Thesis on "Nursing and Education Theory"

Thesis 21 pages (5668 words) Sources: 25 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

NURSING & EDUCATION THEORY

This work intends to examine the 'Transformation Theory' of Jack Mezirow, Margaret Newman's 'Health as Expanded Consciousness' and Patricia Benner's 'Novice to Expert' Theory all of which are applied to senior nursing students & new graduate nurses as they make the transformation to registered nurses. Specifically, this work will:

Describe the main ideas of each theory;

Critique each theory using a specific evaluation rubric;

Answer as to what extent the theory's assumptions are congruent with the values of the vulnerable population (new graduates nurses in their first year of practice) and to what extent has support for the theory been generated with culturally diverse and vulnerable populations in general;

Identify concepts to be included when studying senior nursing student and new graduates as they make the transition to registered nurses in their first year of employment; and 5) Relate the relationships that exist among these theories.

I. TRANSFORMATION THEORY of JACK MEZIROW

The work of Boverie and Kroth (2001) states of Mezirow's 'Transformation Theory' that this theory is that which "best describes the way people discover passionate work...and the perspective transformation process." Transformation theory is stated by Boverie and Kroth to be "well-known to adult learning practitioner. It is one of the leading adult learning theories today, and though it has been elaborated upon and made richer it has stood the test of time." (Boverie and Kroth, 2001) Transformation theory is currently being applied in "increasingly diverse settings to help adults develop broader, more useful, more healthy belief systems about themselves and the world." (Boverie and Kroth, 2001) Transformation theory, according to Boverie and Kroth attempts to explain the process wherein adults develop more dependable beliefs about their experience. Transformation theory attempts to explain the process "wherein adults develop more dependable beliefs about their experience." (Boverie and Kroth, 2001)

Boverie and Kroth state that fundamental to this is the "process of becoming aware of one's own assumptions, which are often unspoken and even subconscious, as well as the assumptions of others, so that they can be examined, updated, rejected, or revised." (Mezirow, 2000; as cited in: Boverie and Kroth, 2001) Boverie and Kroth state that transformation theory "suggest that transformations in our frames of reference, or paradigms, can be incremental, which involve a progressive series of transformation in points-of-view; or epochal, 'a sudden, dramatic, reorienting insight...." (Boverie and Kroth, 2001)

Mezirow states, while defined differently than in the work of Boverie and Kroth (2001) states "...our points-of-view or habits of mind or frames of reference, each of which Mezirow defines a bit differently, are all based on the set of assumptions that we have about the world. They represent our beliefs, opinions, judgments, and understandings about the world. These assumptions are often created in our minds when we were young and continue to remain with us as adults even if they are not useful to us anymore." (Boverie and Kroth, 2001) These 'habits of mind' are stated in the work of Boverie and Kroth as adapted from the work of Mezirow (2000) to be those listed as follows:

Habits of mind & Questions Testing Assumptions

Habits of Mind

Sample questions to test assumptions

Sociolinguistic What do you believe to be true about other races?

What do you believe to be true about the opposite gender?

What 'truths' do you believe about democracy, capitalism, feminism and ageism?

When you speak of oppression, what are you assuming to be true?

What do you believe about sexuality, marriage, why?

What do you believe to be important work? Is there work that is 'above' you? Or 'below' you? Why?

Moral-ethical What do you believe to be moral? Amoral? Why?

What do you feel guilty about?

On what basis do you make ethical decisions? Why?

Epistemic Is there a best learning style? Why do you think that?

Do you count the concrete or rely upon the abstract? Why?

Philosophical Do you believe in one god, several gods or no god?

Is god a separate being, or a part of everything?

Does god have a gender? If so, what is it?

Do you believe humans are basically good? Bad?

Are you born with a god-given vacation?

Psychological

Do you believe you are basically a good person? Bad person?

Do you believe you are talented? Why or why not?

What things did your parents tell you about yourself or your family or your hesitate or your ethnicity that you still believe today?

Are you smart? Why do you think that?

Aesthetic

What is beautiful? What is ugly? Why?

