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NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies.
Sample Answer for NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies. Included After Question
NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies.
Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies.
A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies.
Title: NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies.
Many practicing health educators do not feel they possess the skills necessary to critically appraise quantitative research. This publication is designed to help provide practicing health educators with basic tools helpful to facilitate a better understanding of quantitative research. This article describes the major components—title, introduction, methods, analyses, results and discussion sections—of quantitative research. Readers will be introduced to information on the various types of study designs and seven key questions health educators can use to facilitate the appraisal process. Upon reading, health educators will be in a better position to determine whether research studies are well designed and executed.
Keywords: health education, quantitative research, study designs, research methods
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Appraising the Quality of Quantitative Research in Health Education
Practicing health educators often find themselves with little time to read published research in great detail. Some health educators with limited time to read scientific papers may get frustrated as they get bogged down trying to understand research terminology, methods, and approaches. The purpose of appraising a scientific publication is to assess whether the study’s research questions (hypotheses), methods and results (findings) are sufficiently valid to produce useful information (Fowkes and Fulton, 1991; Donnelly, 2004; Greenhalgh and Taylor, 1997; Johnson and Onwuegbuze, 2004; Greenhalgh, 1997; Yin, 2003; and Hennekens and Buring, 1987). Having the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct scientific publications is a critical skill in a results-oriented environment linked to increasing demands and expectations for improved program outcomes and strong justifications to program focus and direction. Health educators do must not solely rely on the opinions of researchers, but, rather, increase their confidence in their own abilities to discern the quality of published scientific research. Health educators with little experience reading and appraising scientific publications, may find this task less difficult if they: 1) become more familiar with the key components of a research publication, and 2) utilize questions presented in this article to critically appraise the strengths and weaknesses of published research.
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Key Components of a Scientific Research Publication
The key components of a research publication should provide important information that is needed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the research. Key components typically include the: publication title, abstract, introduction, research methods used to address the research question(s) or hypothesis, statistical analysis used, results, and the researcher’s interpretation and conclusion or recommended use of results to inform future research or practice. A brief description of these components follows:
Publication Title
A general heading or description should provide immediate insight into the intent of the research. Titles may include information regarding the focus of the research, population or target audience being studied, and study design.
Abstract
An abstract provides the reader with a brief description of the overall research, how it was done, statistical techniques employed, key results,and relevant implications or recommendations.
Introduction
This section elaborates on the content mentioned in the abstract and provides a better idea of what to anticipate in the manuscript. The introduction provides a succinct presentation of previously published literature, thus offering a purpose (rationale) for the study.
Methods
This component of the publication provides critical information on the type of research methods used to conduct the study. Common examples of study designs used to conduct quantitative research include cross sectional study, cohort study, case-control study, and controlled trial. The methods section should contain information on the inclusion and exclusion criteria used to identify participants in the study.
Analyses
Quantitative data contains information that is quantifiable, perhaps through surveys that are analyzed using statistical tests to determine if the results happened by chance. Two types of statistical analyses are used: descriptive and inferential (Johnson and Onwuegbuze, 2004). Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the study data and provide simple summaries about the sample and measures. With inferential statistics, researchers are trying to reach conclusions that extend beyond the immediate data alone. Thus, they use inferential statistics to make inferences from the data to more general conditions.
Results
This section presents the reader with the researcher’s data and results of statistical analyses described in the method section. Thus, this section must align closely with the methods section.
Discussion (Conclusion)
This section should explain what the data means thereby summarizing main results and findings for the reader. Important limitations (such as the use of a non-random sample, the absence of a control group, and short duration of the intervention) should be discussed. Researchers should discuss how each limitation can impact the applicability and use of study results. This section also presents recommendations on ways the study can help advance future health education and practice.
NUR 699 DQ2 Explain what factors must be assessed when determining the credibility of quantitative studies. Grading Rubric Guidelines
Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
Scholarliness
Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. |
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Performance Category | 10 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
Application of Course Knowledge –
Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations |
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Performance Category | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Interactive Dialogue
Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) |
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Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. |
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Minus 1 Point | Minus 2 Point | Minus 3 Point | Minus 4 Point | Minus 5 Point | |
Grammar, Syntax, APA
Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition |
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0 points lost | -5 points lost | ||||
Total Participation Requirements
per discussion thread |
The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. | The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days | |||
Early Participation Requirement
per discussion thread |
The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. | The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT. |
As we begin this session, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my expectations for this course:
Please note that GCU Online weeks run from Thursday (Day 1) through Wednesday (Day 7).
Course Room Etiquette:
- It is my expectation that all learners will respect the thoughts and ideas presented in the discussions.
- All postings should be presented in a respectful, professional manner. Remember – different points of view add richness and depth to the course!
Office Hours:
- My office hours vary so feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected] or my office phone is 602.639.6517 and I will get back to you within one business day or as soon as possible.
- Phone appointments can be scheduled as well. Send me an email and the best time to call you, along with your phone number to make an appointment.
- I welcome all inquiries and questions as we spend this term together. My preference is that everyone utilizes the Questions to Instructor forum. In the event your question is of a personal nature, please feel free to post in the Individual Questions for Instructor forumI will respond to all posts or emails within 24 or sooner.
