Ways of knowing among beginning students in nursing

Twenty-one students in their first quarter of nursing school were interviewed to determine the utility of the typology for ways of knowing developed by Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, and Tarule (1986) for understanding the cognitive development of nursing students; the differences in epistemological perspectives by gender, age, and ethnicity; and the forces in nursing school that encourage developmental transitions. The typology was found to be applicable for Caucasian women and provided important insights on differences among groups of students. Some of the implications for providing supportive educational environments are presented.