Chapter 5

Research Problems, Purposes, and Hypotheses

Research Topics
• Major concepts/ broad issues
• Focus on key issues for practice, education, and administration
• Examples: chronic pain, acute pain, self-care, coping, health promotion,
respiratory pathology, staffing, nursing shortage

Research Topic

Research Problem

Research Purpose

Objectives, Questions & Hypotheses

E.g.
Research Topic: Chronic Pain
Research Problem:
Qualitative : What is it like to live with chronic pain?
Quantitative : What is the most accurate way to assess chronic pain?

What Is a Research Problem?

• Definition: area of concern; gap in knowledge needed for practice
• Significance: indicates the importance of the problem to nursing and
health care and to the health of individuals, families and communities
• Background: one or two key studies that have been conducted
related to problem

Problem Statement
• Justification of need
– Knowledge gap
– Conflicting findings
– Group of individuals not previously studied
• Current
• Significance for nursing

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 1

Key Phrases for Problem
• Little is known about or few studies have been done regarding...
• Findings of previous studies are conflicting regarding...
• Hispanic or low-income individuals have not been studied…

Sources of Research Problems

• Nursing practice
• Researcher and peer interaction
• Literature review
• Theory
• Research priorities

Purpose Statement
• Clear, concise statement
• Goal, aim, focus, or objective of study
• Includes variables, population, and setting

Critical Appraisal Guidelines

Problems and Purposes in the Study
1. Is the problem clearly and concisely expressed early in the study?
2. Does the problem include significance, background, and problem
statement?
3. Is the problem significant to study to generate essential knowledge for
practice?
4. Does the purpose clearly express the goal or focus of the study?
5. Does the purpose identify the variables or concepts and population for
the study?

Quantitative Research Problem and Purpose

Research Examples (Refer to pp.156-158; Table 5-1 on pp. 159-160)

Purpose of Study
• To describe...
• To determine differences between groups...
• To examine relationships among...
• To determine the effect of...

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 2

Qualitative Study Purpose
• Identifies areas of concern that require investigation to gains new
insights, expand understanding, and improve comprehension of the
whole
• Study purpose indicates the focus of study
• Identifies qualitative approach and assumptions
• Differs among each qualitative methodology because of philosophical
orientations
Research Examples (Refer to Table 5-1 on pp. 161-162)

Problems and Purposes in Outcomes Research

• Outcomes Research - examines the end results of care
• Should refine or generate relevant knowledge for nursing practice
Research Example (Refer to Table 5-3 on p. 164)

Significance of Study Problem and Purpose

• Has the potential to generate or refine relevant knowledge for practice

Critical Appraisal : Determine whether the knowledge generated in

the study
1. Influences nursing practice
– (Intervention-focused studies) Generate significant empirical
knowledge that moves nursing toward evidence-based practice
and the delivery of quality care for patients and their families
2. Builds on previous research
– Provides a basis for the current study
– Presents what is known and not known
– Guides the need for additional research
3. Promotes theory testing or development
4. Addresses current concerns or priorities in nursing
– 2011-2016 National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA)
 4 Major Areas
 Health technology
 Health financing
 Health service delivery
 Socio-environmental health concerns
(www.healthresearch.ph/index.ph/index.php?option=com.view.pdf)

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 3

Feasibility of Problem and Purpose
• Researcher expertise
 Education and position of researchers
 Examine the reference list for additional conducted studies
 Search the web for researchers’ accomplishments and
involvement in research

• Money commitment
 Availability of financial sources to complete the study
 Financial assistance and funding

• Availability of subjects, facilities, and equipment

 Adequate sample size, setting, tools (Methods section)

• Ethical considerations
 Rights of human subjects are protected
 More benefits than risks
 Generates useful knowledge for practice
 IRB approval

Examining Research Objectives, Questions, and

Hypotheses in Research Reports

Research Objectives
• Clear, concise, declarative statements expressed in present tense that
focus on identification and description of variables or concepts and
sometimes on determination of relationships of variables

For qualitative studies: broader in focus and include concepts that are
more complex and abstract

Critical Appraisal Guidelines

1. Are the objectives clearly and concisely expressed in the study?
2. Are the study objectives based on the purpose?
3. Is the focus of each objective clearly presented?

