Any approach constructed to describe, analyze and evaluate nursing theories must be systematic and rigorous. Since the mid-1960s numerous attempts have been made to present the perfect scheme. All have their limitations, because invariably some sort of judgment is called for. This can be due to the inherent biases of the developer or the user of the scheme. Considering that most nursing theories are abstract, it is not surprising that a structured list of criteria is often inadequate to judge their worth. Furthermore, since many nursing theories have their roots in an interpretative/historicist philosophy it seems contradictory to evaluate these theories using rigid empiricist principles and rules. (Abdellah, F.G., Beland, I.L., Martin, A. and Matheney, R.V, 1960)
A theory should not be accepted unquestioningly. Describing a theory is really about providing facts about it. This is useful in that it outlines the structure of the theory, its concepts, propositions and assumptions. Theory analysis goes a stage further; it is a systematic process of examining if the theory is valid in its composition and function. According to Moody (1990), the purpose of theory analysis is to identify the theory's degree of usefulness as a device to guide practice, education and administration and in its potential to influence the development of testable hypotheses and researchable questions. A further stage is theory evaluation or critique. Here, the theory's contribution to the development of scientific knowledge is assessed. (Carper, B.A, 1978)
Metatheorists in nursing have deliberated a great deal on what criteria should be used to analyze and evaluate theories. Some who take a pragmatist view believe that theories are only useful if they make a positive difference to practice; but others accept that many grand theories are almost too abstract for practice and their worth lies in making practitioners think about their discipline in creative and interesting ways. There are others who want the best of both worlds and are happiest with a pluralist repertoire of grand, mid-range and practice theories. Therefore, the description, analysis and evaluation of a theory are not a straightforward enterprise and should not be taken lightly.
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