Operationalizing Education Research

Purpose:  The focus of this presentation is to engage educators in a dialogue on the challenges and successes in designing and implementing a multi-site nursing education research study.  The study was completed to replicate findings of statistical significance in the change in clinical reasoning scores on Driefuerst’s previously published study.  

Methods:  The presentation will provide an overview of the methodology of this study to include 1) a convenience sample of 200 baccalaureate nursing students in their second year of coursework as the purposive, target population for this research; 2) specific steps in operationalizing this quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test, repeated measure, research design across four colleges/universities of nursing; and, 3) a focus on the steps taken to assure consistency with research operations across the sites.   

Results: The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) scores between pre-test and post-test demonstrated a positive change in clinical reasoning skills with use of the DML debriefing model.

Conclusion: Educators may institute effective research evaluation mechanisms at their home institutions and assure consistency with research operations across sites.