LESSON REVIEW (5 minutes)

NUR 027 (Nursing Research 1-Lecture) BS

STUDENT ACTIVITY NURSING/SECOND YEAR
SHEET Session # 7

Materials:
LESSON TITLE: RESEARCH VARIABLES Book, pen and notebook

Textbook:
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this lesson, the nursing student will be Barrientos-Tan, C. (2011). A Research Guide in Nursing
able to: Education: Building an Evidence-Based Practice. Pasay
City: Philippines, Visprint Inc.
1. Describe variables in a quantitative and qualitative
research.
2. Discuss the characteristics of variables. References:
Polit, Denise F. & Beck, Cheryl T. (2012). Nursing
research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing
research (9th ed.), Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health/
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

The instructor will open a box of rolled papers with your assigned numbers. The students whose numbers were picked
by the instructor will answer one of the following questions:
1. What is a hierarchy of evidence in research?
2. What are the levels in the hierarchy of evidence and the studies classified under each
level? 3. What are the examples of resources for EBP?

MAIN LESSON (30 minutes)

Variable is an attribute that varies; any quality of a person, group or situation that varies or takes on different values.
They are measurable qualities, properties, or characteristics of people, things, events or situations under study that
vary from one subject to another. These are measured quantitatively and qualitatively.

▪ In quantitative studies, variables = concepts

▪ In qualititative studies, variables = phenomenon

Characteristics of Variables
In a quantitative and qualitative study, the problem statement should be written properly where the variables
toe be studied must be identified well. In either of the two studies, the problem statement whether written as a
declarative or a question, has two components: the population of concern and the variable to be studied.

Below are the characteristics of variables.

a. They have two or more mutually exclusive values or properties that can be quantitatively and qualitatively
measured;
Examples: height, weight, sex, age, civil status, blood type, blood pressure reading, vital signs

b. They are varying factors that affect the phenomenon, nursing situations or cases under study; Examples: pre-
operative anxiety levels, body temperature, levels or care, weather conditions, global warming, climate
change

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c. They are varying qualities of people, institutions, situations or statuses;
 Examples: ethnicity, government agencies, type of hospitals, levels of care, community services.

d. They can be heterogeneous when the attributes or characteristics of group being studied are extremely varied;
Example: Height and weight among adolescents are varied depending on their genetic components,
activities, diets, among others. No standard parameters will limit the height and weight factor among
adolescents.

e. They can be homogeneous if the attributes or characteristics of the group being studied have limited variability.
Example: Height and weight of infants may be considered homogeneous since their variability is limited to
the standard measurement expected per month, such as: Birth Weight of Infants doubles at 6 months and
triples at 12 months. Any variations from the standard value may indicate an abnormal growth and
development process that requires thorough nursing assessment and intervention.

Variables are the building blocks of research studies and are not restricted to pre-existing attributes. They are
designed by the researcher for specific inquiry purposes. They have varying values which are obtained to solve the
research problem.

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING (15 minutes)

Graded Recitation. You are to read and analyze the statement of the problem below and answer the following
questions:

a. Identify the variables in the following statement of the problem.

ANSWERS:

Demographics, type of pets, and the physical, emotional.

b. What variable/s in the SOP can be homogenous or have limited variability among student
nurses? ANSWERS:
IMPACT OF PET THERAPY AMONG STUDENTS.

Research Title: IMPACT OF PET THERAPY AMONG STUDENT NURSES

Researchers: Taylor, WJ et. al. (2019), PHINMA Upang, College of Nursing

This study aimed to determine the impact of pet therapy among student nurses as coping mechanism. Further
it sought to answer to the following sub-problems:
1. What is the profile of the participants in terms of the following:
a. Age;
b. Gender;
c. Religion and
d. Year level?
2. What type of pets are being taking care of at home by the student nurses?
3. What is the impact of pet therapy among student nurses in terms of the following aspects:
a. Physical;
b. Social;
c. Emotional;
d. Academic;
e. Personal?

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RATIONALIZATION ACTIVITY
The instructor will now rationalize the answers to the students and will encourage them to ask questions and to discuss
among their classmates.
 a. Identify the variables in the following statement of the problem.

ANSWERS:

Demographics, type of pets, and the physical, emotional.

b. What variable/s in the SOP can be homogenous or have limited variability among student nurses?

ANSWERS:
IMPACT OF PET THERAPY AMONG STUDENTS.

LESSON WRAP-UP (10 minutes)

You will now mark (encircle) the session you have finished today in the tracker below. This is simply a visual to help
you track how much work you have accomplished and how much work there is left to do.

You are done with the session! Let’s track your progress.

AL Strategy: Using Risk Language

The instructor will ask you to recite on the things learned during the discussion and will pose the question, “Who is
willing to risk an answer?”. This strategy will help less confident students move beyond their apprehensions and
participate fully and to remind all students how risk taking serves learning in research.

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