Article  : Factors related to academic success among nursing students: A descriptive correlational research study
By Audrey M. Beauvais,Julie G. Stewart a,Susan DeNisco a,John E. Beauvais

RESEARCH CRITIQUE

Questions 1 - 4: Research Problem and Purpose. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 2, 5, and 12)

1. Which choices below best reflect the problem statement for the instructor-assigned article?

a. In an effort to address the shortages of nurses with undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees, nursing programs have been measuring student retention, attrition, and graduation rates.
b. There is a paucity of research regarding the relationship of emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in the context of nursing students.
c. The total score of the psychological empowerment scale represents psychological empowerment at that moment in time. This will not necessarily be the same when measured at a different point in time.
d. Nurse educators need to examine ways to promote student success by improving our current methodologies and practices.

2. Which of the choices below best reflects the purpose statement for the instructor assigned article?

a. Graduate prepared nurses will be needed to replace the large number of retiring faculty in Canada and the United States. In addition, nurse practitioners are needed to help alleviate the family physician shortage.
b. The current rise in employment is improving forecasts for the future supply of registered nurses; however sizable shortages are still projected for the following decade in the United States.
c. Many universities and admission departments dedicate substantial time and money for the recruitment and admission of nursing students.
d. The purpose of the correlational study was to describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success and undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

3. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following statements are important when considering the significance and relevance of a study's problem and purpose? (Select all that apply.)

a. Does it consider ethical principles in its design?
b. Does it predict the non-significant findings anticipated in the study?
c. Does it influence nursing practice?
d. Does it identify the population to whom they intend to generalize?
e. Does it promote theory testing or development?
f. Does it identify extraneous variables?

4. When considering the feasibility of a study's problem and purpose, Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015) suggest that several areas should be evaluated, including: researcher expertise, money commitment, ethical considerations, and availability of subjects, facilities, and equipment. Which of the following statements accurately assesses the feasibility of this article?

a. Funding sources for the study were identified in the article.
b. The author's credentials to design and conduct research are fully described.
c. 100% of the eligible subjects contacted participated in the study.
d. Evidence of protection of the subjects' rights was mentioned in this article.

Questions 5 - 7: Review of the Literature. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 6 & 12.)

5. According to Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which one of the following is NOT a major purpose of the review of literature (ROL):

a. Describing the current knowledge of the practice problem
b. Identifying gaps in the knowledge base of the practice problem
c. Explaining how the current study contributes to the knowledge being built
d. To explain the reasons behind the selection of the statistics used in the study.

6. Select three MAJOR topics covered in the review of literature (ROL) from the list below:

a. A descriptive correlational design was used. The study was conducted in a private Catholic University.
b. The current rise in employment is improving forecasts for the future supply of registered nurses; however sizable shortages are still projected for the following decade in the United States.
c. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in undergraduate and graduate nursing students.
d. In an effort to address the shortages of nurses with undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees, nursing programs have been measuring student retention, attrition, and graduation rates.
e. The nursing profession should be concerned about attrition rates for masters and doctoral nursing students as well. Attrition rates for masters programs range from 10 to 75%.
f. There is a paucity of research regarding the relationship of emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in the context of nursing students.

7. Current knowledge in the review of literature (ROL) (all information included before the "Methods") is considered to be articles that are within 5 years of the publication date of the article. This is often assessed by reviewing the citations that are used in the ROL and counting the number that meet this criteria. Which number below most closely reflects the number of current citations in the ROL? (HINT-start with the year 2014 as the year published in the journal.)

a. 10
b. 15
c. 20
d. 25

Questions 8 - 10: Study Framework. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 7 & 12)

8. Which of these statements best describes this study's research framework?

a. This study has an implicit framework, which is not fully developed.
b. The conceptual framework supporting the research is underpinned by social exchange theory and Bandura's theory of self-efficacy.
c. The authors developed the study's conceptual framework based on Watson's Theory of Caring to describe the concept of caring for the self as a nursing student.

9. What are some of the key concepts in this study's conceptual framework?

a. This study does not have any clearly defined concepts within a framework because it has an implicit framework.
b. Nursing student depression is defined as a psychosocial phenomenon occurring within 12 months of starting in either an undergraduate or graduate program.
c. The authors clearly identify the concepts of the framework in a map or model.

10. Which one of the statements below is an example of a relational statement from the conceptual framework?

a. Feelings of psychological empowerment will have an effect on student depression levels
b. This study does not have any clearly defined relational statements because it has an implicit framework.
c. Researchers found that managing emotions was positively correlated with academic success.

Questions 11 - 15: Research objectives, questions, or hypotheses and research variables. (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 5 & 12)

11. The authors state that the research objective, question, or hypothesis was "describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in undergraduate and graduate nursing students" on page 918. This is best described as a

a. Research objective
b. Research question
c. Research hypothesis
d. None of the above

12. Which of these would be considered a MAJOR study variable (select all that apply)?

a. emotional intelligence
b. psychological empowerment
c. undergraduate and graduate retention rates
d. costs of student recruitment
e. resilience
f. spiritual-well being

13. What is the conceptual definition (as defined in the review of the literature) of the following study variable: resilience

a. The conceptual definition of resilience is not clearly provided in the review of the literature.
b. The factors that influence nursing academic success need to be better understood.
c. After students are admitted, they are to be afforded resources that will foster their persistence in the nursing program as well as promote their academic success.
d. Admissions staff are tasked with the ever more difficult charge of distinguishing applicants who can be successful.

14. What is the operational definition (as defined in the methods section) of the following study variable: resilience.

a. Recruiting qualified applicants is just the beginning step in fostering program completion.
b. Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)
c. The factors that influence nursing academic success need to be better understood.
d. The Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS).

15. Which demographic variables were assessed by the author for this study? (Select all that apply.)

a. Age
b. Education level
c. Years of nursing experience
d. Marital status
e. Admission cut-off criteria
f. Race

Questions 16- 19: Research Design (For help with these questions, refer to chapters 1, 8, & 12)

16. Which phrase best describes the research design of this study? (Select the three that apply.)

a. Descriptive
b. Correlational
c. Nonexperimental
d. Quasi-experimental
e. Experimental
f. Mixed methods

17. Which phrase best describes the time element of the research design of this study?

a. Cross-sectional design
b. Longitudinal design
c. None of the above

18. Does the study include a treatment or intervention described in the methods section?

a. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) used in the study may be considered a treatment or intervention.
b. 516 students were invited to participate in the intervention.
c. A control group of accounting students were also asked to complete the survey.
d. This study was not designed with a treatment or intervention.

19. Does the author specifically mention that a pilot study was done prior to conducting this study? (Hint: look at the words "prior to this study".)

a. Yes
b. No

20. The authors indicate on page 920 of the article that the institutional review board (IRB) authorization was acquired. This indicates than an IRB gave approval to conduct the research. In addition, anonymity and confidentiality was protected. Per Grove, Gray, and Burns (2015), which of the following would NOT be considered essential information for informed consent? (Select all that apply.)

a. a statement of the research purpose and any long-term goals of the study
b. a copy of the abstract of the article that will be used in the publishing journal.
c. an explanation of the procedures to be followed in the study
d. a complete list of references to be used in the study.