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 4

Research Questions
• Clear, concise, interrogative statements worded in the present tense
that focus on description of variable(s), examination of relationships
among variables, and determination of differences between two or
more groups regarding selected variable(s)

Critical Appraisal Guidelines

1. Are the objectives clearly and concisely expressed in the study?
2. Are the study questions based on the purpose?
3. Is the focus of each question clearly presented?

For qualitative studies: Often limited in number, broadly focused, and

inclusive of variables or concepts that are more complex and abstract

What Are Hypotheses?

• Formal statements of expected relationships among variables in a
specified population
• Translates the research problem and purpose into a clear explanation
or prediction of the expected results
• Influences the study design, sampling method, data collection and
analysis process, and interpretation of findings
• Should (be):
 Written in declarative sentence
 Written in the present tense
 Contain the population
 Contain the variables
 Reflect the problem statement or purpose statement
 Be empirically testable
E.g.
 Not empirically testable: Nurse practitioners are better
health care providers than physicians.
 Empirically testable: Nurse practitioners spend more time
teaching their clients about preventive health care practices
than do physicians.

Types of Hypotheses
• Associative vs. causal
• Simple vs. complex
• Nondirectional vs. directional
• Null vs. research

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 5

Associative vs. Causal Hypotheses
• Associative
– Relationship between variables occur or exist together in the real
world, so that when variable changes, the other changes

Examples of Associative Hypotheses

– An increase in variable X is associated with an increase in variable
Y in a specified population
– An increase in variable X is associated with a decrease in variable
Y in a specified population

Diagram of an Associative Hypothesis

• This hypothesis predicts positive relationship or associations among the

variables of dyspnea, fatigue, and sleep difficulty for patients with
COPD
• A positive relationship means that the variables change together—they
increase or decrease together

Diagram of an Associative Hypothesis

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 6

 • This hypothesis predicts relationship among 3 variables (dyspnea,
fatigue, and sleep difficulty) and the variable functional performance
but does not identify type of relationship

Diagram of an Associative Hypothesis

• The hypothesis uses independent variables of dyspnea, fatigue, and

sleep difficulty to predict functional performance in COPD patients

• Causal
– Proposes a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more
variables

Example of a Causal Hypothesis: Blood Pressure

– Persons who participate in nurse-managed home telemonitoring
(HT) plus usual care or who participate in nurse-managed
community-based monitoring (CBM) plus usual care will have
greater improvement in blood pressure (BP) from baseline to 3
months’ follow-up than will persons who receive usual care only
(Artinian et al, 2001, p. 191)

Diagram of a Causal Hypothesis

• The independent variables are the two types of nurse-managed BP

monitoring (HT and CBM), and the dependent variable is BP control
• The causal arrow shows the relationship among these variables

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 7

Simple vs. Complex Hypotheses
• Simple hypothesis: two variables
• Complex hypothesis: more than two variables

E.g.
Simple:
• Birth weight is lower among infants of alcoholic mothers than
among infants of non-alcoholic mothers.
(Level of alcohol use of mothers - independent)

• The level of job mobility is different for psychiatric nurse practitioners

than for medical-surgical nurse practitioners.
(Type of nurse practitioner - independent)

Complex:
• Daily weight loss is greater for adults who follow a reduced calorie
diet and exercise daily than for those who do not follow a reduced
calorie diet and do not exercise daily.
(Type of diet and Exercise - independent)

• More postpartum depression and feelings of inadequacy are

reported by women who give birth by cesarean delivery than those
who delivered vaginally.
(Method of delivery - independent)

Nondirectional vs. Directional Hypotheses

• Nondirectional hypothesis
– Relationship exists between variables, but hypothesis does not
predict nature of relationship

• Directional hypothesis
– Nature (positive or negative) of interaction between two or more
variables is stated
– These are developed from theoretical framework, literature, or
clinical practice

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 8

Example of Nondirectional Hypothesis
• Attitudes of pediatric nurses toward mentally retarded clients are
related to number of years in practice

Example of Directional Hypothesis

• Attitudes of pediatric nurses toward mentally retarded clients are more
favorable than those of medical surgical nurses

Null vs. Research Hypotheses

• Null hypothesis
– States there is no difference or relationship between variables
– Is also called statistical hypothesis

