Data collection exercises for CFP 107

The aim of this exercise is to collect some real data that should be of interest and will be used in the data collection and interpretation sessions for CFP107. As this data is about you there can be no compulsion for you to give it truthfully, but it should be interesting if you do. In the data collection and interpretation sessions you will be using these data to produce a spreadsheet and charts to interpret your findings.

Prior to the data compilation and interpretation sessions please collect the following data for each member of your study group and note it down. All of these data should be completely anonymous and no record whatsoever should be kept of individual identities, however each individual should be given an ID number (1, 2 3 etc).

As noted above, it would be interesting if you were truthful but there is no compulsion to be so. If you feel you would rather not give a particular answer just leave the question out, it will not matter for the purposes of the exercise.

Question 1. How old are you in years? ______________

Question 2. Are you male or female? ______________

Question 3. What is your resting pulse rate over one minute? (this should be recorded after you have been relatively inactive for at least 15 minutes). ___________________

Question 4. What is your pulse rate after moderate exercise, i.e. walking 400 metres briskly? ___________________

Question 5. How long in minutes does it take your pulse to return to the resting rate following this exercise? _________________

Question 6. How many hours have you spent watching television over the past 7 days?

_____________________

Question 7. How many cigarettes have you smoked over the past 7 days? _______________

Question 8. How many units of alcohol have you consumed over the past 7 days?

___________________

Question 9. How many hours have you spent sleeping over the past 7 days?

_________________

Question 10. How many miles have you walked in total over the past 7 days?

________________

Question 11. How many miles have you cycled in total over the past 7 days?

________________

Question 12. How many sausages have you consumed in total over the past 7 days?

Qualitative Questions

Qualitative research involves data collection. The data for this type of research usually comes in the form of words and not numbers. A researcher would ask the interviewee questions in an ‘open’ format. An open question allows for the interviewee to be as vocal as he/she feels without being limited to a yes or no answer. The researcher may choose to write a questionnaire and correlate the data from it or may choose to speak with the interviewee face to face.

Try and answer the questions below as fully as you can. You need not reveal any information you feel uncomfortable with. Please avoid mentioning specific people or placement areas ‘my community placement’ is quite sufficient.

1. Why did you come into nursing?

2. How did you feel before your first placement?

3. How did you feel following your first placement experience?

4. How do you manage to ‘have a life’ while juggling your academic workload/placements/family commitments?

Guide-lines on field work

The aim of the day is to have a go at a research project, as a rule of thumb the day will be in three equal sections.

Firstly planning

This will involve an overall design, stages in the process should be apparent, and will probably follow the stages of the quantative or the qualitative process. However a combination of approaches is ideal if possible.

Secondly the study

Unfortunately patients and health service employees may not be used for data gathering unless the research proposal is approved by the ethical committee, however you may wish to gather data from friends, relatives etc. remember there are several other way to generate data, eg. retrospective data gathering, descriptive research, (observe - describe - document), historical, and non - human research.

Thirdly dissemination

Write up a short account (200 - 500 words) on your project. Also prepare a short presentation to feed back to the rest of the group for the session on 13.9.94.