IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance-2019
Nursing Research & Statistics
Medium

All are essential requisite for Mailed Questionnaire, except?

Appeared in: IGNOU Post B. SC. Nursing entrance-2019

Explanation

  • A letter of remuneration, which involves providing financial or material incentives, is not an essential component of a mailed questionnaire.
  • While small incentives may be used to increase participant response rates, they are not a mandatory requirement for conducting ethical or valid research.
  • Research ethics guidelines caution against excessive remuneration as it could be coercive, pressuring individuals to participate against their better judgment.
  • As noted in research ethics, a sample participant information sheet may explicitly state that no incentives will be awarded for participation (SRC_6667).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: A letter of explanation (or cover letter) is essential. It informs the potential participant about the study's purpose, procedures, and confidentiality, which is a prerequisite for obtaining informed consent.
  • Option B: A letter of return, typically a stamped, self-addressed envelope, is considered a practical necessity. Mailed surveys suffer from low response rates, and removing the barrier of postage and addressing is a critical step to ensure enough questionnaires are returned for the study to be valid (SRC_6669).
  • Option C: A letter of acceptance, which represents informed consent, is an absolute ethical requirement for any research involving human subjects. Participants must agree to be in the study, and this is often documented by their act of returning the questionnaire, as explained in the cover letter (SRC_6667).

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Essential components of a mailed questionnaire in research methodology as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Nurse researchers often use mailed questionnaires to gather data on health behaviors, patient satisfaction, or quality of life from large, geographically dispersed populations.
  • Understanding the essential components ensures the research is conducted ethically and effectively, maximizing the quality and quantity of data collected.
  • What if? If a researcher failed to include a self-addressed stamped envelope (letter of return), the response rate would likely be too low to produce statistically significant results, wasting time and resources and potentially making the study invalid.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the keyword 'except'. This tells you to look for the option that is NOT an essential requirement.
  • Analyze the purpose of a mailed questionnaire: to gather data ethically and efficiently.
  • Evaluate each option against this purpose.
  • Ask yourself: 'Is this component absolutely necessary for the study to be ethical and practical?'
  • The Letter of Explanation (cover letter) and Letter of Acceptance (consent) are ethical necessities.
  • The Letter of Return (stamped envelope) is a practical necessity for a viable response rate.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Essential components of a mailed questionnaire in research methodology.
  • Stem keywords: Mailed Questionnaire, essential requisite
  • Lead-in keywords: except
  • Negative lead-in flag: The question uses the word 'except', asking for the option that does not fit.

Question ID

QKOagrhVBrySQgwoO0FmtC

Reference Book

E6 NursingResearch Sukhpal Kaur p. 76-78

E6 NursingResearch Polit 11e Part 1 p. 306-308

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