NURSING RESEARCH LECTURE NOTES # 4 Isopropyl Alcohol, Plain Normal Saline Solution and

Sterile Water groups.

D. ACCORDING TO CONTROL OVER INDEPENDENT VARIABLE  Experimental Designs that Manipulate Only One
Independent Variable
Variable – a characteristic or attribute of a person or object that varies
1. After-only design or post-test only – data on
(takes on different values) within the population under study (ex.
the dependent variable are collected only
Temperature, RR, age, HR)
once, that is, after random assignment and
after the experimental treatment has been
Example A: A study on the relationship between the general
weighted average of March 2009 BSN graduates and their PNLE introduced.
rating 2. Before-after design or pretest-post-test design
a. Independent Variable ( CAUSE) – variable believed to cause – most widely used by nurse-researchers;
of influence the dependent variable; this is manipulated in an involves two measurement points: the initial
experimental research; measurement of the dependent variable is
o In example A, the independent variable is the called the baseline measure, and the post-test
general weighted average of BSN graduates measure is referred to as the outcome
b. Dependent Variable (EFFECT)– outcome variable of interest; measure. The outcome measure captures the
sometimes called criterion variable; the variable outcome of the experimental intervention
hypothesized to depend on or be caused by another variable; 3. Solomon four-group design – involves two
o In example A, the dependent variable is the PNLE experimental groups and two control groups.
rating One experimental group and one control
c. Continuous Variable – variable that can take on a large range group will have the pretest, whereas the
of values representing a continuum (ex: weight) remaining groups will not. This allows the
d. Dichotomous Variable – a variable with only two values or segregation of the effects of the pretest
categories (ex: Sex – male and female only) measure and the intervention. This is done
e. Extraneous or Uncontrolled Variable – a variable that because when data are collected both before
confounds the relationship between the independent and and after an intervention – as in a pretest and
dependent variables and that needs to be controlled either in post-test design – post test measure of the
the research design or through statistical procedures dependent variable may be affected, not only
by the treatment but also by exposure to the
Answer: Identify the independent and dependent variables on pretest.
these studies:  Experimental Designs that Simultaneously Manipulate
Two or More Variables
1. “ The relationship between the frequency of prenatal visits 1. Factorial – allows the testing of multiple
and the perception of readiness for childbirth of first-time hypotheses in a single experiment; permits
mothers” the researcher to evaluate not only the main
2. “ A study on parenting styles and its effects on the academic effects (Effects resulting from experimentally-
performance of school-age children” manipulated variables but also its interaction
effects (Effects resulting from combining
 Experimental – considered the ideal of science, the treatments)
researcher actively introduces some form of intervention and 2. Randomized block – also known as levels-by-
offers the possibility of greater control over extraneous treatment design; there are two independent
variables. True experiments are also known as the most variables (also known as factors), but one
powerful method available for testing hypotheses of cause- factor is NOT experimentally manipulated; in
and-effect relationships between variables. It is characterized this design, the variable gender (a given or
by the following properties: attribute variable), for example – which
a) Control – the experimenter or the researcher cannot be manipulated will be the blocking
introduces one or more controls over the variable. The inclusion of blocking variables
experimental situation, including the use of a enhances the researcher’s control over
control group (baseline against which effects of the extraneous variable and over sample
treatment could be measured) composition, so as to ensure that a sufficient
b) Manipulation – does something to at least some of number of subjects with specific
the subjects of the study characteristics are included. In this design,
c) Randomization or random assignment – the interaction effects could also be examined.
experimenter or the researcher assigns subjects to 3. Cross –over design – also known as repeated
a control or experimental group on a random basis measures design; this design involves the
to avoid bias exposure of the same subjects to more than
Ex: In a study that will identify and compare effects one experimental treatment. This has the
of using 70% Isopropyl Alcohol, Plain Normal Saline advantage of ensuring the highest possible
Solution and Sterile Water in the neonate’s length equivalence, i.e., equal characteristics in terms
of cord separation time, the control variable will be of age, weight, health and others among
the group using 70% Isopropyl Alcohol since this is subjects exposed to different conditions, for
commonly used in the Philippines. Manipulation the simple reason that they are the same
involves introducing PNSS and sterile water as cord people being studied.
care solutions aside from commonly used 70% I am the master of my fate
Isopropyl Alcohol. Random assignment involves I am the captain of my soul…(Invictus) by
randomly assigning neonates to each of the 70% William bErnest Henley