Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing
NUR 18200 Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing
This is a multi-week assignment. Submit the completed assignment by the end of the day Sunday of Module 4. Overview This document provides an overview of how to develop a concept analysis. The process is quite involved and can be difficult. However, for this assignment, the requirements have been simplified so that you can learn how to conduct the activity. In addition to reading this document, see the sample concept analysis paper for a good example of the following steps. The paper you develop from this process should be between 6-8 pages, including cover sheet and references. Although the concept can be a challenge, it can also be really fun. Note: You should listen to the Concept Analysis podcast several times so you begin to conceptualize the purpose of this process. Steps of Concept Analysis (Adapted from Walker & Avant, 2005) 1. Select a concept. For example, ask yourself "What concept am I interested in?" There are endless possibilities of concepts that loan themselves to analysis. For your paper in this course we are going to keep it simple. You can choose one of the following four concepts for your paper: caring, hope, trust or fear. 2. Determine the aim or purpose of the analysis. Ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" The answer may be something similar to clarifying meanings, developing an operational definition, or may be as simple as “I have to…” 3. Identify as many uses of the concept as possible. In other words, you are attempting to discover the "the known conceptualizations." Start this process by identifying dictionary definitions. Use at least three different dictionaries to gather your definitions. Also, use a thesaurus. Next, gather at least five (5) scholarly articles on the concept. You may need to go outside of the nursing literature because some concepts originate in other sciences. In general, the more sources you use and the more varied they are (i.e., from different disciplines),
This is a multi-week assignment. Submit the completed assignment by the end of the day Sunday of Module 4. Overview This document provides an overview of how to develop a concept analysis. The process is quite involved and can be difficult. However, for this assignment, the requirements have been simplified so that you can learn how to conduct the activity. In addition to reading this document, see the sample concept analysis paper for a good example of the following steps. The paper you develop from this process should be between 6-8 pages, including cover sheet and references. Although the concept can be a challenge, it can also be really fun. Note: You should listen to the Concept Analysis podcast several times so you begin to conceptualize the purpose of this process. Steps of Concept Analysis (Adapted from Walker & Avant, 2005) 1. Select a concept. For example, ask yourself "What concept am I interested in?" There are endless possibilities of concepts that loan themselves to analysis. For your paper in this course we are going to keep it simple. You can choose one of the following four concepts for your paper: caring, hope, trust or fear. 2. Determine the aim or purpose of the analysis. Ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" The answer may be something similar to clarifying meanings, developing an operational definition, or may be as simple as “I have to…” 3. Identify as many uses of the concept as possible. In other words, you are attempting to discover the "the known conceptualizations." Start this process by identifying dictionary definitions. Use at least three different dictionaries to gather your definitions. Also, use a thesaurus. Next, gather at least five (5) scholarly articles on the concept. You may need to go outside of the nursing literature because some concepts originate in other sciences. In general, the more sources you use and the more varied they are (i.e., from different disciplines),