NBHS3104 Research Methodology Research Proposal Sample (OUM)

For information and reference only – not to be submitted as your own work.

This extract shows how part of a research proposal can be built for Open University Malaysia (OUM) course NBHS3104 Research Methodology, September 2026 semester. Part I asks for a proposal on a nursing-related topic of the student’s choice, within 2,500 to 3,000 words excluding references. The full brief is on the NBHS3104 question page, and our guide to writing the NBHS3104 nursing research proposal explains what markers expect.

The working title used here is “Knowledge and practice of hand hygiene among nurses in a tertiary referral hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia”. The extract covers the Chapter 1 problem statement and objectives, the Chapter 2 framework, and a Chapter 3 methodology table with a sample size calculation. It does not reproduce the full proposal, appendices or Gantt chart.

Chapter 1 extract: problem statement

Hand hygiene is the simplest barrier against healthcare-associated infection, and the World Health Organization (2009) built its guidelines around the idea that cleaning hands at the right moments protects patients and staff. Sax et al. (2007) condensed those moments into the five-moment approach to teaching, observing and reporting hand hygiene.

Evidence from Saudi Arabia suggests that nurses’ knowledge and reported practice do not always match. In a survey of 386 nurses in four government hospitals in Najran, 42.5% had good knowledge but 94% reported good practice (Al-Qahtani, 2023). A study of primary healthcare staff in Riyadh, where nurses made up 51.4% of respondents, also reported strong training coverage alongside gaps in specific knowledge items (Alanazi et al., 2025).

The problem for this proposal is that little is known about how knowledge and practice relate among nurses in one large tertiary referral hospital in Riyadh, where patient acuity is high and nurses work across many units. Without local evidence, training may focus on the wrong gaps.

Chapter 1 extract: research questions, objectives and hypotheses

H0: There is no significant relationship between nurses’ hand hygiene knowledge and practice.

H1: There is a significant relationship between nurses’ hand hygiene knowledge and practice.

Chapter 2 extract: conceptual framework

The study uses a knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) framework, which assumes that what nurses know shapes what they believe, and that both influence what they do at the bedside. Al-Qahtani (2023) used this three-part structure with Saudi nurses and found that knowledge, attitude and practice scores were positively correlated.

For this proposal, knowledge is the independent variable, practice is the dependent variable, and demographic and work factors are background variables. Attitude can be added as a mediating variable if the course allows, or left out to keep the scope realistic for a single proposal.

If you want your own title and framework checked before you write the full proposal, see our nursing assignment helper service.

Chapter 3 extract: methodology summary

Self-report can overstate practice, and Alanazi et al. (2025) listed reliance on self-reported data as a limitation. That is why a short direct observation component is proposed alongside the questionnaire.

Chapter 3 extract: data collection

After ethics approval and written permission from the nursing department, trained data collectors would distribute the questionnaire to selected nurses during their shifts, with sealed return boxes to protect privacy. The observation checklist would be used separately, with each observer trained on the five moments before fieldwork begins.

Responses would be coded and entered into SPSS, then checked for missing values and out-of-range entries before analysis. Participation is voluntary, no names are recorded, and nurses may withdraw at any time without any effect on their work.

Sample size calculation (illustrative population)

The nursing population below is assumed for illustration only. A real proposal must use the actual figure from the hospital’s nursing department.

1. Assumptions: illustrative population N = 1,200 nurses; 95% confidence (z = 1.96); margin of error 5% (e = 0.05); expected proportion 50% (p = 0.5), the most cautious choice.
2. Infinite-population sample: n0 = z² × p × (1 − p) / e² = 1.96² × 0.5 × 0.5 / 0.05² = 384.16.
3. Finite-population correction: n = n0 / (1 + (n0 − 1) / N) = 384.16 / (1 + 383.16 / 1,200) = 291.18, rounded up to 292.
4. Adjust for non-response: with an expected 10% loss, 292 / 0.90 = 324.4, so 325 nurses should be invited.

For comparison, the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table gives 291 for a population of 1,200, which agrees with the calculation within one respondent. State which method you use and why.

Students who need support with the full proposal, including the Gantt chart and appendices, can also look at our final year project helper and OUM assignment help pages.

About the expert

Nursing briefs on this site are handled by experts such as Ayesha N. Her profile lists an MSc in Nursing & Clinical Education from Taylor’s University and specialisms in care plan writing, Gibbs reflection and patient-centred assessments. It states that she has supported over 600 Malaysian nursing students, including with APA-formatted work.

References

Al-Qahtani, A. M. (2023). Clean hands, safe care: How knowledge, attitude, and practice impact hand hygiene among nurses in Najran, Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1158678. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1158678

Alanazi, S. R., Alanazi, A. J., Alanazi, M. S., Alenazi, F. R., Algushiry, N. M., Alotaibi, E. A., Alenazi, A. A., Alanazi, H. F., Alanazi, M. M., Alanazi, H. R., Alanezi, M. A., & Alanazi, L. R. (2025). Hand hygiene knowledge, beliefs, and practices among healthcare professionals in Riyadh PHCs, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Medicine and Life, 18(4), 332–337. https://doi.org/10.25122/jml-2025-0007

Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607–610.

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2021). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Sax, H., Allegranzi, B., Uckay, I., Larson, E., Boyce, J., & Pittet, D. (2007). “My five moments for hand hygiene”: A user-centred design approach to understand, train, monitor and report hand hygiene. Journal of Hospital Infection, 67(1), 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2007.06.004

World Health Organization. (2009). WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. WHO Press.