From the research question, the dependent variable is “shortage of nurses” while the independent variables are the “factors that contribute to the shortage of nurses”. The dependent variable refers to the variable being measured or tested. In this case, the “shortage of nurses” is what is being tested. On the other hand, the independent variable is the variable that is directly affecting the dependent variable (Flannelly et al., 2014). The “factors that contribute to the shortage of nurses” are the variables that will have a direct effect on the shortage of nurses. Levels of Measurement and nurses shortage Discussion Essay.
The level of measurement for the dependent variable (shortage of nurses) is a nominal level. This is because this variable does not require any ordering among the responses (Marateb et al., 2014). This variable will just be categorized. On the other hand, the level of measurement for the independent variables, in this case, would be the ordinal level of measurement. This measurement level illustrates some methodical connections among the observations of the variables (Marateb et al., 2014). In this study, the researcher may wish to measure the impact of the factors that cause a shortage of nurses and thus may ask the respondents to indicate their feelings as either “low, medium, high, or very high”. These items are ordered and they range from the lowest to the highest. This level of measurement will enable comparisons on the factors that affect the shortage of nurses, dependent on the factors with the most significant impact.
When analyzing data related to each variable based on its level of measurement, it will be important to consider the technique that will be used in data analysis. Measuring the relationship between various variables requires different types of data analysis techniques (Kaliyadan & Kulkarni, 2019). For example, from the research question, correlation analysis will help in determining the relationship between the variables in the study. For example, a correlational analysis will determine how specific factors affect nursing shortage within healthcare organizations. Regression analysis may also be used to assess the strength of the relationship between the variables (Simpson, 2015). In this case, the regression analysis may be used to identify the factors that have the strongest impact on the nursing shortage in healthcare organizations. Levels of Measurement and nurses shortage Discussion Essay. It will also be important to take into consideration the number of categories in each variable. For example, factors that affect nursing shortage may have too many categories and thus may require the data to be presented in a using presentation that provides meaningful information. It will also be important to consider that each measurement level gives a different degree of detail (Simpson, 2015). For example, the nominal level of measurement does not provide much detail and therefore this may present the challenge of having inadequate data during data analysis.
References
Flannelly, L. T., Flannelly, K. J., & Jankowski, K. R. (2014). Independent, dependent, and other variables in healthcare and chaplaincy research. Journal of health care chaplaincy, 20(4), 161-170.
Kaliyadan, F., & Kulkarni, V. (2019). Types of Variables, Descriptive Statistics, and Sample Size. Indian dermatology online journal, 10(1), 82–86.
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