Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing free essay sample

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. We will write a custom essay sample on Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 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. . 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 â€Å"I have to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  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), the stronger your analysis will be. For this assignment, you must have a minimum of five (5) scholarly articles beyond the dictionary definitions. In general, the more scholarly sources you use the easier it will be for you to identify the critical attributes of the concept. This is essential in a concept analysis because if you fail to define the essential attributes the remainder of the paper will tend to be conceptually 2010 Purdue University Calumet 1 NUR 18200 Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing muddy. Ensure that you properly cite each source. 4. Determine the critical or defining attributes of the concept. What do all instances or uses of the term have in common? This is a crucial step in the concept analysis. It is also one of the most difficult steps and may require some significant thinking . Read each of the collected definitions (from the dictionaries, thesaurus, and scholarly articles) and consider them. Identify what is common among all of the definitions. These become your critical attributes. Remember critical or essential attributes are just that critical or essential. If you have too many, you havent thoroughly analyzed the term and constructing your cases will be difficult. If you have too few attributes, you are not thoroughly describing the concept. And as a result, you will have little content to work with. 5. Construct a model case. What is an example of the term? Construct a real life scenario that uses the concept. The scenario should include all of the critical attributes. As you construct the model case, e xplain how you use each of the critical attributes. To develop your model case, you may consider an experience from your nursing practice, or you may create an entirely fictional scenario. What is important is that your scenario is an accurate representation (model) of your concept. 6. Construct a contrary case. In this step, you are developing a non-example of the concept. In many cases, this scenario actually may be the opposite of the concept. While this step may sound contrary, t he purpose is to provide examples of what is not† the concept. You will support your claim by showing how the contrary case does not contain any of the critical attributes of the concept. To further develop your understanding, you also should explain how or why each attribute is absent from the contrary case. 7. Construct a borderline case. For most concepts, there are also what are called borderline, related, invented, and illegitimate cases. These are cases which are related to the concept, but are not actually examples (or nonexamples) of the concept. In other words, identify something that is almost an example, but not quite. This activity will help you to further clarify your concept. A note about the model, contrary, and borderline cases: Although they can all be ifferent, they dont need to be. You may use a general or basic scenario and make changes or additions in it to illustrate each of the 3 — model, contrary, and borderline. 8. Identify related concepts. What terms are related or similar to the concept? In this step, you will identify instances that are related to the concept, but that dont contain the critical attributes of the concept. As such, th e concepts are similar or tangential to the concept. Theres no need to write a narrative for related concepts; just list them. The thesaurus is a good course for identifying related concepts. 9. Construct an invented case. What is an example of the term in an unusual or make believe context? The invented case is like the model case in that it contains all the critical attributes; however, it is more like a fairy 2010 Purdue University Calumet 2 NUR 18200 Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing tale or science fiction story. Invented cases are useful because they force you to think about things that you might otherwise take for granted in a totally different context. 2010 Purdue University Calumet 3 NUR 18200 Conceptual and Theoretical Thinking in Nursing 10. Identify an illegitimate use of the term. Identify whether there are any different, strange or improper uses of the term. This may not occur with every concept, but if it does, its an example of the concept used out of context, in a different semantic context, or improperly (e. g. , coping saw). Illegitimate use of the term is often part of your original list of uses of the word, and sometimes jumps right out at you. On the othe r hand, with some concepts, an illegitimate use doesnt exist. If you identify an illegitimate definition of your term, use it in a sentence to illustrate why the term is illegitimate to your concept. 1. Identify antecedents and consequences. Antecedents and consequences are those things that precede or follow the existence of the concept. For many students, antecedents and consequences are difficult to identify because it is difficult to think of the pure concept. For example, seeing is not always an antecedent of reading, and a consequence of stress is not always something physiologic. Clear your mi nd and think of the concept as an entity, something that actually exists, happens, or is out there. Then do the next two steps.