- Published: September 16, 2022
- Updated: September 16, 2022
- University / College: Western University
- Level: Undergraduate
- Language: English
- Downloads: 1
Nursing Theory as Framework for Research It is impossible to find a study that has no theoretical and conceptual framework. This is because the theoretical framework gives a structure that guides the research by serving as a reference basis for observations, definition of ideas, research design, interpretations and generalization. On the other hand, the conceptual framework engrosses ideas that are serially designed. For the past two decades, majority of nursing studies have been based on nursing theories and concepts. Nonetheless, there are a few that lack conceptual and theoretical frameworks. An example of such studies that lack a theoretical framework is that of Bond et al. (2010) that involves a descriptive analysis of articles published a decade ago. Though the study itself seeks to identify the use of theoretical frameworks among articles published in the past five years from 2010, it lacks a theoretical framework to guide its research.
A theoretical framework impacts numerous aspects of the study. Simply because a theoretical framework guides a research by offering a reference basis for the observations, definition of ideas, research design, interpretations, a lack of it implies that the study lacks organization. Therefore, this study lacks organization. According to McEwen and Wills (2014), a theoretical framework guides the researcher in interpreting the study results. In this case, Bond et al. (2010) are not guided by any theory in their collection and interpretation of the data results. Additionally, this also implies that the researchers lack a connection with the existing knowledge. This study also lacks an explanation of existing theoretical assumptions as it does not respond to questions on “ how” and “ why” (McEwen & Wills, 2014).
References
Bond, E. A., Eshah, N. F., Bani-kahled, M. B., Hamad, A. O., & Hashneh, S. H. (2010). Who uses nursing theory? A univariate descriptive analysis of five years’ research articles. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 25(2), 405-409. doi: 10. 1080/13562517. 2010. 507308
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
