Purpose, Quality, and Value in Critical Realist Research within Nurse Education

Phil Coleman

doi:10.14710/nmjn.v9i1.23485

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v9i1.23485

Purpose, Quality, and Value in Critical Realist Research within Nurse Education

*Phil Coleman - Staff Tutor/Senior Lecturer, School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies The Open University, United Kingdom

Citation Format:

Abstract

Background: There have been a wide range of practice fields in nursing research including education; however, the quality of research in these disciplines has often failed to provide a sufficiently robust foundation.

Purpose: This paper explores the purpose of educational research, how quality can be assured in such research and how the value of a research study in nurse education can be determined; focusing predominantly on arguments associated with the use of qualitative, and to a lesser extent, mixed methods research.

Methods: A Critical Realist review drawing upon relevant literature from the fields of nursing, education, and healthcare was undertaken to examine issues of purpose, quality, and value in such research.

Results: A wide range of criteria were identified to evaluate the purpose, quality, and value of Critical Realist research using qualitative and mixed methods research within nurse education.

Conclusion: The holistic, theoretically-eclectic, pragmatic, and solution-focused nature of nursing as a discipline means that Critical Realist research in nursing, and more specifically, nurse education should explicitly reflect these principles.

Fulltext View|Download

Keywords: Critical realist; nurse education; research

Funding: None

Article Metrics:

Article Info

Section: Articles

Language : EN

In Vol 9, No 1 (2019): (JUNE 2019)

Recent articles

Effects of Family Empowerment on Increasing Family Support in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Revisiting the Barriers to and Facilitators of Research Utilization in Nursing: A Systematic Review Effects of Islamic Spiritual Mindfulness on Stress among Nursing Students Editorial Back Matter Editorial Front Matter More recent articles

Most cited articles

Cardiac Rehabilitation Enhancing Programs in Patients with Myocardial Infarction: A literature Review Improving Self-Efficacy and Physical Self-Reliance of Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis through Mindfulness The Quality of Life of Women with Cervical Cancer in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study Family Experiences of Mental Illness: A Meta-Synthesis A Systematic Review of the Selected Evidences on the Effectiveness of Inter-professional Education (IPE) in Developing Interprofessional Learning Environment More cited articles

