Aims:
To describe attitudes of registered nurses in one hospital to student status for learners.
To test a number of hypotheses arising out of attitudes to the proposed move to student status for learners including:
• that age affects attitude to student status
• that seniority affects attitudes to student status
• that graduate nurses have different attitudes to student status than non-graduate nurses
• that fears about shortages of trained staff are the major obstacle to approval of the change.
Whether an hypothesis is used or the aims of the project are stated, these have to be further translated into objectives. Research objectives describe specific activities to be undertaken in order to support or reject the hypothesis or to achieve the aims of the project. Reid and Boore (1987) formulate the following objectives for the study on the attitudes to student status.
Objectives:
To review published material relevant to the debate on student status.
To select a sample of registered nurses and carry out a postal survey to collect information relevant to the aims of the study.
To analyse data and use it to test the hypotheses described in the aims.
To make recommendations about the factors which have been shown through the study to affect attitudes to student status.
"Every researcher will formulate aims and objectives slightly differently, but we have no doubt that it is a useful exercise which clarifies for the researcher his or her intentions and purposes in carrying out the study" (Reid and Boore 1987). The aims and objectives provide the reader (funding organisations, employers or peer group) with a comprehensive and coherent statement of what the researcher hopes to achieve.
(c) A review of the relevant literature
According to Polit and Hungler (1983) reviewers need to know what the general problem is and how the problem relates to what is already known.
In this section the following could be included
The state of the art in the particular field under study. Here it can be briefly pointed out, for example, how much is known about the topic and issues relevant to the project. Possible gaps in knowledge can be identified. Previous researchers may have pointed out in their studies areas which need further investigation. To build on or compare with other projects and to avoid unintentional duplication reference must be made to similar studies, if any.
Theories or conceptual frameworks. If known theories or conceptual models are drawn upon, this has to be acknowledged and if the intention is to add to or modify existing theories, this should be clearly explained. The limitations of these theories or conceptual models may also be indicated here.
Methodological comparisons with previous work. The project could be related to previous work by comparing samples, clinical situations or methods of data collection, etc. Speculation on the generalisability and practical applications of the expected results can be included in this section.
(d) Research methods and analytical procedures
It is important to describe the methods to be used in order to meet the objectives set above. A general description of the research design should be provided first. It might be a survey which simply describes how people feel about a topic, or a set of ‘before’ and ‘after’ measurements with a clinical innovation coming in between. It may be helpful to consult an experienced researcher about the main general research designs which tend to be used in nursing research. There are a number of useful texts with sections on research design, e.g., Fox (1976), Kazdin (1980), Seaman and Verhonick (1982).
Concepts and terminology must be clearly defined. If, for example, terms like ‘anxiety’ or ‘pain’ or ‘pressure sore’ are used, these need to be defined in ways that are coherent and convey the same meaning to all readers. The location of the project and choice of subjects should then be described. For example, a random sample of qualified nurses in Hospital X, or two specially chosen wards in Hospital Y. If a sampling technique is to be used, this should be briefly described.
The methods of data collection should then be described, first in general (e.g., questionnaire, interview, direct observation) and then in detail, identifying precisely what is to be measured or studi4d and how. If questionnaires are being used, for example, the broad content should be described. It should also be indicated if the questionnaire has been constructed by another researcher, and, if it is to be newly constructed, a statement about intentions to check validity and reliability would strengthen the proposal.
If a pilot study is to be carried out to refine the method of data collection, it should then be briefly described. At this point it should also be indicated whether ethical approval or access to facilities have been requested and/or given. The principle of informed consent of research subjects is very important and if this will be incorporated in the study, it should be explicitly stated. Finally an indication of methods of data analysis should be given. Researchers using a qualitative approach may find it difficult to state in advance details of the method/s to be used as these may not be decided until fieldwork is in progress. However, the researcher needs to be specific enough to convince the evaluator that there is indeed a problem or substantive area of investigation and that a particular qualitative method is likely to be the most productive in obtaining the necessary data. (Cobb & Hagemaster, 1987).