• Research hypothesis
– States what researcher thinks is true
– There is a relationship between two or more variables

Example of Null Hypothesis

• There is no difference in reported pain experienced by cancer patients
with chronic pain who listen to music with positive suggestion of pain
reduction and those who do not

Example of Research Hypothesis

• Cancer patients with chronic pain who listen to music with positive
suggestions of pain reduction have less reported pain than those who
do not listen to music

Testable Hypothesis
• This hypothesis is clearly stated without the phrase “There is no
significant difference”
• This should be testable in real world
• Variables are measurable or able to be manipulated
• Relationship between variables is either supported or not supported
• Causal link between independent and dependent variables is evaluated
using statistical tests

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 9

Test Yourself:
What Types of Hypotheses Are These?
• Rates of use of health care facilities by ethnic minorities are higher in
facilities with bilingual health care staff
• There is a positive relationship between nurse attitudes toward AIDS
patients and number of AIDS patients they have cared for
• There is a relationship between social distance in families and burden
of caregiving for chronically ill adults
• There is no difference between attitudes of men and women toward
caring for people with AIDS

Critiquing Objectives, Questions, and Hypotheses

• Are objectives, questions, or hypotheses formally stated and clearly
focused in study?
• Are objectives, questions, or hypotheses based on the purpose?
• Are objectives, questions, or hypotheses linked to study framework?
• Are objectives or questions answered by study? Are hypotheses tested
in study?

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 10

What Are Variables?
• Qualities, properties, or characteristics of people, things, or situations
that are manipulated or measured in research

Characteristics of Variables
• Are at a more concrete level than concepts
• Represent only a portion of the concept
• Several variables may be used to represent one concept

Types of Variables
• Independent variables
• Dependent variables
• Research variables or concepts
• Extraneous variables
• Demographic variables

Independent Variable
• Independent variable is the stimulus or activity manipulated or varied
by the research to cause an effect on dependent variables
• It is also called the treatment or experimental variables

Dependent Variable
• Dependent variable is the outcome or response the researcher wants to
predict or explain
• Changes in the dependent variable are presumed to be caused by the
independent variable

Research Variable or Concept

• These are the qualities, properties, or characteristics identified in the
research purpose and objectives or questions that are observed or
measured in a study
• They are used when the intent is to observe or measure variables as
they exist in a natural setting without manipulation

Extraneous Variables
• They can interfere with obtaining clear understanding of relational or
causal dynamics in the study
• They can be recognized or unrecognized and controlled or uncontrolled

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 11

 • If the variable is not recognized until the study is in process or cannot
be controlled, it is called a confounding variable
• An environmental variable is an uncontrolled variable relating to the
setting

Demographic Variable
• Contain sample characteristics of subjects
• May include age, education, gender, ethnic origin, income, medical
diagnosis, etc.
• Demographic data are analyzed to develop sample characteristics

Operationalization
• Definition: translating downward to more concrete level
• Moves from concept to variable to measures

Operationalizing Variables
• Conceptual definition
– Abstract meaning of a variable that usually is based on
theory
• Operational definition
– Way of defining a variable that makes it measurable or
manipulable in real world

Steps of Operationalization
• Identify variables used to represent concepts in framework
• Develop operational definitions for each variable
– Indicates method of measurement or observation
– Must be consistent with conceptual definition

Operationalizing a Dependent Variable

• Conceptual definition of smoking cessation:
– A future-oriented, health-promoting behavior that results in
a smoke-free lifestyle and improved health

• Operational definition of smoking cessation:

– Smoking rates that were monitored through use of self-report
data and validated by corroborating reports from friends and
family members. Participants who varied in their answers from
their significant contacts or could not be reached by telephone
were considered ongoing smokers and were included in the
resulting relapse rates.
Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 12
Critiquing Study Variables
• Are independent, dependent, or research variables clearly identified in
study?
• Are variables measured in study consistent with variables identified in
the purpose, questions, or hypotheses?
• Are variables reflective of study framework?
• Are variables clearly defined both conceptually and operationally?
• Is conceptual definition consistent with operational definition?
• Are demographic variables summarized?
• Were extraneous variables identified and controlled as necessary in
study?
• Did any uncontrolled extraneous variables influence findings?

Chapter 5 Burns and Grove Page 13