Alvesson, M. (2003). Beyond neopositivists, romantics and localists: A reflexive approach to interviews in organisational research. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 13-33
American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN]. (2006). AACN position statement on nursing research. Aliso Viejo: American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Anderson, C. (2010). Presenting and evaluating qualitative research. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(8) Article 141,1-7
Anderson, G. & Herr, K. (1999). The new paradigm wars: is there room for rigorous practitioner knowledge in schools and universities?. Educational Researcher, 28(5), 12-21
Arksey, H. & Knight, P. (1999). Interviewing for social scientists: An introductory resource with examples. London: Sage
Barbour, R. (2001) Checklists for improving rigour in qualitative research: a case of the tail wagging the dog?. British Medical Journal, 322(7294), 1115-1117
Beck, C. T. (2009). Critiquing Qualitative Research. Archives of Research in Nursing Journal, 90(4), 543-554
Behar-Horenstein, L. & Feng, X. (2015). Emancipatory research: A synthesis of quantitative evidence. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(3), 46-56
Bisman, J. (2010) Postpositivism and accounting research: a (personal) primer on critical realism. Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal, 4(4), 3-25
Bogdan, R. & Knopp Biklen, S. (2010). Foundations of qualitative research in education. In Luttrell, W. (ed). Qualitative Educational Research. Abingdon: Routledge
Brossett-Garner, D. (2014). Theories from the behavioral sciences. In McEwan M. & Wills, E. Theoretical basis for nursing. 4th Ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer
Burnard, P., Gill, P., Stewart, K., Teasure, E. & Chadwick, B. (2008). Analysing and presenting qualitative data. British Dental Journal, 204(8), 429-432
CareSearch. (2011). Evidence-based practice: Nurses as researchers. Retrieved from: https://www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/Portals/0/Documents/PROFESSIONAL-GROUPS/Nurses%20Hub/NH_EBP_Nurses-as-Researchers_July_2011.pdf
Carr, W. (2007). Educational research as a practical science. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 30(3), 271-286
Clark, A. (2008). Critical realism. In Given, L. (ed) The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Clegg, S. (2001). Is computing really for women? A critical realist approach to gender issues in computing. In Lopez, J. & Potter, G. (eds.). After postmodernism. An introduction to critical realism. London: The Athlone Press
Clegg, S. (2005). Evidence-based practice in educational research: a critical realist critique of systematic review. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 26(3), 415-428
Cody, W. (1996). Drowning in eclecticism. Nursing Science Quarterly, 9(3), 86-88
Collier, A. (1994). Critical realism. An introduction to Roy Bhaskar’s philosophy. Verso: London
Cooley, A. (2013). Qualitative research in education: The origins, debates, and politics of creating knowledge. Educational Studies, 49(3), 247-262
Edgley, A., Stickley, T., Timmons, S. & Meal, A. (2016). Critical realist review: exploring the real, beyond the empirical. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(3), 316-330
Evans, J. & Benfield, P. (2001). Systematic reviews of educational research: Does the medical model fit?. British Educational Research Journal, 27(5), 527-541
Fealy, G. (1997). The theory-practice relationship in nursing: An exploration of contemporary discourse. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25, 1061–1069
Feuer, M., Towne, L. & Shavelson, R. (2002). Scientific culture and educational research. Educational Researcher, 31(8), 4-14
Fisher, P. & Freshwater, D. (2015). An emancipatory approach to practice and qualitative inquiry in mental health: Finding ‘voice’ in Charles Taylor's ethics of identity. Ethics and Social Welfare, 9(1), 2-17
Fossey, E., Harvey, C., McDermott, F. & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and evaluating qualitative research. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), 717–732
Gorard, S. & Cook, S. (2007) Where does good evidence come from?. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 30(3), 307-323
Greene, J. (2008). Is mixed methods social inquiry a distinctive methodology?. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 2(1), 7-22
Groundwater‐Smith, S. & Mockler, N. (2007). Ethics in practitioner research: An issue of quality. Research Papers in Education, 22(2), 199-211
Hammersley, M. (2003). Can and should educational research be educative?. Oxford Review of Education, 29(1), 3-25
Hewitt, J. (2009). Redressing the balance in mental health nursing education: Arguments for a values-based approach. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 18(5), 368-79
Kinsella, E. (2007). Technical rationality in Schön’s reflective practice: dichotomous or non-dualistic epistemological position. Nursing Philosophy, 8(2), 102–113
Knowles, J. & Gray, M. (2011). The experience of critiquing published research: Learning from the student and researcher perspective. Nurse Education in Practice, 11(6), 390-394
Leach, M. & Tucker, B. (2018). Current understandings of the research-practice gap in nursing: A mixed-methods study. Collegian, 25(2), 171-179
Luttrell, W. (2010). Introduction. The promise of qualitative research in education. In Luttrell, W. (ed). Qualitative Educational Research. Abingdon: Routledge
Madill, A. (2008). Realism and critical approaches. In Given, L. (ed). The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Mays, N. & Pope, C. (2000). Assessing quality in qualitative research. British Medical Journal, 320, 50-52
McEvoy, P., & Richards, D. (2006). A critical realist rationale for using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Journal of Research in Nursing, 11(1), 66-78
Mellor, N. (2001). Messy method: The unfolding story. Educational Action Research, 9(3), 465-484
