What are assumptions in the context of a theory?
Beliefs about phenomena one must accept as true to accept a theory about the phenomena as true
Assumptions may be based on accepted knowledge or personal beliefs and values. Not testable, but argued philosophically.
What is a borrowed or shared theory?
Theory from another discipline that is adapted to worldview and practice of nursing
Define concept in relation to phenomena.
Elements or components of phenomenon necessary to understand phenomenon, abstract and derives from impressions of human mind about phenomena through sensing environment
What is a conceptual model or conceptual framework?
Set of interrelated concepts that symbolically represents and converts a mental image of phenomena, identify concepts and describe their relationships to phenomena of central concern to the discipline
What is a construct?
Most complex type of concept, more than one concept, built by theorists or philosophers to find a purpose
Concepts and constructs are interchangeable; all constructs are concepts, but not all concepts are constructs.
What is an empirical indicator?
Very specific, concrete identifiers of concepts, actual instructions, experimental conditions, and procedures used to observe or measure the concepts of a theory
What does epistemology study?
Theories of knowledge or how people come to have knowledge; in nursing, it is the study of origins of nursing knowledge
What is a hypothesis?
Tentative suggestions that specify relationships between two concepts or propositions
Repeated confirmation moves it into an empirical generalization, and ultimately a law.
Define knowledge in a disciplinary context.
Awareness or perception of reality acquired through insight, learning, or investigation; seen as a reasonably accurate understanding of the world by members of a discipline
What are laws in the context of a theory?
Propositions about relationships between concepts in theory that have been repeatedly validated, highly generalizable
What is a metaparadigm?
Represents worldview of discipline, global perspective that subsumes more specific views and approaches to the central concepts with which discipline is concerned
Consists of person, nursing, environment, health.
What is middle range theory?
Part of a discipline that concerns related to particular topics, scope is narrower than broad/grand theories
What is a model in the context of nursing theory?
Graphic or symbolic representations of phenomena that objectify and present certain perspectives or points of view about nature or function
Define ontology.
Study of existence and nature of reality
What is a paradigm?
Organizing framework that contains concepts, theories, assumptions, belief, values, and principles that form the way discipline interprets the subject matter
What does the term phenomena refer to?
Designation of aspect of reality; interests become subject matter to primary concerns of a discipline
What is philosophy in the context of nursing?
Statement of beliefs and values about human beings and their world
What is a practice or situation-specific theory?
Deals with limited range of discrete phenomena that are specifically defined and not expanded to include their link with broad concerns of a discipline
What does praxis refer to?
Application of a theory to cases encountered in experience
What are relationship statements?
Indicate specific relationships between two or more concepts, classified as propositions, hypothesis, laws, axioms, theorems
What is taxonomy?
Classification scheme for defining or gathering together various phenomena, ranging in complexity from simple to complicated
Define theory in the context of nursing.
Set of logically interrelated concepts, statements, propositions, and definitions derived from philosophical beliefs or scientific data
What are the classifications of theory?
- Meta
- Grand
- Middle range
- Practice
What is metatheory?
Theory about theory, broad issues about generating knowledge and theory development
