Developing Nurses’ Understanding of the Use of Theoretical Frameworks in Doctoral Research

Abstract

Building nursing research capacity is a strategic goal in Europe; the essence of which is the preparation of scholarly leaders who can inform, enrich, and deliver the evidence-base of nursing policy and practice (World Health Organization 2015). The nurse educator plays a pivotal role in providing quality supervision to the student researcher, and a dynamic, trusting relationship is a prerequisite for excellence (Severinsson 2015). Constructive dialogue and debate is a healthy feature of the research supervision process (Murphy and Wibberley 2017), fostering critical thinking, informed understanding, and critique. It is not unusual to deliberate the use of a theoretical framework as this can provide guidance for the researcher, and structure to the area of research interest. However, a lack of understanding may be encountered due to a paucity of subject-related literature (Green 2014). This presentation illustrates the use of theoretical frameworks in qualitative research by drawing on two studies, respectively carried out as a doctoral and postdoctoral scholar. The studies are distinct, thus providing contrasting examples of: identifying and applying an existing theoretical framework (study one) and the development and use of a unique theoretical framework (study two). Developing nurses’ understanding of theoretical frameworks in research should form part of the doctoral education and training programme, for the purposes of planning a research study, and producing trustworthy discipline-specific knowledge.