This research paper is due on the 26th of October. My topic is breastfeeding. I would rather this topic not sound so much pursuasive, but I do want to be able to show all of the wonderful health benifiets of breastfeeding. I do not want to convey the message that formula feeding is in any way unhealthy or the “wrong” choice. My instructor is very insistant on the guidelines for our paper and presentation. PLEASE GO BY THE DOCUMENTS I HAVE UPLOADED, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!
The Research Problem, Purpose and Question
Definition of a Research Problem
A situation in need of a solution, improvement, or alteration; or a discrepancy between the way things are and the way they ought to be.
Sources of Research Problems
· Nursing Practice
· Researcher and Peer Interaction
· Literature Review
· Theory
· Research Priorities
Example of a Research Problem
“Current policy at most hospitals requires the use of routine flushing of heparin locks after administration of medication or flushing heparin locks every 8 hours when not being used for medication administration. However, there is disagreement on whether flushes of low doses of heparin are necessary to maintain the patency of heparin locks. Heparin is known to be incompatible with many drugs. The interaction potential of heparin is said to be avoided by flushing the lock with normal saline injection before and after administration of the medication…Saline flush is a safe, time-saving procedure for nursing staff to perform. Additionally, the use of normal saline would save the cost of a heparin flush.”
Definition of Research Purpose
A purpose is a concise , clear statement of the specific goal or aim of the study. The purpose includes the variables, population, and setting for a study.
Examples of a Research Purpose
“The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of normal saline versus normal saline containing 10 U/mL of heparin for maintaining heparin-lock sites.”
Research Question
· Definition
–Research questions are interrogative statements that focus on what variables or concepts are to be described and what relationships might exist among them.
Research Questions Examples
· What is the influence of depressive symptoms at 4 weeks after cardiac surgery on self-reported recovery of general activities at 8 weeks?
· What is the influence of anxiety measured at 4 weeks after cardiac surgery on self-reported recovery of general activities at 8 weeks?
Determining the Feasibility of a Study
· Money Commitment
· Time Commitment
· Researcher’s Expertise
· Availability of Subjects, Facility, and Equipment
· Cooperation of Others
· Ethical Considerations
EXAMPLE OF A STUDY
(Burns, N. and Grove, S. (1995) Understanding nursing research. Philadelphia:W.B. Sunders.)
RESEARCH PROBLEM
· Aggressive behavior in cognitively impaired elderly is often problematic for family and professional caregivers who attempt to provide compassionately for their needs. If caregivers view aggression as meaningful behavior to be explored and understood rather that as disruptive behavior to be controlled, they may find it more of a challenge and less of a threat. In the future, behavioral problems in the cognitively impaired are likely to have an even greater impact on individuals, families and society, since the prevalence of dementia is known to increase with age(Kern, 1998) and the number of the old-old in this country is projected to continue to rise sharply (Longino, 1998). Both family and professional caregivers will need to understand dementia and develop skills in the prevention and management of behavioral problems in this population (Ryden et al., 1991, p.87).
RESEARCH PURPOSE
The purpose of the study is to determine the nature, frequency of occurrence, and context of aggressive behavior in a nursing home sample of cognitively impaired residents.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study is designed to answer the following questions:
· What proportion of cognitively impaired nursing home residents demonstrate aggressive behavior?
· Which types of aggressive behavior occur most frequently?
Examples of Problem Statements
What is the relationship between job satisfaction of nurses in a mid-western state and their direct involvement in current nursing information?
What is the relationship between maternal depression and a child’s behavior?
What is the difference between an experienced nurse’s knowledge and practice regarding the use of side rails in the geriatric population?
What is relationship of social support to prenatal care and health behaviors of low-income women?
What is the effect of experience on pharmacological knowledge?
What is the difference between self-efficacy scores in older adults who exercise and the scores of those who do not?
To what extent does the age of a client influence how nurses perceive and respond to the client’s perception of pain?
What is the difference in attitudes of men and women college students toward condoms?
To what extent does patient control in decision-making processes affect stress in hospitalized patients?
What are the psychometric properties of the Measurement of Presence Scale (MOPS) when testing RNs in Oklahoma?
What dimensions of presence will emerge through instrumentation testing?
What are the relationships among presence, self-esteem, and demographic variables in a sample of RNs practicing in Oklahoma?
LifetimeWellness (WELL-1010-H25) Dr. Kristi Roberson-James Fall 2012
Research Paper & Oral Presentation Guidelines (15% of Overall Course Grade)
Research Paper (10 Points)
Purpose:
Choose a research topic on a wellness issue covered in your textbook, public health and/or medical literature. Compose a five-page, type-written research paper incorporating at least 6 references books or peer-reviewed journal articles. The paper should follow the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual or the Modern Language Association (MLA) handbook for in-text citations, reference pages, and overall style.
