TODAY AUG 18 LET`S

CONTINUE WITH OUR

EXPECTATION CHECK
AND START WITH UNIT 1
 THEORETICAL
FOUNDATIONS IN
NURSING
NCM 100
 COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying the Units, you should be able to:
◦ Integrate knowledge of physical, social, natural and health sciences in the analysis of nursing and discipline
relevant theories.

◦ Apply guidelines and principles of evidence - based practice utilizing the nursing theories.

◦ Translate appropriate nursing theories in specific scenarios in the care of individuals, families, population
groups, and/or community.

◦ Utilize interactive skills guided by specific theoretical principles

◦ Justify the value of theory development to Nursing as a science.

◦ Practice theoretical postulate in accordance with ethical and moral principles.

◦ Assume responsibility for lifelong learning, personal development and competence.

◦ Integrate the nursing core values and Christian core values in specific scenarios.
UNIT 1: BASIC CONCEPTS
OF A THEORY & NURSING
THEORY
 Unit 1 focuses on the basic concepts…

• definition of key terms

• overview of theory
• theory classifications & its importance to Nursing
• the four-concept metaparadigm for Nursing
• illustrates how theory, research & practice impact each
other
On successful completion of this Unit, you will be
able to:

◦ Familiarize yourself with the key terms used in theoretical thinking.

◦ Compare and contrast the different classifications of theories in Nursing

◦ Enumerate the importance of theories and conceptual models in nursing

practice.

◦ Discuss the metaparadigm of the discipline of Nursing.

◦ Illustrate the interrelationship among Theory, research and Practice

Recognizing the need to study how theory
can be important in practice…
◦ The NEGA…

◦ the idea of studying theory is confusing, has no practical

value, and that theory is, in essence, too theoretical.

◦ Some nursing scholars believe that nursing theory is

practically non-existent, while others believe the notion of
nursing theory is outdated (McEwen, 2019).
Recognizing the need to study how theory
can be important in practice…
◦ THE OPEN MIND...
◦ truth be told, from the time of the mother of modern Nursing, Florence Nightingale, up to
the present, numerous theories were developed over the expanse of more than 150 years.
◦ Nursing history and significant developments demonstrate the incredible influence
theory has had on nursing as a specialized field of practice.

◦ Nursing followed a development path

from concepts  to conceptual frameworks  to models  to

theories
Recognizing the need to study how theory
can be important in practice…
The significance is verified…

◦ As nurses use theory and theory-based evidence to structure their practice and
quality of patient care improves.

◦ Nurses not only sort patient data quickly, decide on appropriate nursing
actions, deliver care, and evaluate outcomes but also discuss the nature of their
practice clearly with other health professionals, which is vital for nurse
participation in interdisciplinary care. (Alligood, 2014; Chinn & Kramer, 2015;
Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2012; Meleis 2012)
II. Key Terms:
Common terminologies or key terms to consider in the language of theoretical thinking:

1. Assumption
◦ Statement or view which is widely accepted as true.

2. Concept
◦ A concept is an idea, thought, or notion conceived in the mind.
◦ It is the element or component of a phenomenon necessary to understand the phenomenon.
◦ The building blocks of theories, classify the phenomena of interest (Kaplan, 1964)
◦ A concept may be abstract or concrete/empirical. An abstract concept is mentally
constructed independent of a specific time or place, while a concrete concept is directly
experienced and relate to a particular time and place (Chinn & Kramer, 2015; Hage, 1972;
Reynolds, 1971)
II. Key Terms:
Common terminologies or key terms to consider in the language of theoretical thinking:

3. Conceptual Model/Framework
◦ a set of interrelated concepts the symbolically represent and convey a mental image of a
phenomenon.

4. Construct
◦ the most complex type of concept. They comprise more than one concept and are typically
built by the theorist to fit a purpose.

5. Discipline
◦ is specific to academia and refers to a branch of education, a department of learning or a
domain of knowledge. (Donaldson & Crowley, 1978)
DAY 3
II. Key Terms:
Common terminologies or key terms to consider in the language of theoretical thinking:

6. Hypothesis
◦ tentative suggestions that a specific relationship exists between two concepts or
propositions.

7. Metapardigm
◦ the core content of a discipline, stated in the most global or abstract of terms.

8. Nursing Theory
◦ "a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and
systematic view of phenomena" (Chinn, Peggy; Kramer, Maeona, 2010)
II. Key Terms:
Common terminologies or key terms to consider in the language of theoretical thinking:

9. Paradigm
◦ an organizing framework that contains concepts, theories, assumptions, beliefs, values and
principles that form the way the discipline interprets the subject matter with which it is
concerned.

