The Assignment:
- Identify an empirical research article utilizing the theory as a conceptual framework.
- Discuss how the authors use the theory as a conceptual framework for their study.
- Address if this theory is supported by empirical evidence (do the study findings support or refute the theory).
This research assignment involves finding a conceptual framework or model that supports an existing nursing theory.
Typically, to search for this assignment, you will need to use:
- The name of the theory - (i.e. "Self-Care Deficit Theory") and/or the name of the theorist.
- "Conceptual Framework" as a keyword. You can also replace this with "conceptual model," or "theoretical framework" if needed.
Using CINAHL Complete, you can build the search like this:
- Below the search boxes on the advanced search page, click on "CINAHL Subject Headings," and then type the name of the theory into the search box.
- Scroll down and select "Orem Self-Care Model" from the list. You will see a listing of additional subheadings for you to choose from. If you would like to add any of these to your search, you can select them here, or you can choose to - "Select All Subheadings."
- You can also select "Major Concept" next to your subject term to make that a major concept in the search.
Finally, select "Add to Search."
- Then, add "conceptual framework" to the second line of the search at the top of the page.
You will then need to add some additional filters if you need them:
- Deselect "Full Text" at the top of the page (This is so the search can be broadened beyond what is in CINAHL, and so you are not restricting the search)
- Select the "All Time" and change it to "Past 5 years" to change the date range to within the last 5 years of publication.
- Use "Geography" to filter results from a specific country. To change this, select "All Filters" at the top.
- Use "Language" to only show articles from a certain language, for example, "English." To change this, select "All Filters" at the top.
Here is an example of a search in CINAHL for this assignment: Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory
Next, we will look at an example that fits the criteria of this assignment and help you notice these when you are doing your own searching.
Feel free to right-click on these images and open them in a new tab for a larger view.
Highlighted fields:
- Affiliation: This is where you can verify the authors of the article are either nurses or are affiliated with a nursing school or hospital. If their credentials are not listed, you will need to open the PDF of the article located on the left side, and see if their credentials are listed there.
- Major Subjects: Remember we selected "Major Concept" as part of our search, so we now have verification that "Orem Self-Care Model" is listed as a major concept.
- Minor Subjects: "Randomized Controlled Trials" is highlighted since this is a type of research study. It is also an indicator that the article itself is empirical and/or primary.
Also, looking at the "Source" - we can verify this is from a nursing journal because of the title - "Journal of Nursing & Midwifery Science."
The "Date" (Oct-Dec2022) is also within our range.
Suggestions to find a primary research study that used your theory as a framework for the study:
- Review the literature in existing articles - review the references and citations in an article you find interesting.
- Use either the Major or Minor Subjects as keywords. These subjects are clickable allowing you to perform a search with only that term. You will then need to add additional terms to the search.
- Look at the keywords used by the researcher in an article (if available) - Some research articles include the keywords the researchers used in their searching. You may be able to find more articles using these.
- Use other databases: You can add a database to your search in EBSCO by going to the top of the page and selecting the current database in use. Then, a list will open where you can select a database - for example, MEDLINE, to begin using that database in addition to CINAHL.
- Please note that some primary research articles may explicitly state that the theory was the theoretical framework for the study (or they may use other terms like conceptual framework or model), while other articles may not be as explicit. In those less-explicit articles, you should be able to ascertain that the theory was used as a framework.