The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with the opportunity to concisely present the findings of a wellness issue you have chosen to further develop both your written and oral communication skills. The paper must be research-based, factual and not opinion. The paper must be at least 5 written pages; it can be longer, but it must not be shorter than 5 pages.
Everything in your paper should be properly referenced, using correct APA or MLA format. Make sure you use these guidelines and the grading rubric as a guide (see course rubrics provided and can be accessed through Momentum in the content section). If you use these guidelines and the rubrics, you will know the necessary components required to successfully complete this assignment. Use the categorical headings described in this document as subheadings in your paper.
If relevant, you may use your textbook as one of the references. You need a minimum of 6 DIFFERENT research references. NO Wikipedia references will be accepted. If you are not sure if a reference is acceptable, please check with me. Use your library or Learning Centers for help as needed. It should be written as if the reader knows nothing about your topic, and it should be kept in a wellness, public health or medical context.
Section 1: Background Section
For the topic, you will need to define the problem using appropriate definitions or descriptions that the appropriate entities in the field (public health, medicine or other) use. Start with international, national and local entities (government, then nonprofit). Include definitions of terms commonly used to define the problem.
· For a health problem, like a chronic disease (e.g. cardiovascular disease), provide a brief description of what causes the disease, how it is diagnosed, how it is treated, if one exists, and what happens when the disease is not treated. If there is no cure, describe what alternatives are currently available. Describe risk factors and what lifestyle behaviors contribute to the health issue.
Statement of the Problem:
You will need to state the problem in twenty words or less. What is the health or medical problem? Use any of the below to support the problem statement and/or any other references.
· See Health People 2020* for possible ideas on how to define the problem. There are also more links to government and other sites listed below.
http://
www.healthypeople.gov
/2020/topicsobjectives2020/default.aspx
· Further define the issue/problem the way Healthy People 2020 conceptualizes it.
· What are the goals and objectives Healthy People 2020 that have been set to address the problem?
· What types of data does Healthy People 2020 use to measure the progress being made to address the problem?
· If no Healthy People 2020 goals address the issue you want to research, has any other entity (local, state or federal) set goals and/or benchmarks (an objective or way to measure) to measure progress being made to address the problem?
www.healthypeople.gov
· If your topic is not covered by Healthy People, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics is a great source for health statistics. Check out its main page for links to federal government data reports.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hphome.htm
· Another excellent source for health statistics and information is:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
For those health issues, diseases and/or health polices that Healthy People 2020 does not cover, you must find government entities or nonprofit organizations that address the problem and summarize how they consider your topic to be a problem. Discuss the goals and objectives of these entities and organizations for addressing the problem.
*Note: Health People 2020 objectives have been developed and will reflect assessments of major determinants of health and wellness, changing public health priorities, and emerging issues related to our nation’s health preparedness and prevention.
Section 2: Epidemiologic Picture of the Problem:
· For this section, include statistics to support your premise that your topic is a wellness/health issue.
· Include a simple interpretation of the statistics. Describe what population is affected the most, where are they affected, and for how long. Talk about how the statistics show the problem is getting better or worse.
· For the health issue, is the entire population affected? If not, then show what segment of the population is affected more than others, i.e., men more than women, children more than adults, a specific minority group, etc. Are there health disparities related to this health issue?
· What, if any, health policies have been created to address the health problem? Are there data to show the health policy is making a difference (i.e., reduce number of deaths, reduce exposure, etc.)
· Be discriminating about what sources you use for your statistics. They must be credible sources. Start with government sources (i.e., the National Center for Health Statistics, the CDC, etc.). Then, look for national nonprofit organizations that address your wellness topic (i.e., American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, etc.). Unacceptable sources include commercial sites selling products and justify their products with statistics.
Section 3: Solutions to the Problem
·
For the selected health issue, describe three local, regional and/or national programs that are providing an intervention or a working solution to the health or medical problem. Be specific and describe in your paper how each one is implementing programs to target this health issue. If these are programs you found on the Web, please list the web addresses in the references section.
Section 4: Summary:
In summary, your written paper should be no shorter than 5 pages, and it should include:
· Section 1
· Background of the wellness or public health issue (~ 1 page)
· Statement of the problem, using Healthy People 2010 or other credible sources as the conceptual framework to define the problem(~ 1 page)
· Section 2
· Epidemiological description of the issue (~ 1 page)
· Section 3
· Solutions – You must list solutions (at least 3) to the problem. If you can find a program that applies the principles of a social or behavioral health change model, please provide a description of the program and how it is trying to solve the problem. Include a brief discussion of how the principles of the model apply to the program/intervention. (~ 1 page)
· Section 4
· Summary
· References – include internet resources (~ 1 page)
· As a footer, “Prepared by “your name,” Lifetime Wellness, Fall 2010″
Last Section of your paper: References
· Cite ALL sources that are used in the written paper, including all Web sites you have accessed for information.
· Use APA or MLA format for every in-text citation and the reference page.
