Spring 2021

NURS 7373-001 Nursing: Quantitative Research Methods II

All students are responsible for checking their UTHSCSA Livemail account regularly (i.e., daily or several times every week) to obtain Official University Communication regarding their courses, program and student status.

COVID-19
Students are expected to follow all policies related to COVID-19 found on the university webpage: https://wp.uthscsa.edu/coronavirus/.

NOTE: Our campus has enabled the CANVAS MOBILE LEARN application. CANVAS tools such as discussions, quizzes or videos May or May NOT function on all mobile devices. This is because mobile devices are available with rapidly changing and different configurations. Hence, students must not depend on only a mobile device to access course materials. Students must have access to a laptop or desktop device to access course materials and complete assignments.

This course is Web Enhanced with 
Please be sure to check the Current Computer Requirements

Read Chapter 1: Scale Development (DeVellis) prior to the first day of class.

FACULTY CONTACT INFORMATION

Andrea E. Berndt, PhD
Associate Professor and Statistician
Email: berndt@uthscsa.edu
Office Phone: 210-567-5839
Office Fax: 210-567-5822
Office Room: NS 2.216
Office Hours: Virtual office hours will be determined at the fist CANVAS class session

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course presents modern and classical psychometrics for nursing science from the perspective of item response theory. Most of the course will cover classical test theory from the perspective of modern test theory. An introduction to binary item response theory will also be presented. The course will emphasize applications within the context of modern psychometric principles.

CREDIT AND TIME ALLOCATION

Credit Hour Allocation: 3 Semester Credit Hours
Clock Hour Allocation: 3 Clock Hours Class (45 hours class)

PREREQUISITES

• NURS 7325 Philosophy of Nursing Science
• NURS 7226 Ethics of Nursing Science
• NURS 7374 Nursing: Quantitative Research Methods I
• NURS 7310 Theory Development, Analysis & Evaluation in Nursing
• NURS 7380 Qualitative Inquiry for Clinical Nursing Research
• NURS 7375 Regression Models in Nursing Science

Concurrent
NURS 7381 Nursing: Synthesis and Application of Clinical Research

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing Program students will:

1. Advance the discipline of nursing through the generation of new knowledge and theory.
2. Demonstrate excellence as a clinical researcher in the health sciences in a focal area of nursing.
3. Synthesize theories from natural and/or behavioral sciences for application to a specified area of nursing.
4. Advance evidence-based clinical practice.
5. Assume nurse scientist roles within academic health centers and other health centers and other interdisciplinary health sciences and educational institutions.
6. Evaluate the value and knowlege components of philosophical and ethical dimensions of issues confronting healthcare and nursing.

COURSE OUTCOMES

1. Compare the philosophies of operational, instrumental, representational, and causal approaches to fundamental measurement.
2. Contrast the principles of classical, parallel, true-score, and congeneric test theory.
3. Distinguish among reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive utility.
4. Evaluate a research instrument according its published statistics.
5. Apply software for test development, item analysis, and assessment.
6. Apply software for assessing the structure of composite tests.
7. Develop and pilot-test an instrument for use in the student’s area of interest, or evaluate an instrument from secondary data analysis.

GRADING SCALE FOR GRADUATE COURSES

A = 4 points (90-100)
B = 3 points (80-89)
C = 2 points (75-79)
D = 1 point (66-74)
F = 0 points (65 or below)

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION / GRADES

50% Factor Analysis and Reliability Data Assignments
30% Written description and comparison of two instruments' psychometric
       properties and appropriateness for use
20% Article critiques of instrument development in scholarly publications

CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE

Attendance in class is an expectation of each student.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

1. If written assignments are made in a course they are required.
2. Students are expected to submit written work on the scheduled date and time.
3. The student must notify the course coordinator prior to the scheduled due date and time if they are unable to submit the written work as scheduled. Failure to make this notification in advance will result in a "zero" for that written work.
4. If the excuse is accepted as reasonable and necessary, arrangements will be made for an alternative due date and time.
5. Each student is responsible for making sure that he or she has completed the written work prior to submission.
6. Late work will be accepted with consequences as outlined per course syllabi.

APA GUIDELINES

The APA Publication Manual 7th edition is required for use in all nursing school programs. 

SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY

Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic activities. Students who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the university. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." Regents Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22.

PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT

Students who are nurses or are preparing to enter the profession of nursing are expected to treat others with respect and compassion. “The principle of respect for persons extends to all individuals with whom the nurse interacts. The nurse maintains compassionate and caring relationships with colleagues and others with a commitment to the fair treatment of individuals, to integrity-preserving compromise and to resolving conflict. This standard of conduct precludes any and all prejudicial actions, any form of harassment or threatening behavior, or disregard for the effects of one’s actions on others” (American Nurses Association Code for Nurses, Interpretive Statement 1.5).

