The framework of the PHD project presented in the article is that Green used case study as the approach. This project was related to nursing and “the study aimed to examine the attitudes of doctors and nurses in relation to their professional boundaries in the light of the legalizing of prescribing for nurses” (Green, 2013, p. 36). At that time, it was a new practice to allow the nurses to prescribe medicines. There was a need for the evaluation of this authorization that the nurses got.
What was being examined by this research was the fact that nurses got permission to prescribe medicines which was only allowed to doctors in the past. The concepts of two sociologists were used, Abbott (professional jurisdictions and authority) and Witz (exclusion and usurpation). “The research data were then collected through observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis at two case study sites” (Green, 2013, p. 37). This kind of framework was conceptual which helped the research be well organized.
The sentence: “A conceptual framework was present throughout the research project and report” (Green, 2013, p. 37). It is not clear in which way this occurred and why there was such a choice. In spite of that it is clear that this kind of framework helps with the organization and the future presentation of a research.
A theory is a hypothesis which was tested through experiments and proven to be right concerning a specific scientific issue. “Fain (2004) defined theory as an organized and systematic set of interrelated statements (concepts) that specify the nature of relationships between two or more variables, with the purpose of understanding a problem” (Green, 2013, p. 34). It is useful for researchers because they can base their assumptions and scientific findings on theoretical framework. Most researchers find it useful to develop a conceptual model because they can adjust it throughout the research and it is easily communicated to the public and can be well organized and explained in a comprehensible way.
References
Green, H. (2013). Use of theoretical and conceptual frameworks in qualitative research. Nurse Researcher, 21(6), 34-38.