Miller, K. & Tsang E. (2010) Testing management theories: critical realist philosophy and research methods. Strategic Management Journal, 32(2), 139-158
Mischler, E. (1990). Validation in inquiry-guided research: the role of exemplars in narrative studies. Harvard Educational Review, 60(4), 415-442
Moreno Casbas, T. (1999). Building a European nursing research strategy. Madrid: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Mulholland, J. (1997). Assimilating sociology: critical reflections on the ‘Sociology in nursing’ debate. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(4), 844-852
National Nursing Research Unit [NNRU]. (2012). Policy+Review. Kings College: London
National Research Council Committee on Scientific Principles for Education Research [NRCCSPER]. (2002). Scientific research in education. Washington: National Research Council
Nursing & Midwifery Council [NMC]. (2018). The code. Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council
Oltmann, C. & Boughey, C. (2012). Using critical realism as a framework in pharmacy education and social pharmacy research. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 8(4), 333–337
O'Mahoney, J. & Vincent, S. (2014). Critical Realism as an empirical project: a beginner’s guide. In Edwards, P., O'Mahoney, J. & Vincent, S. (eds). Studying organizations using critical realism. A practical guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Onwuegbuzie, A. & Leech, N. (2005). Taking the “Q” out of research: teaching research methodology courses without the divide between quantitative and qualitative paradigms. Quality & Quantity, 39(3), 267-295
Patomaki, H. & Wight, C. (2000). After postpositivism? The promises of critical realism. International Studies Quarterly, 44(2), 213-237
Pring, R. (2000). The ‘false dualism’ of education research. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 14(2), 247-260
Rennie, I. (2009). Exploring approaches to clinical skills development in nursing education. Nursing Times, 106(3), 20-22
Royal College of Nursing [RCN]. (2009). Research ethics. RCN guidance for nurses. London: Royal College of Nursing
Samsi, K. (2012). Critical appraisal of qualitative research. London King’s College. Retrieved from https://www.kcl.ac.uk/scwru/pubs/2012/conf/samsi26jul12.pdf
Savage, M. (2019). NHS England loses 6,000 mental health nurses in 10 years. The Guardian, 19/5/19. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/may/19/mental-health-nursing-numbers-6000-fall-nhs-england
Schiller, C. (2016). Critical realism in nursing: An emerging approach. Nursing Philosophy, 17(2), 88-102
Scott, D. (2007) Resolving the quantitative-qualitative dilemma: A critical realist approach. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 30(1), 3-17
Sellman, D. (2010). ‘Values and Adult General Nursing’. In Pattison, S., Hannigan, B., Pill, R. & Thomas, H. (eds). Emerging values in health care: The challenge for professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Smith, R. (2014). Medical research—still a scandal. The BMJ opinion. Retrieved from https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2014/01/31/richard-smith-medical-research-still-a-scandal/
Smith, B. A, Lee, H.-J., Lee, J. H., Choi, M., Jones, D., Bausell, R. B., … & Broome, M. (2008). Quality of reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTS) in the nursing literature: Application of the consolidated standards of reporting trials (CONSORT). Nursing Outlook, 56(1), 31-37
Stenhouse, L. (1981). What counts as research?. British Journal of Educational Studies, 29(2), 103-114
Stiles, W. (1993). Quality control in quality research. Clinical Psychology Review, 13(6), 593-618
Sutton, J. & Austin, Z. (2015). Qualitative research: Data collection, analysis, and management. Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 68(3), 226-231
Swedish Society of Nursing [SSN]. (2016). Nursing-research and the future. A strategy for nursing research. Stockholm:S wedish Society of Nursing
Terry, K. (2013) The competency landscape: A critical realist exploration of the ways nurses understand and utilise competency standards (Unpublished Doctoral thesis). University of Tasmania
Thorn, S. (2000). Data analysis in qualitative research. Evidence-Based Nursing Notebook, 3, 68-70
Torrance, H. (2012). Triangulation, respondent validation and democratic participation in mixed methods research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6(2), 111-123
Van Cleave, J. (2012). Scientifically based research in education as a regime of truth: An analysis using Foucault's genealogy and governmentality (Doctoral thesis). University of Georgia
Wand, T., White, K. & Patching, J. (2010). Applying a realist(ic) framework to the evaluation of a new model of emergency department-based mental health nursing practice. Nursing Inquiry, 17(3), 231-239
Watson, S. & Watson, W. (2011). Critical, emancipatory, and pluralistic research for education: A review of critical systems theory. Journal of Thought, 46(3-4), 63-77
Willis, L. (2015). Raising the bar. Shape of caring: A review of the future education and training of registered nurses and care assistants. Leeds: Health Education England/Nursing and Midwifery Council
Wilshaw, G. (1997). Integration of therapeutic approaches: A new direction for mental health nurses?. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(1),15–19
Wilson, V., & McCormack, B. (2006). Critical realism as emancipatory action: The case for realistic evaluation in practice development. Nursing Philosophy, 7(1), 45-57
Woolner, P., Clark, J., Hall, E., Tiplady, L., Thomas, U. & Wall, K. (2010). Pictures are necessary but not sufficient: Using a range of visual methods to engage users about school design. Learning Environment Research, 13(1), 1-22
Woolner, P., Hall, E. & Wall, K. (2007). Getting together to improve the school environment: User consultation, participatory design and student voice. Improving Schools, 10(3), 233-248

