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Constructing meaning in the learning experience: the role of alternative theoretical frameworks
1Highlands and Western Isles College of Nursing and Midwifery, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland.
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|July 1, 1996
Summary
Student nurses develop alternative theoretical frameworks (ATFs) from their experiences, which are often narrative rather than formal. This can create challenges when aligning student knowledge with formal nursing theories taught in education.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Epistemology in Nursing
- Student Knowledge Construction
Background:
- Student nurses construct their own understanding of nursing through experience.
- These understandings, termed alternative theoretical frameworks (ATFs), may differ from formal nursing theories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the nature of ATFs developed by student nurses.
- To examine the relationship between ATFs and formal nursing theories.
- To identify potential difficulties arising from the interaction between ATFs and formal theories.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of student nurses' experiential knowledge.
- Theoretical framework development based on narrative inquiry.
- Comparative analysis of student-generated ATFs and established nursing theories.
Main Results:
- Student nurses' knowledge is often structured as narratives, not formal theoretical frameworks.
- ATFs represent a distinct way of making sense of nursing experiences.
- Discrepancies between ATFs and formal theories can impede learning and teaching.
Conclusions:
- Student nurses' knowledge construction is primarily narrative.
- Educators must acknowledge and address the role of ATFs in nursing education.
- Strategies are needed to bridge the gap between student-generated narratives and formal nursing theory.
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