Staff nurses' attitudes and perceptions toward nursing research

Wadman, Wanda A. (1997) Staff nurses' attitudes and perceptions toward nursing research. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore staff nurses' attitudes toward nursing research through examining their perceptions of selected aspects of research. This study was an approximate replication of Alcock, Carroll, and Goodman's (1990) research. The results will provide an overview of the nursing research milieu in Newfoundland and Labrador. -- The Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen, 1988) was chosen as the conceptual framework for this study. The Theory of Reasoned Action suggests that a person's attitude toward a behavior will be directly related to a set of beliefs about the behavior. This suggests that the nurse's attitude toward becoming involved in, and using nursing research, is linked to the nurse's beliefs or perceptions concerning nursing research. -- A descriptive design was used for this study. The sample consisted of 319 staff nurses chosen by systematic random selection. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed by Alcock et al. (1990) . The questionnaire contained six sections which addressed the following: demographic data, perceived value of nursing research, perceived role in nursing research, interest in research, research experience, and perception of research climate in the workplace. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. -- The results indicated that staff nurses valued nursing research, and perceived that they had a variety of roles in nursing research, particularly in relation to improving the quality of patient care provided. While staff nurses were clearly interested in nursing research, they had limited research experience. Staff nurses perceived limited support for nursing research in their employing agency, especially administrative support. In addition, most were unaware of the existence of structures to support nursing research in their employing agency. -- The following nurses placed a higher value on nursing research: those employed on a part-time basis, 41 years of age and older, employed in community health centers, and educated at the diploma level. Nurses educated at the baccalaureate level demonstrated greater perceived role in, and interest in, nursing research, and indicated more research experience. Nurses educated at the baccalaureate level, and those enrolled in continuing education perceived the employing agency to be less supportive of nursing research than did diploma prepared nurses. -- These findings have implications for the utilization of nursing research in nursing practice as they indicate that the goal of providing evidence-based care is clearly not impeded by nurses' attitudes toward nursing research.

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