Nursing Research - Ch.8 (Examining the Conceptual
Terms
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- Theory
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- an ABSTRACT generalization that offers a SYSTEMATIC explanation about how PHENOMENA are INTERRELATED
- has at least 2 concepts that are related offering explanation (ex. proposition)
Example: behaviour that is reinforced tends to be repeated and learned
- Propositions lead to hypotheses through DEDUCTION (ex. Children who are praised in school for their effort will do better on exams than children who are not praised)
- predictions can be tested in studies
- some theories are descriptive, not predictive
- theory and research are reciprocal processes (sometimes research generates theories)
- 2 general categories of theory are SPECULATIVE and SUBSTANTIVE (speculative is BEFORE the research and SUBSTANTIVE is USING research)
- may be used to examine a problem/phenomenon
- may be derived from research findings: SUBSTANTIVE theory
- may be used to interpret and explain research findings
- theories are derived from observations and speculation and the theorist's ability to creatively make sense of the observations
- theories are TENTATIVE (can never be proved but research can provide support)
- theories may evolve and change over time or be discarded
- Grand Theories: explain very broad phenomena (ex. Watson's theory of care)
- Middle Range theories: explain particular aspects of phenomena (ex. How people survived after the Holocaust) - CONCEPTUAL MODEL
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- usually represented in pictures
- concepts pulled together because of relevance to a COMMON theme
- LESS formal than a theory
- may draw from MORE THAN ONE theory
- often revealed by way of visual representation - STATISTICAL MODEL
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- mathematical representation of the relationship between variables
- reveals the nature and strength of a relationship between variables - SCHEMATIC MODEL
- - diagram of a phenomenon of interest showing the relationships among the concepts
- Frameworks
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- the CONCEPTUAL underpinning of a study
- every study is based on some type of framework whether explicitly stated or not
- may be CONCEPTUAL or THEORETICAL
- may be based on a PHILOSOPHICAL perspective rather than a theoretical or conceptual framework per se - ex. QUALITATIVE studies
- building blocks of the foundation of a study - Conceptual models and theories used by nurses:
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- models and theories that explain what nursing is or what nurses do (ex. person, nursing, environment, health)
- theories that describe or explain phenomena of interest to nurses (ex. uncertainty)
- borrowed and SHARED THEORIES (ex. from OTHER DISCIPLINES such as Theory of Stress) - How to Critique a Theoretical/Conceptual framework for QUANTITATIVE research:
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- In some studies there is no explicitly stated theoretical or conceptual framework - is the contribution to knowledge therefore diminished?
- Is the particular framework useful?
- Does it work logically for the problem being examined? - How to Critique a Theoretical/Conceptual framework for QUALITATIVE research:
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- generally there isn't a theoretical or conceptual framework as such
- philosophical underpinnings should be evident
- in a grounded theory study, a theory is generated from the data - is the theory well supported? Logical? Coherent?
- are the findings interpreted in light of the philosophical underpinnings or prior theory?