome Analysis (QOA) enhances the identification of meaningful intervention strategies and plans for utilization. The researcher identifies the type of qualitative data that will enable the interpretation and evaluation of interventions, devises a means of data recording and analysis, and finally, disseminates the findings.

Option A: QOA is a systematic means to confirm the applicability of clinical strategies developed from a single qualitative project, to extend the repertoire of clinical interventions, and to evaluate clinical outcomes.
Option B: QOA also provides a way to describe interventions that cannot be easily measured or interventions that are more usefully communicated by description.
Option C: Qualitative Outcome Analysis provides a way to identify and evaluate these interventions and to systematically and descriptively analyze alternative or new interventions.
Option D: This method is used to confirm the efficacy of nursing interventions when experience changes over time, to extend the repertoire of intervention strategies, and to further clinicians’ understanding of possible outcomes.

NCLEX-Question-03-019

When critiquing a qualitative study, which of the following questions are helpful in determining the study’s auditability? Select all that apply.

A. Has adequate time been allowed to understand the phenomenon fully?
B. Can the reader follow the researcher’s thinking?
C. Are the results meaningful to individuals not involved in the research?
D. Does the researcher document the research process?

Correct Answer: B, C

Auditability assists the reader to judge the appropriateness of the interview questions posed. Auditability is established by the reader being able to follow the steps of the research from the research questions, to the data collection, to the data, and then to the findings (categories, themes, model).

Option A: This question will critique the significance of a research project. “The purpose of a research critique is to determine whether the findings are usable for you” (Brink & Wood, 2001, p. 57).
Option B: This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.
Option C: Auditability assists the reader to judge the adequacy of the coding system used. By the steps for interpretation and synthesis and data examples provided, the reader should be able to follow the researcher’s thinking.
Option D: This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.

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NCLEX-Question-03-020

Which question is helpful in determining the study’s credibility?

A. Do the participants recognize the experience as their own?
B. What strategies were used to analyze the data?
C. How were human subjects protected?
D. Are the findings applicable outside the study situation?

Correct Answer: A. Do the participants recognize the experience as their own?

Credibility is the truth of findings as judged by the participants. To help establish, the researcher should return to the original participants and get them to validate the findings. Others within the discipline may also help establish by review of the data and findings.

Option B: Auditability assists the reader to judge the appropriateness of the interview questions posed. Auditability is established by the reader being able to follow the steps of the research from the research questions, to the data collection, to the data, and then to the findings (categories, themes, model).
Option C: Fittingness is the meaningfulness of the everyday findings to everyday reality of that situation. Are the results described in enough detail so that one may evaluate them for their own practice?
Option D: This question will critique the auditability of a research project. Understand the purpose and problem, while determining if the design and methodology are consistent with the purpose.

Nursing Research NCLEX Practice Quiz #3 (20 Questions)

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