Late Policy and Grading Policy
Discussion questions:
- I do not mark off for late DQ’s.
- I would rather you take the time to read the materials and respond to the DQ’s in a scholarly way, demonstrating your understanding of the materials.
- I will not accept any DQ submissions after day 7, 11:59 PM (AZ Time) of the week.
- Individual written assignments – due by 11:59 PM AZ Time Zone on the due dates indicated for each class deliverable.
Assignments:
- Assignments turned in after their specified due dates are subject to a late penalty of -10%, each day late, of the available credit. Please refer to the student academic handbook and GCU policy.
- Any activity or assignment submitted after the due date will be subject to GCU’s late policy
- Extenuating circumstances may justify exceptions, which are at my sole discretion. If an extenuating circumstance should arise, please contact me privately as soon as possible.
- No assignments can be accepted for grading after midnight on the final day of class.
- All assignments will be graded in accordance with the Assignment Grading Rubrics
Participation
- Participation in each week’s Discussion Board forum accounts for a large percentage of your final grade in this course.
- Please review the Course Syllabus for a comprehensive overview of course deliverables and the value associated with each.
- It is my expectation that each of you will substantially contribute to the course discussion forums and respond to the posts of at least three other learners.
- A substantive post should be at least 200 words. Responses such as “great posts” or “I agree” do notmeet the active engagement expectation.
- Please feel free to draw on personal examples as you develop your responses to the Discussion Questions but you do need to demonstrate your understanding of the materials.
- I do expect outside sources as well as class materials to formulate your post.
- APA format is not necessary for DQ responses, but I do expect a proper citation for references.
- Please use peer-related journals found through the GCU library and/or class materials to formulate your answers. Do not try to “Google” DQ’s as I am looking for class materials and examples from the weekly materials.
- I will not accept responses that are from Wikipedia, Business com, or other popular business websites. You will not receive credit for generic web searches – this does not demonstrate graduate-level research.
- Stay away from the use of personal pronouns when writing.As a graduate student, you are expected to write based on research and gathering of facts. Demonstrating your understanding of the materials is what you will be graded on. You will be marked down for lack of evidence to support your ideas.
Plagiarism
- Plagiarism is the act of claiming credit for another’s work, accomplishments, or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment of the source of the information by including in-text citations and references.
- This course requires the utilization of APA format for all course deliverables as noted in the course syllabus.
- Whether this happens deliberately or inadvertently, whenever plagiarism has occurred, you have committed a Code of Conduct violation.
- Please review your LopesWrite report prior to final submission.
- Every act of plagiarism, no matter the severity, must be reported to the GCU administration (this includes your DQ’s, posts to your peers, and your papers).
Plagiarism includes:
- Representing the ideas, expressions, or materials of another without due credit.
- Paraphrasing or condensing ideas from another person’s work without proper citation and referencing.
- Failing to document direct quotations without proper citation and referencing.
- Depending upon the amount, severity, and frequency of the plagiarism that is committed, students may receive in-class penalties that range from coaching (for a minor omission), -20% grade penalties for resubmission, or zero credit for a specific assignment. University-level penalties may also occur, including suspension or even expulsion from the University.
- If you are at all uncertain about what constitutes plagiarism, you should review the resources available in the Student Success Center. Also, please review the University’s policies about plagiarism which are covered in more detail in the GCU Catalog and the Student Handbook.
- We will be utilizing the GCU APA Style Guide 7th edition located in the Student Success Center > The Writing Center for all course deliverables.
LopesWrite
- All course assignments must be uploaded to the specific Module Assignment Drop Box, and also submitted to LopesWrite every week.
- Please ensure that your assignment is uploaded to both locations under the Assignments DropBox. Detailed instructions for using LopesWrite are located in the Student Success Center.
Assignment Submissions
- Please note that Microsoft Office is the software requirement at GCU.
- I can open Word files or any file that is saved with a .rtf (Rich Text Format) extension. I am unable to open .wps files.
- If you are using a “.wps” word processor, please save your files using the .rtf extension that is available from the drop-down box before uploading your files to the Assignment Drop Box.
Grade of Incomplete
- The final grade of Incomplete is granted at the discretion of the instructor; however, students must meet certain specific criteria before this grade accommodation is even possible to consider.
- The grade of Incomplete is reserved for times when students experience a serious extenuating circumstance or a crisis during the last week of class which prevents the completion of course requirements before the close of the grading period. Students also must pass the course at the time the request is made.
- Please contact me personally if you are having difficulties in meeting course requirements or class deadlines during our time together. In addition, if you are experiencing personal challenges or difficulties, it is best to contact the Academic Counselor so that you can discuss the options that might be available to you, as well as each option’s academic and financial repercussions.
Grade Disputes
- If you have any questions about a grade you have earned on an individual assignment or activity, please get in touch with mepersonally for further clarification.
- While I have made every attempt to grade you fairly, on occasion a misunderstanding may occur, so please allow me the opportunity to learn your perspective if you believe this has occurred. Together, we should be able to resolve grading issues on individual assignments.
- However, after we have discussed individual assignments’ point scores, if you still believe that the final grade you have earned at the end of the course is not commensurate with the quality of work you produced for this class, there is a formal Grade Grievance procedurewhich is outlined in the GCU Catalog and Student Handbook.