Week 4 Part 1 F24

Introduction to Conceptual/Theoretical Frameworks

  • Understanding of conceptual and theoretical frameworks is crucial for guiding research.

Learning Objectives

  • Distinguish between constructivist and positivist paradigms.

  • Understand the purpose of frameworks in research.

  • How frameworks guide research methodologies and designs.

  • Explore the ladder of abstraction in definitions.

  • Differentiate between conceptual and operational definitions.

  • Begin critical appraisal criteria to evaluate framework appropriateness.

Definitions

  • Paradigm: A worldview guiding knowledge development.

  • Ontology: Addresses existence; "What can be said to exist?"

  • Epistemology: Explores how knowledge is acquired; "How do we know what we know?"

  • Methodology: The systematic process of acquiring knowledge (method vs. methodology).

Nursing Paradigm

  • Values both lived experiences and cause-effect research.

    • Example: Impact of chemotherapy medication on patient life.

Philosophical Terms in Research

Ontology

  • Study of "being" and existence categorizations.

  • Realism vs. relativism.

Epistemology

  • Addresses truth and the scope of knowledge; etic vs. emic perspectives.

Methodology

  • Principles guiding specific research disciplines (quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods).

Research Paradigms

Post-positivism

  • Acknowledges an imperfect understanding of the material world.

Critical Theory

  • Explores power dynamics in creating reality.

    • Reality is influenced by various social and cultural forces.

Constructivism

  • Views reality as subjective, constructed by individual perception.

  • No absolute truths; knowledge is framed by perceptions.

Research Ethics and Bias

  • Awareness that researchers are biased; objectivity is a goal but not always achievable.

  • Emphasizes participant-researcher dialogue to generate knowledge.

Research Methodology

Types of Research

  • Quantitative: Focus on objectivity, deductive reasoning, etic perspective.

  • Qualitative: Emphasizes subjectivity, inductive reasoning, emic perspective.

Research Goals

  • Explanation, prediction, control, critique, change, understanding, reconstruction of knowledge.