Last update:

Family-Centered Care Experiences in Elderly with Chronic Diseases in Communities: Qualitative Study of Patients, Families, Nurses, and Volunteers
Ah Yusuf, Jenny Marlindawani Purba, Dewi Eka Putri, Ronal Surya Aditya, Abdullah Saleh Alruwaili, Daifallah M. AlRazeeni. Health Equity, 8 (1), 2024. doi: 10.1089/heq.2024.0009
What are the ethical dilemmas in the decision‐making processes of nursing people given electroconvulsive therapy? A critical realist review of qualitative evidence
Victoria Sweetmore. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 29 (2), 2022. doi: 10.1111/jpm.12778

Last update: 2024-12-23 13:06:17

The experience of nurses in handling business class patient in commercial medical escort in Indonesia
Aditya R.S.. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy, 11 (7), 2020. doi: 10.31838/srp.2020.7.19

Journal Author(s) Rights

In order for the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro to publish and disseminate research articles, we need non-exclusive publishing rights (transferred from the author(s) to the publisher). This is determined by a publishing agreement between the author(s) and the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro. This agreement involves the transfer or licensing of the copyright for publishing to the publisher, while authors still retain significant rights to use and share their own published articles. The Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro supports the need for authors to share, disseminate, and maximize the impact of their research through these rights in any databases.

As the author(s), you have rights to a wide range of uses of your article, including use by your employing institution or company. These author rights can be exercised without the need to obtain specific permission. Authors publishing in the Nurse Media Journal of Nursing have extensive rights to use their works for teaching and scholarly purposes without needing to seek permission, including:

use for classroom teaching by the author or the author’s institution and presentation at a meeting or conference, including distributing copies to attendees;
use for internal training by the author’s company;
distribution to colleagues for their research use;
use in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works;
inclusion in a thesis or dissertation;
reuse of portions or extracts from the article in other works (with full acknowledgment of the final article);
preparation of derivative works (other than for commercial purposes) (with full acknowledgment of the final article);
voluntary posting on open websites operated by the author or the author’s institution for scholarly purposes;

following the open access license of the Creative Commons CC BY-SA License.

Authors, readers, and third parties can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, but they must give appropriate credit (including the name of the creator and attribution parties, detailed information about the authors, a copyright notice, an open access license notice, a disclaimer notice, and a link to the material), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The publisher will indicate any modification of the material (if any) and retain an indication of previous modifications using a CrossMark Policy and information about Erratum-Corrigendum notifications.

Authors, readers, and third parties can read, print, and download, redistribute or republish the article (e.g., display it in a repository), translate the article, download it for text and data mining purposes, reuse portions or extracts from the article in other works, sell or reuse it for commercial purposes, remix, transform, or build upon the material. They must distribute their contributions under the same license as the original Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA).

Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing (Publishing Right)

The Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that if accepted for publication, non-exclusive right for publishing (publishing right) of the article shall be assigned/transferred to Publisher of the Nurse Media Journal of Nursing (Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro).

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing (CTAP)'. An e-mail will be sent to the Corresponding Author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing' form by online version of this agreement.

Nurse Media Journal of Nursing and Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro, the Editors and the Editorial Board make every effort to ensure that no wrong or misleading data, opinions or statements be published in the journal. In any way, the contents of the articles and advertisements published in the Nurse Media Journal of Nursing are sole and exclusive responsibility of their respective authors and advertisers.

Please note that even though we ask for a transfer of copyright for publishing (CTAP), our journal Author(s) retain (or are granted back) significant scholarly rights as mentioned before.

The Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing (CTAP) Form can be downloaded here: [Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing (CTAP) Form NMJN 2024]

The copyright form should be signed electronically and send to the Editorial Office in the form of original e-mail below:

Dr. Meira Erawati (Editor-in-Chief)
Editorial Office of Nurse Media Journal of Nursing
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro
Jl. Prof. Soedarto, Tembalang, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia 50275
Telp.: +62-24-76480919; Fax.: +62-24-76486849
E-mail: media_ners@live.undip.ac.id

(This policy statements has been updated at 24th January 2024)

Purpose, Quality, and Value in Critical Realist Research within Nurse Education

Journal Author(s) Rights

Copyright Transfer Agreement for Publishing (Publishing Right)

OFFICE INFORMATION