The students, faculty, Department Chairs, Associate Deans, and the Dean of the School of Nursing of the University Texas Health Science Center San Antonio subscribe to the highest standards of conduct. Our aim is professional behavior beyond reproach. Failure to abide by the signed code of professional conduct may lead to suspension and/or permanent dismissal from the UTHSCSA SON. In particular, we subscribe to the provisions of the Code of Ethics for Nurses (http://bit.ly/1mtD5p2) and the following points of conduct.

http://catalog.uthscsa.edu/schoolofnursing/policiesandprocedures/

School of Nursing Netiquette Guidelines for Online Interaction

Netiquette guidelines provide information for behaving properly online, when using email, tweets or texts so that you may successfully communicate your thoughts in a manner that is respectful and avoids misunderstandings with others.

• Be courteous about what you say to or about others in any electronic format. In electronic communication the golden rule is "Remember the Human." Remember there is a real person with real feelings on the receiving end of your email or post.
• Be respectful and open to opinions and ideas that differ from yours. The exchange of diverse thoughts, ideas and opinions are an important part of the scholarly environment. Keep in mind that the people in your classes may come from different backgrounds and have views that may vary significantly from your own.
• Flaming (defined as posting of messages that are deliberately hostile and insulting in an online social context) is never appropriate. While everyone (learners and instructors alike) is encouraged to share ideas and opinions openly, you should never use insults or resort to name-calling even if you disagree strongly with what someone else has written.
• When responding to messages or posts made by others, address the ideas, not the person.
• It’s often best to avoid using sarcasm and humor online. Without social cues, such as facial expressions and body language, a remark meant as humorous could come across hurtful or offensive. Keep in mind that ‘emoticons’ (such as J) may not convey your tone or intent.
• Capitalizing whole words is generally seen as SHOUTING and is difficult for most people to read. Use all capital letters sparingly, such as to highlight an important word or point.
• Think and reread what you’ve written before you post! Make sure that what you’ve written makes sense (is clear and to the point).
• Remember you are responsible for the content you communicate on CANVAS. What you write represents you, so use appropriate language. Remember that all writing should be professional, consisting of complete sentences, and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
• Be aware that distributing copyrighted materials, such as articles and images, is illegal. Most of the materials on the Internet are copyrighted. The only time it’s ok to distribute materials from the Internet is when you are sure those materials are "fair use." To be safe, if you want to share materials with classmates and/or your instructor, share the web link or URL only.
• To avoid plagiarism, make sure you properly cite all source materials. All materials should be cited unless you are the author of the content.
• Protect your privileges in online communication (avoid posting spam or emailing chain letters).

ADA ACCOMMODATIONS

Any student seeking reasonable accommodations through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact either the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Services within the first week of the semester or schedule a meeting with the UTHSCSA ADA Compliance Office so that appropriate accommodations may be arranged. A request for accommodations (Form ADA-100: http://uthscsa.edu/eeo/form100-Faculty-student-resident.pdf) must be completed and submitted to the Executive Director of the ADA Compliance Office before accommodations can be provided. Additional information can be provided in the Student Success Center, Room 1.118 or through the ADA Compliance Office website: http://uthscsa.edu/eeo/request.asp.

REQUIRED TEXT / REFERENCE

DeVellis, R. F. (2016). Scale development, 4th edition. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA  ISBN: 978-1-5063-4156-9

RECOMMENDED (OPTIONAL) TEXT / REFERENCE

1. Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994) Psychometric theory, 3rd edition. NY: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 0-07-0478849-X

2. Pett, M. A., Lackey, N. R., & Sullivan, J. J. (2003) Making sense of factor analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN:0-7619-1950-3

CONTENT OUTLINE

1. Measurement terminology and related issues
    - Overview of reliability and validity
2. Concept development and concept definition
    - Concept complexity
    - Concept development methods
3. Locating existing measures
    - Types of measures
    - Selection criteria
    - Choosing and using existing measures
    - Comparing and evaluating existing measures
    - Interpretation and assessment
    - Issues related to modifying measures
4. Developing new measures
    - Generating items
    - Choosing response scales
    - Pretesting and piloting measures
    - Expert review procedures
5. Psychometric characteristics
    - Reliability: Types and Testing Methods
    - Responsiveness
    - Sensitivity to change
    - Validity: Content, Construct, Criterion
       - Bias and validity
       - Multitrait Multimethod
6. Measurement issues in research with diverse populations
    - Conceptual vs psychometric adequacy, equivalence, and invariance
    - Culturally specific vs generic measures
    - Translating measures

CALENDAR - 1st Day Only

Please check the schedule for recent updates on Class Dates & Room.

First day of class:  January 14, 2021
Day of the week:   Thursday
Time:                   9:00 am to 11:50 am
All class sessions and office hours are online via CANVAS Conference Sessions. Recordings from all class sessions will be made available to students.

Assignment: Read DeVellis, Chapter 1
For full calendar and details, refer to information posted on CANVAS. 

COVID-19

Students are expected to follow all policies related to COVID-19 found on the University webpage: https://wp.uthscsa.edu/coronavirus/

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