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Burns and Grove's The Practice of Nursing
Research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of
Evidence 8th Edition Test Bank 2026/2027.
DOMAIN 1: RESEARCH DESIGN, METHODOLOGY & SAMPLING (16 Questions)
A nurse researcher examines the linear relationship between the number of hours worked per
week and the incidence of medication errors. No intervention is introduced. Which research
design is specifically utilized?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Correlational
C) Phenomenological
D) Cross-sectional
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A correlational design examines the linear relationship between two variables but
cannot infer causation, whereas a quasi-experimental design introduces a targeted
intervention but lacks random assignment.
A study implements a targeted educational intervention on fall prevention to a non-
randomized group of nurses to evaluate its effect on patient fall rates. The researcher
specifically identifies the major threat to internal validity as the lack of randomization. Which
design is being used?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Correlational
C) Grounded Theory
D) Longitudinal
[CORRECT] A
, 2
Rationale: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design compares a non-randomized
intervention group to a control group, and the major threat to internal validity is the selection
bias of the participants due to the lack of random assignment.
A researcher is investigating the association between patients' self-reported anxiety scores
and their systolic blood pressure readings prior to surgery. There is no manipulation of
variables. Which design correctly classifies this study?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Experimental
C) Correlational
D) Descriptive
[CORRECT] C
Rationale: A correlational design examines the linear relationship between two variables,
such as anxiety and blood pressure, but cannot infer causation because there is no
manipulation or randomization.
A hospital implements a new hand-hygiene protocol on one medical-surgical unit but not on a
comparable unit, comparing infection rates before and after the implementation. What
specific design and internal validity threat does this represent?
A) Correlational; history
B) Quasi-experimental; selection bias
C) Experimental; maturation
D) Quasi-experimental; testing effect
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A quasi-experimental design introduces a targeted intervention but lacks random
assignment, and the major threat to internal validity is the selection bias of the participants.
A researcher wants to ensure proportional representation of registered nurses (RNs), licensed
practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in a hospital study according to
, 3
their exact percentages in the hospital's overall staff. Which specific sampling method should
be used?
A) Convenience sampling
B) Snowball sampling
C) Stratified random sampling
D) Purposive sampling
[CORRECT] C
Rationale: A stratified random sample uses a proportional representation of a specific
population subgroup, ensuring that the sample reflects the population structure for those
subgroups.
A graduate student recruits patients who happen to walk into the university's free clinic on a
Tuesday morning to complete a survey on health literacy. What specific sampling method is
used?
A) Stratified random sample
B) Convenience sample
C) Cluster sample
D) Systematic sample
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A convenience sample recruits participants based on their availability and
accessibility at a specific time and place, such as patients walking into a specific clinic.
To study the impact of shift length on fatigue, a researcher first divides the population of
hospital nurses into day-shift and night-shift groups, then randomly selects participants
proportionally from each group. What sampling method is this?
A) Stratified random sampling
B) Convenience sampling
C) Simple random sampling
Burns and Grove's The Practice of Nursing
Research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of
Evidence 8th Edition Test Bank 2026/2027.
DOMAIN 1: RESEARCH DESIGN, METHODOLOGY & SAMPLING (16 Questions)
A nurse researcher examines the linear relationship between the number of hours worked per
week and the incidence of medication errors. No intervention is introduced. Which research
design is specifically utilized?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Correlational
C) Phenomenological
D) Cross-sectional
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A correlational design examines the linear relationship between two variables but
cannot infer causation, whereas a quasi-experimental design introduces a targeted
intervention but lacks random assignment.
A study implements a targeted educational intervention on fall prevention to a non-
randomized group of nurses to evaluate its effect on patient fall rates. The researcher
specifically identifies the major threat to internal validity as the lack of randomization. Which
design is being used?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Correlational
C) Grounded Theory
D) Longitudinal
[CORRECT] A
, 2
Rationale: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design compares a non-randomized
intervention group to a control group, and the major threat to internal validity is the selection
bias of the participants due to the lack of random assignment.
A researcher is investigating the association between patients' self-reported anxiety scores
and their systolic blood pressure readings prior to surgery. There is no manipulation of
variables. Which design correctly classifies this study?
A) Quasi-experimental
B) Experimental
C) Correlational
D) Descriptive
[CORRECT] C
Rationale: A correlational design examines the linear relationship between two variables,
such as anxiety and blood pressure, but cannot infer causation because there is no
manipulation or randomization.
A hospital implements a new hand-hygiene protocol on one medical-surgical unit but not on a
comparable unit, comparing infection rates before and after the implementation. What
specific design and internal validity threat does this represent?
A) Correlational; history
B) Quasi-experimental; selection bias
C) Experimental; maturation
D) Quasi-experimental; testing effect
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A quasi-experimental design introduces a targeted intervention but lacks random
assignment, and the major threat to internal validity is the selection bias of the participants.
A researcher wants to ensure proportional representation of registered nurses (RNs), licensed
practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in a hospital study according to
, 3
their exact percentages in the hospital's overall staff. Which specific sampling method should
be used?
A) Convenience sampling
B) Snowball sampling
C) Stratified random sampling
D) Purposive sampling
[CORRECT] C
Rationale: A stratified random sample uses a proportional representation of a specific
population subgroup, ensuring that the sample reflects the population structure for those
subgroups.
A graduate student recruits patients who happen to walk into the university's free clinic on a
Tuesday morning to complete a survey on health literacy. What specific sampling method is
used?
A) Stratified random sample
B) Convenience sample
C) Cluster sample
D) Systematic sample
[CORRECT] B
Rationale: A convenience sample recruits participants based on their availability and
accessibility at a specific time and place, such as patients walking into a specific clinic.
To study the impact of shift length on fatigue, a researcher first divides the population of
hospital nurses into day-shift and night-shift groups, then randomly selects participants
proportionally from each group. What sampling method is this?
A) Stratified random sampling
B) Convenience sampling
C) Simple random sampling
