NSG416 Theoretical Development And Conceptual Frameworks

Week 5 Assignment

Theory–Practice Gap

Assignment Content

Fundamentals of Nursing Models, Theories, and Practice discusses the theory-practice gap in detail in many chapters. As you’ve read throughout the course, there is ongoing discussion about the connection between theory and practice, and the application in day-to-day nursing activities. This assignment is designed to illustrate that although there may be a gap, other factors play an important role in decision-making and each aspect of theory, research, and practice experience are integral to well-rounded patient care.

Access Fundamentals of Nursing Models, Theories, and Practice and review Figure 1.4 Correlation: education, science and practice, by clicking the Theory–Practice Gap Readings Link directly below this assignment entry.

Think of a scenario in which theory, research, and practice interact to create good patient outcomes.

Create a visual representation of the theory-practice relationship or gap by replacing the text in the Theory-Practice Gap diagram template.

Write a minimum of 525- to 700-word narrative explanation of your visual representation following the diagram.

Describe the chosen theory, research, and practice guideline or standard.

Explain the relationship between the three and discuss the role each plays in quality patient care in the scenario.

Explain any gaps, such as a lack of research, no practice standard, or no useable theory.

Determine the best course of action for making decisions in the absence of one aspect.

Include documentation of the practice guideline or standard, and your corresponding research, evidence, or literature example.

Cite your research and practice guidelines in-text and on the references page at the end of the template.

Submit your assignment as attachment.

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument. NSG416 Week 5 Theory–Practice Gap Assignment

 

 

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Theory–Practice Gap

Introduction

The theory–practice gap is a term that has been used to describe the disconnect between what we know about education and how we actually teach. This is usually defined as the difference between what we believe about teaching and teaching itself. Unfortunately, there isn’t much research on the subject or even much consensus on how to address it (one study found that only 33 percent of educators believe they have identified all components of their work). This means that many educators feel like their efforts are fruitless at best and dishonest at worst—they’re trying to do good work while being stuck in a system that doesn’t allow them to do so effectively!

The most notable thing about the theory–practice gap is how little the two seem to inform each other.

• The most notable thing about the theory–practice gap is how little the two seem to inform each other.

• Theory and practice are both important; neither can be ignored. But it’s clear that, in many cases, practitioners have an easier time applying what they’ve learned in their own lives than academics do when it comes down to teaching others how to do something or trying to explain why they should care about something at all.

• We tend not to teach people enough about their own specialties so that they can make informed decisions on topics outside their comfort zone (like politics). That’s why we need more communication between academia and industry—both sides need each other!

The problem for educators is that we don’t know what it means to “do education” in the right way.

The problem for educators is that we don’t know what it means to “do education” in the right way.

Theory and practice are not the same thing: Theory is a set of principles, practices are specific actions. Theory can be used as a guide for practice but it doesn’t tell you how to act or what you should do when you’re actually in the classroom. When people say that “theory” doesn’t help them with their work, they mean that they need some sort of practical knowledge or skill that they don’t have yet—theory alone isn’t enough! You need both theory and practice if you want to develop your skills as an educator effectively over time; otherwise all your efforts will go down the drain because there won’t be any connection between theory (your beliefs about what works) and practice (what actually happens).

As mentioned earlier, attempts to solve the theory–practice gap have focused on a number of factors without having much discernable impact.

As mentioned earlier, attempts to solve the theory–practice gap have focused on a number of factors without having much discernable impact. One example is that most people tend to think in terms of “theory” and “practice.” While this may make sense at first glance, it doesn’t take into account how these two things are different.

• Theory can be used as a general statement or idea about something (e.g., “I need help with my homework” or “You should buy this car”). This can also refer to an explanation for why something happens (e.g., “My dog ate my homework” or “The reasons why your dog ate your homework are unknown at this time”).

• Practice refers specifically to applying concepts learned through experience with tangible results (e.g., writing an essay). The distinction between theory and practice isn’t always clear because both often overlap; however, it’s important not just because they’re different things but also because one may lead naturally into another when applied properly.* A theory can be applied in many different ways:

Takeaway:

• Theory is a way to explain the world, but it doesn’t tell us how to change.

• Practice is a way to change the world, but it doesn’t explain why.

Conclusion

We have come up with a way to bridge the theory–practice gap: by thinking of education as a process rather than an event. This shift in focus is more useful than it might seem at first glance, because it suggests that educators need to be proactive rather than reactive when they work with students. By acknowledging that learning is not something that happens in one fell swoop but rather involves ongoing change and growth over time, we can start to build meaningful relationships with our students and encourage them to take ownership of their own development.