WEEK 4 Discussion Use Of Theoretical Frameworks

 

The first step in understanding theories and frameworks is to become familiar with theoretical terms and their application. These terms are concept, relational statement, conceptual model, theory, middle-range theory, and study framework.

Concept

A concept is a term that abstractly describes and names an object, a phenomenon, or an idea, thus providing it with a distinct identity or meaning. As a label for a phenomenon or a composite of behavior or thoughts, a concept is a concise way to represent an experience or state (Meleis, 2012). Concepts are the basic building blocks of theory (Figure 8-1). An example of a concept is the term “anxiety.” The concept brings to mind a feeling of uneasiness in the stomach, a rapid pulse rate, and troubling thoughts about future negative outcomes. 

Another example of a concept is patient, which denotes a person receiving healthcare services. Think about all the different ways that people receive health care. In many of these settings, the recipients are called patients. The concept of patient encompasses millions of people from widely divergent nationalities, health conditions, and living situations, all of whom share the common characteristic of receiving care.

FIGURE 8-1 Concepts, relational statements, and theories.

Concepts can vary in their levels of abstraction. At high levels of abstraction, concepts that naturally cluster together are called constructs. For example, a construct associated with the concept of anxiety might be “emotional responses.” Within the same construct, hope, anger, fear, and optimism could be identified. Another construct is health care, which includes the concepts of treatment, prevention, health promotion, palliative care, and rehabilitation, to name a few.

Relational Statements

A relational statement is the explanation of the connection between or among concepts (Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013; Walker & Avant, 2011). Relational statements provide the structure of a framework (see the middle section of Figure 8-1). Clear relational statements are essential for constructing an integrated framework that guides the development of a study’s objectives, questions, and hypotheses.

 The types of relationships described determine the study design and indicate the types of statistical analyses that may be used to answer the research question. Mature theories, such as physiological theories, have measurable concepts and clear relational statements that can be tested through research.

Conceptual Models

A conceptual model, one type of which is known as a grand theory, is a set of highly abstract, related constructs. A conceptual model broadly explains phenomena of interest, expresses assumptions, and reflects a philosophical stance. Nurse scholars have expended time and effort to debate the distinctions among definitions of theory, conceptual model, conceptual framework,and theoretical framework (Chinn & Kramer, 2015; Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013; Higgins & Moore, 2000; Meleis, 2012).

 For example, Watson’s theory of caring (1979) has been identified as a meta-theory (Higgins & Moore, 2000), a theory (Meleis, 2012), a philosophy (Alligood, 2010), and a conceptual model (Fitzpatrick & Whall, 2005). Most of nursing’s grand theories, such as Watson’s, are global and offer theoretical, almost philosophical, explanations of what nursing should be, and what the vital parts of nursing should entail. 

They are explanations of nursing as a whole. In this textbook, we use the terms “conceptual model” l and “conceptual framework” interchangeably. We have deliberately chosen not to contribute to the scholarly debate, but to provide the information needed to use concepts, relational statements, and theories.

Theory

A theory consists of a set of defined concepts and relational statements that provide a structured way to think about a phenomenon (see the portion of Figure 8-1 below the lowest dashed line). Theories are developed to describe, explain, or predict a phenomenon or outcome (Goodson, 2015). As discussed earlier, relational statements clarify the relationship that exists between or among concepts. It is the individual statement within a theory that is tested through research, not the entire theory. 

Thus, identifying and categorizing the statements (relationships among the concepts) within the theory are critical to the research endeavor