10. Phenomenon
◦ the designation of an aspect of reality, the phenomena of interest become the subject matter.

11. Philosophy
◦ a statement of beliefs and values about human beings and their world.
II. Key Terms:
Common terminologies or key terms to consider in the language of theoretical thinking:

12. Profession
◦ a specialized field of practice, founded on the theoretical structure of the
science or knowledge of that discipline and accompanying practice
abilities

13. Theory
◦ a set of logically interrelated concepts, statements, propositions and
definitions, which have been derived from philosophical beliefs of
scientific data.
 DAY 4
Done with definition of terms…

I hope you viewed the youtube videos as supplement to

the past lesson to understand it better.
III. Nursing’s Metaparadigm
◦ refers to worldview of a discipline.
◦ ideology within which theories, knowledge, and processes for
knowing find meaning and coherence.
◦ generally consists of the concepts of
◦ Person
◦ Environment
◦ Health
◦ Nursing

◦ (McEwen, 2014)
 Person
◦ refers to a being composed of
physical, intellectual,
biochemical, and psychological
needs; and a being who is
greater than the sum of his or
her parts (Wagner, 1986).
Health
◦ the ability to function
independently; successful
adaptation to life’s stressors;
achievement of one’s full life
potential; and unity of mind,
body and soul (Wagner, 1986).
Environment
◦ external elements that affect the
person
◦ an open system with boundaries
with human beings that permit
the exchange of matter, energy
& information with human
beings (Wagner, 1986).
◦ 
 Nursing
◦ a science, an art, a practice discipline
◦ involves caring
◦ Goals : care of the well, care of the sick,
assisting with self-care activities(Wagner, 1986).

◦ facilitates, supports & assists individuals,

families, communities, societies to enhance,
maintain, and recover health, to reduce &
ameliorate effects of illness (Thorne et al., 1998)
IV. Overview of Theory
◦ unique theories of a discipline distinguishes it from other disciplines

◦ clarify basic assumptions and values of a profession shared by its

members, define the nature, outcome, and purpose of practice
(Alligood, 2014; Fawcett, 2012; Rutty 1998)

◦ Theory (basic level) - a systematic explanation of an event in

which constructs & concepts are identified and relationships are
proposed and predictions made (Streubert & Carpenter, 2011).
 IV. Overview of Theory…
◦ Theory has been called a set of interpretative assumptions, principles, or propositions
that help explain or guide action (Young, Taylor & Renpenning, 2001)
 
◦ Theory has also been defined as a “creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project
a tentative, purposeful and systematic view of phenomena” (Chinn & Kramer, 1999).
◦ Simply stated, a theory suggests direction in how to view facts & events.

example:
◦ Nightingale proposed a beneficial relationship between fresh air and health.
Classification of Theories in Nursing
Nursing theories classification basis:

◦ A. Scope / range or abstractness

◦ B. Type or purpose
◦ 
Scope of Theory:

◦ Based on the complexity and degree of abstraction.

◦ Includes its level of specificity and the concreteness of its concepts

and propositions.
Scope of theory:
1. Metatheory

2. Grand theory/ Macrotheory

3. Middle Range Theory

4. Practice theory/ Microtheory

 Scope of theory: 1. Metatheory
- AKA Philosophy or Worldview.
- It refers to a theory about theory
- In nursing, it focuses on broad issues such as the process of
generating knowledge and theory development (Chinn & Kramer,
2015; Powers and Knapp, 2011).
Humanistic Nursing Metatheory by Paterson & Zderad
Scope of theory: 2. Grand theory/
Macrotheory
◦ the most complex and broadest in
scope
◦ attempts to explain broad areas
within a discipline and may
incorporate numerous other theories.
◦ broadly conceptualized and is usually
applied to a general area of a specific
discipline (Higgins & Moore, 2000;
Peterson 2017).
Scope of theory: 3. Middle Range
Theory
◦ substantially specific, encompasses limited number of concepts and a limited
aspect of the real world
◦ composed of relatively concrete concepts that can be operationally defined and
relatively concrete propositions that may be empirically tested (Higgins &
Moore, 2000; Peterson, 2017; Whall, 2016).

◦ A middle-range theory may be

◦ (1) a description of a phenomenon
◦ (2) an explanation of the relationship between phenomena, or
◦ (3) a prediction of the effects of one phenomenon to another (Fawcwtt & DeSanto-
Madeya, 2013).
Scope of theory: 4. Practice theory/
Microtheory
◦ AKA situation-specific theory or
prescriptive theory
◦ the least complex, narrowest in scope
◦ contains the fewest concepts, refers to
specific, easily defined phenomena
◦ explains a small aspect of reality and is
intended to be prescriptive, usually limited
to a specific population or field of practice.
PROCEED TO TABLE
OF COMPARISON OF
THE SCOPES…