Research Methodology

At the end of this course, the student should be able to: 1. discuss the concept of research and benefits to nursing; 2. describe the types of research; 3. discuss the steps in the research process; 4. initiate, conduct and present a research project; 5. recognise the importance of ethics in research; 6. explain the application of research findings to nursing situations; and 7. generate research proposals and conduct a simple research study in area of interest.

Definition of concepts. Types of research. Benefits to nursing. The steps of the research process from problem identification, through literature review to report writing. Basic skills and knowledge required of a researcher. Conduct of simple studies in clinical area of practice. Ethical issues in research. Research design. Sampling. Methods of data collection. Validity and reliability of data collection instruments. Data analysis (descriptive and inferential statistics/statistical packages for data analysis). Presentation and interpretation of findings. Discussion of findings and referencing. Plagiarism and implications. Utilisation of research results in practice. The application and use of the research process in identifying and solving nursing problems in education and practice. Writing of research proposals and conduct a simple research study in area of interest.