1. Marco de Referencia
2.6 Estados de salud
in answering the overarching research questions (Moule & Goodman 2014:93; Vogt 2007:6).
5.2.1 Purpose of the study
A research purpose is a clear, concise statement of the specific goal of the study or aim of the study generated from the research problem (Burns & Grove 2009:69; Johnson & Christensen 2012:73; Polit & Beck 2008:81).
5.2.2 Research questions
Research questions were formulated to provide a basis for the research methods to be employed during the study. LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (2014:26) and Wagner, Kawulish and Garner (2012:18) state the following reasons for formulating research questions:
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to help the researcher to narrow the research topic down to specific details to formulate hypotheses
to suggest possible research methods.
To attain the purpose of this study, the researcher stated an overarching research question with five specific questions relating to the problem area of nurse educator empowerment (Burns & Grove 2009:39; Rebar, Gersch, Macnee & McCabe 2011:176; Polit & Beck 2008:64).
The research questions of the current study relate to the components of the Laschinger’s Model of Nurse/Patient Empowerment (Laschinger 2010) deduced from Kanter’s theory of power in organisations and Spreitzer’s psychological empowerment theory. The overarching research question thus was
How do the defining concepts relating to empowerment as proposed by Kanter’s and Spreitzer’s models integrated by Laschinger’s and refined for application in the current research relate to one another in the context of nursing education (NE) in Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) in the Limpopo Province?
The following sub, research questions stemmed from the overarching research question:
What are nurse educators’ perceptions of the concept of empowerment? (Concept)?
What are nurse educators’ perceptions of the management structure and strategies at the nursing college (external context: structural empowerment)? To what extent do nurse educators claim their empowerment
(operationalisation: using empowerment strategies, being empowered, self- care, self-efficacy, seeking support, work satisfaction. informal power)?
What are nurse educators’ perception of their psychological empowerment level (informal and psychological empowerment context)
What associations exist between concept, context, and operationalisation of empowerment?147 5.2.3 Objectives of the study
The objectives of the current study relate to the sub-research questions, and the components of the model the researcher derived from Laschinger’s model of nurse/patient empowerment (Laschinger 2010) (See Fig. 2.1). According to Polit and Beck (2008:81), objectives are specific accomplishments the researcher hopes to achieve through a study. According to Burns and Grove (2009:165), as well as Grove, Burns, and Gray (2013:138), research objectives usually focus on one or more variables. Furthermore, objectives can indicate expected relationships or association between groups or compare groups on selected variables. Objectives also predict how independent variables influence dependent variables (Grove et al 2013:138). Fouche and De Vos (2011:94) state that objectives denote a measurable and speedily attainable conception of a plan to do or achieve. The objectives of the current study were to:
Gather and analyse demographic data on nurse educators in the Limpopo Province pertinent to empowerment
Describe the perception of nurse educators in the Limpopo Province pertinent to empowerment
Gather, analyse and apply data pertinent to structures necessary for empowerment namely structural and psychological empowerment structures Determine associations among the construct of Kanter’s Theory of Structural
Organisational Power, and Speitzer’s Emotional Empowerment Theory as integrated into Laschinger’s (2010) “Integrated Model of Nurse/Patient Empowerment” and with demographic data.
Set and test a series of null-hypotheses based on the various variables alluded to in the previous objectives.
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5.2.4 Study Hypotheses
The hypotheses of the current study incorporated the constructs from Laschinger’s model derived from Kanter’s Theory of Structural Power in Organisations and Spreitzer’s Psychological Empowerment Theory that guided the literature review of the study. According to Polit and Beck (2012:58) and Botma, Greef, Mulaudzi, and Wright (2010:94), a hypothesis refers to a statement or tentative prediction of the
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relationships among the study variables. According to Neuman (2012:97) and Muijs (2011:7) a hypothesis is a proposition, or a tentative statement, that two or more variables are causally related. The causal hypothesis is characterised by:
two variables
it expresses a cause-effect relationship between the variables it suggests a prediction or an expected future outcome
it links logically to the research questions and theory it is testable against empirical evidence.
5.2.4.1 Purpose of hypotheses
Hypotheses (Grove et al 2013:143) serve the same aim as research objectives and questions. However, Moule and Goodman (2014:95) explain that hypotheses go further than research questions because they predict the outcome of the study. According to McMillan (2012:47), the purposes of hypotheses are to:
provide a focus that integrates information
provide statements of the kind of relationships testable through research help the researcher to know what to investigate
allow the researcher to confirm or disconfirm a theory by either refuting, modifying or supporting theories
provide a framework for scientific explanations and investigation of phenomena
predict the nature of the relationships between variables
provide a useful framework for organising and summarising the study findings and conclusions.
5.2.4.2 Derivation of hypothesis
Researchers derive hypotheses from observations made in the real world (Grove et al 2013:143; Polit & Beck 2012:85). Nurse scientists observe real-life events in nursing practice and identify relationships between them (theorising), and these become the basis for hypothesis formulation. A hypothesis can be obtained by analysing theory and reviewing the literature (Grove et al 2013:142; Wagner et al 2012:21). Researchers intentionally and purposefully generate hypotheses following the relationships among variables depicted in a theory (Grove et al 2013:142; Polit &
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Beck 2012:86). The hypotheses in the current study derive from Laschinger’s model derived from Kanter’s theory of structural power in organisations and Spreitzer’s Psychological Empowerment Theory and supporting literature evidence.
5.2.4.3 Types of hypotheses
Hypotheses depend on the nature of the study and the researcher’s perception of the structural relationships within a phenomenon. The different types of hypotheses identified in the literature include:
Simple versus complex hypotheses. According to Polit and Beck (2012:86), a simple hypothesis states an expected relationship between one independent variable and one dependent variable. In contrast, a complex hypothesis states a relationship between two or more independent variables and two or more dependent variables (Grey et al 2013:146).
Directional versus non-directional hypotheses. According to Polit and Beck (2012:88), a directional hypothesis specifies the existence and expected direction of the relationship between variables. On the other hand, a non- directional hypothesis states the existence of a relationship but does not state the direction taken by the relationship (Grove et al 2013:147; Polit & Beck 2012:88).
Research versus null hypotheses. Polit and Beck (2012:88) describe hypotheses either as research or null hypotheses. Researchers use the null hypothesis, also referred to as a statistical hypothesis, for statistical testing and interpretation of the study findings (Gray 2014:570; Grey et al 2013:147). A null hypothesis states that relationships do not statistically exist between the independent and dependent variables (McMillan 2012:49; Parahoo 2014:153). A research hypothesis, in contrast to the null hypothesis, refers to a declarative statement of the results the researcher expects to find in the study. Research hypotheses also go by the terms scientific, substantive or working hypotheses (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber 2014:38; McMillan 2012:48; Polit & Beck 2012:88).
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The following hypotheses relate to the overarching hypothesis.
Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference between nurse educator’s perception of the concept of empowerment and demographical information such as the campuses where they are stationed, highest qualification and teaching experience.
Hypothesis 2: The is no relationship between the nurse educator’s perception of the concept of empowerment and existing structure in nursing education in Limpopo province
Hypothesis 3: There is no relationship between nurse educator’s perception of the concept of empowerment and structural empowerment such as access to information, access to support, access to resources, access to opportunities to learn and grow, informal and formal power.
Hypothesis 4: There is no relationship between the nurse educator’s perception of empowerment and their current level of empowerment.
Hypothesis 5: There is no relationship between the nurse educator’s perception of the psychological empowerment concepts and self-efficacy and the ability to have an impact.