Approaches to Knowledge Development in Nursing

Authors

  • Jacqueline Fawcett

Abstract

Considerable progress in the development of nursing knowledge has been made in the past several years. Yet areas of confusion remain, especially with regard to our understanding of the relationships between conceptual models, theories and empirical indicators. This article starts with an overview of the components of conceptual-theoretical-empirical structures and continues with a description of three approaches to nursing knowledge development. The article concludes with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structures The content of this article is based on three philosophic assumptions about nursing knowledge development. First, that knowledge development encompasses the articulation of conceptual models, the generation of middle-range theories and the testing of these theories. Secondly, that all empirical inquiry, that is, research, is directed toward the development of knowledge. The third assumption is that discernible levels of abstraction exist in the knowledge development enterprise and that these levels are conceptual models, middle-range theories and empirical indicators.

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Published

1991-04-13

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Articles