· Make sure you include the date your retrieved the Web page. The reason why you do this is that Web pages are changing constantly, and what you cited may be removed after you used the information.
· Make sure you include in-text citations throughout the research paper!
Presentation (5 Points)
One of the greatest pleasures about learning something new is to be able to share your knowledge with others. You will have the opportunity to share your knowledge about the research topic you selected with the class. For this assignment, a PowerPoint presentation is required. The presentation must be at least 5 minutes; it should not exceed 10 minutes. You can either create a one-page handout summarizing the main points of your paper or make copies of your PowerPoint presentation for your classmates. Have enough copies for all your classmates (35).
So, keep the following in mind:
· On the day of your presentation (Thursday, November 15, 2012), please be prepared to provide a copy of either a one-page summary or a PowerPoint presentation handout for each student (30 copies) in the class.
· Include a footer, “Prepared by “your name,” for Lifetime Wellness, Fall 2012
· Additionally, please provide a hard copy and an electronic copy of both the paper and presentation. Please submit electronic copies in the appropriate dropbox within Momentum.
The typewritten research paper and must be created using Microsoft Office Word and the presentation must be created in Powerpoint.
WELL-1010-H25 Research Paper Guidelines: Dr. Kristi Roberson -James 1 | Page
Rubrics
What is an Assessment Rubric? | |||||||||
A rubric is an authentic assessment tool used to measure students’ work. It is a scoring guide that seeks to evaluate a student’s performance based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score. A rubric is a working guide for students and teachers, usually handed out before the assignment begins in order to get students to think about the criteria on which their work will be judged. Rubrics can be analytic or holistic, and they can be created for any content area including health, math, science, history, writing, foreign languages, drama, art, music, etc. What follows are the two assessment rubrics that will be used by your instructor to assess your work for both the written wellness paper & the oral presentation. |
Wellness Paper Rubric
Lifetime Wellness Paper Rubric | |||||||||||
Student Name: ________________________________________ | |||||||||||
CATEGORY | 4 Exemplary | 3 Accomplished | 2 Developing | 1 Beginning | Totals | ||||||
Content | All topics are addressed and all questions answered for each subheading specified in the guidelines. | All topics are addressed and most questions answered for each subheading specified in the guidelines. | All topics are addressed, and almost all questions are answered for each subheading specified in the guidelines. | One or more topics were not addressed. The paper fails to meet the minimum content requirements for the assignment. | |||||||
Quality of Information | Information clearly relates to the wellness topic. It includes reliable supporting evidence and/or examples. | Information clearly relates to the wellness topic. It provides some supporting evidence and/or examples. | Information clearly relates to the wellness topic. Little or no supporting evidence and/or examples are provided. | Information has little or nothing to do with the wellness topic. | |||||||
Organization | Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and corresponds to the subheadings listed in the guidelines. | Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. | Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed. | The information is disorganized. | |||||||
Mechanics | No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. | Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors | A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors. | Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. | |||||||
References | All sources are accurately documented in APA or MLA format. | All sources are accurately documented, but a few are not in the APA or MLA format. | All sources are accurately documented, but many are not in the APA or MLA format. | Some sources are not accurately documented. | |||||||
Instructor Name: Dr. Kristi Roberson-James | Total= |
Oral Communication Rubric
Oral Presentation Rubric : Lifetime Wellness Presentation | ||||
Shows a full understanding of the topic. | Shows a good understanding of the topic. | Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic. | Does not seem to understand the topic very well. | |
Preparedness | Student is completely prepared and has obviously rehearsed. | Student seems mostly prepared but might have needed a couple more rehearsals. | The student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that rehearsal was lacking. | Student does not seem at all prepared to present. |
Comprehension | Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions posed by classmates about the topic. | Student is able to accurately answer most questions posed by classmates about the topic. | Student is able to accurately answer a few questions posed by classmates about the topic. | Student is unable to accurately answer questions posed by classmates about the topic. |
Vocabulary | Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Extends audience vocabulary by defining words that might be new to most of the audience. | Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Includes 1-2 words that might be new to most of the audience, but does not define them. | Uses vocabulary appropriate for the audience. Does not include any vocabulary that might be new to the audience. | Uses several (5 or more) words or phrases that are not understood by the audience. |
Speaks Clearly | Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, and pronounces words correctly. | Speaks clearly and distinctly all (100-95%) the time, but pronounces most words corerctly. | Speaks clearly and distinctly most ( 94-85%) of the time. Pronounces almost all words correctly. | Often mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces words. |
Posture and Eye Contact | Stands up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. | Stands up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. | Sometimes stands up straight and establishes eye contact. | Slouches and/or does not look at people during the presentation. |
Time-Limit | Presentation meets the 5 minutes time-limit. | Presentation is 4 minutes long. | Presentation is 3 minutes long. | Presentation is less than 3 minutes OR well exceeds the time-limit. |
Total = |