Discussion 1: Manifest Destiny

Why did the Mexican War of 1846 take place? Was the war necessary? Was it a good thing? What does this war tell us about this period of American history? Was it God's plan that the U.S. extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or were imperialists looking for a way to defend what they planned to do anyway? Elaborate.

Discussion 2: The Market Revolution

Discuss America's transportation revolution that took place during the first half of the 1800s, including the development of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats. How did they contribute to the "market revolution?" Elaborate.

Discussion 3: Research Problems, Designs, and Sample

• Apply research principles to the interpretation of the content of published research studies. (POs 4 and 8)
• Evaluate published nursing research for credibility and lab significance related to evidence-based practice. (POs 4 and 8)

We will discuss the research design and sample for your nursing clinical issue. The research design flows from the research question and outlines the plan for the study that will answer the research question. The design identifies the major components of the study. It is important to remember that there is no one best design for a research study.

1. After you review the designs, describe which research design you would expect to find when searching for evidence relevant to your own research question from Week 2. Why? Explain your answer.

2. The most common sampling method is the convenience sample; therefore, many of the studies that you find for evidence use this sampling method. What are the implications for using a convenience sample on the way you interpret and use the findings?

Sample Answer from another student

Professor & Class,

My research question from Week 2 was: In the emergency department at Rockledge Regional Medical Center (P) how does using a medication reconciliation personnel (MRP)(I) compared to the nurse at the time of triage inputting a patients medication reconciliation (C ) influence the amount of medication error reduction (O ) over a 30 day period (T)?

With this type of research question, I would use the research design of experimental design. Experimental design studies the cause and effect to determine the effectiveness of an intervention (Houser, 2018, pg. 329). I want to see the cause and effect if the emergency department at Rockledge Reginal Medical Center was to change the protocol of home medications entered into the EMR when the patient arrives at the ED that the hospital would have a reduction of medication errors. If the hospital implements having a medication reconciliation personal in the ED will the home medications in the EMR have fewer medication errors? Because I want to answer the questions about the effectiveness of the intervention that is why experimental design is the best for my research question (Houser, 2018, pg. 330).

A convenience sample is what it is, a convenience. If I was to stand in the middle of San Francisco and ask random people how do they like public transportation versus their own transportation. Most of the people will agree that they like public transportation because the City of San Francisco has multiple public transportation options at all times of the day. Now if I was to ask the same question in Brevard County, Florida I will get another answer. If I was to base the study on just one population I would not give a true answer. As a researcher, we need to ask people from different populations. A convenience sample will lead to sampling bias.

Houser, J. (2018). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.