The nursing instructor is preparing information to present to students

QUESTION

The nursing instructor is preparing information to present to students on the development of nursing knowledge. In which order should the instructor review this information?

1. Theory
2. Concept
3. Paradigm
4. Conceptual model
5. Conceptual framework

ANSWER:

Correct Answer: 2, 5, 4, 1, 3

Concepts, the building blocks of theory, are abstract ideas or mental images of phenomena. Concepts are words that bring forth mental pictures of the properties and meanings of objects, events, or things. A conceptual framework is a group of related concepts. It provides an overall view or orientation to focus thoughts. A conceptual model, a term often used interchangeably with conceptual framework, is a graphic illustration or diagram of a conceptual framework. A theory is a supposition or system of ideas that is proposed to explain a given phenomenon. A theory goes one step beyond a conceptual framework; a theory relates concepts by using definitions that state significant relationships between concepts. Theories are not discovered; individuals who think and see the world in different ways create them. These worldviews provide contrasting paradigms (structures for organizing theory) and provide different traditions in and approaches to science and knowledge development.