What are your criteria for beauty? Does anyone disagree

With you? Why are they right/wrong?

What makes things funny or sad?

Source: Boverie and Kroth (2001) adapted from the work of Mezirow (2000)

The work of Mezirow holds that the questioning process begins with "a disorienting dilemma" with the following phases:

disorienting dilemma;

Self-examination with feelings of fear, anger, guilt, or shame;

critical self-assessment of assumptions;

Recognition that one's discontent and the process of transformation are shared;

Exploration of options for new roles, relationships, and actions;

Planning a course of action;

Acquiring knowledge and skills for implementing one's plans;

Provision trying of new roles;

Building competence and self-confidence in new roles and relationships; and Reintegration into one's life on the basis of conditions dictated by ones' new perspective. (Boverie and Kroth, 2001)

Mezirow writes in the work entitled: "Transformation Theory - Postmodern Issues" that much exists in the "postmodern critique that both supports and challenges the validity of Transformation Theory." (Jarvis, nd) in fact, Mezirow states as follows:

at the heart of both postmodern critique and transformation theory" is a critical reflection of the assumptions of each of these. While each of these teaches that one should be "critical of all forms of foundationalism, of totalizing and definitive explanations and theories and the dominant take-for-granted paradigms. Both agree that the discourses of science, truth and progress cannot be taken for granted, and that we should be skeptical of all theories and frames of reference - including Transformation Theory and postmodernism. Both celebrate diversity and seek social justice. We have a mutual aim to avoid closure of certainty, seek openness to new experience with new and multiple meanings, accept the possibility of uncertainty and unpredictability while recognizing difference and otherness. We both reject the notion that 'emancipation' becomes a search for certainty and control through definitive knowledge, totalizing explanation and the elimination of difference. Both foster recognition of the tension between the goals of emancipation and democracy and the ubiquity of arbitrary power and oppression. Both seek to create multicultural learning environments free of sexist, racist and imperialistic discourses. To become critically reflective of assumptions leads postmodern and transformative thinkers to challenge the social consequences of any concept of reason, progress, autonomy, education, common humanity or emancipation." (Mezirow, 1999)

The differences between the two orientations are significant in nature and Mezirow states that the differences in the two ways of understanding are "whether the content of a comprehensive learning theory must be dictated exclusively by cultural interests. who, what, when, where, why and how of learning may be only understood as "situated" in a specific cultural context. Postmodern emphasis is on cultural relativity. This often results in writing off any effort to generalize beyond what is situated in a particular culture. Transformation Theory suggests a generic learning process that is interpreted and selectively encouraged or discouraged by contemporary cultures. It suggests that human beings have much in common, including their connectedness, their desire to understand and their spiritual incompleteness. Cultures enable or inhibit the realization of common human interests, ways of communicating and learning capabilities." (Mezirow, 1999) Mezirow notes that in contemporary cultures the adults have the tendency to:

1) Seek the meaning of their experience

2) Engage in deliberate mindful efforts to learn

3) Rely upon beliefs and understandings that produce interpretations and opinions that are more true or justified than those based upon other beliefs

4) Accept others as agents with interpretations of their experiences that may prove true or justified

5) Validate contested beliefs and understandings through reflective discourse - assess their supporting reasons and assumptions in order to arrive at a tentative best judgment - as a sometime alternative to resorting to tradition, authority or force to make a judgment

6) Understand the meaning of what is communicated by becoming aware of the assumptions (intent, truthfulness, qualifications) of the person communicating and the truth, appropriateness and authenticity of what is being communicated

7) Make meaning of our experience through acquired frames of reference - sets of orienting assumptions and expectations with cognitive, affective and conative dimensions - that shape, delimit and sometimes distort our understanding

8) Transform our frames of reference by becoming critically reflective of their assumptions to make them more dependable when the beliefs and understandings they generate become problematic. (Mezirow, 1999)

Mezirow holds that there are two paths to perspective transformation:

1) sudden; and 2) gradual. (Mezirow, 1999)

Mezirow states that these transformations "...as a development process of movement… READ MORE

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