When you judge ( evaluate ) a theory, you have to-:

1 )differentiate between aspects

of your personal preference & elements of flawed (not perfect ) thinking of the theorist.

2 )Separate internal from external criticism.

3 )Remember that performance on one criterion may affect

judgments made about others .

4 )Remember that Criticism need not to be seen in a negative light.

5 )Remember that a concise evaluation of the present formulation may be the first step in improving a theory.

External criticism of a theory include the following criteria

1 -UTILITY2 -REALITY CONVERGENCE

3 -SIGNIFIGANCE4 -DISCRIMINATION

5 -COMPLEXITY6-SCOPE OF THEORY

UTILITY

Utility means that a nursing theory is useful to the nursing practice , education , research

& administration .

To nurse practitioner a nursing theory should give a frame of reference from which a nurse practitioner view patients & make decisions regarding care

To nurse educator

a theory should provide the basis for curriculum organization & indicate appropriate methods of teaching

To nurse researcher a theory should suggest important subject matter for investigation & appropriate methods of inquiry.

To nurse administrator a theory should guide the

organization of the nursing department & delivery of nursing care services.

To exhibit utility , a nursing theory must fulfill the following :-

1) its selected concepts must be pragmatic .

i.e. they take on meaning in the world of extant nursing

activities.

2 )Its concepts must be operationalized in ways that allow its application

3 )If a theory is not feasible to be applied in day – to day operations & decisions , then it fails to meet the criterion of

utility.

Example :- examine King’s (1981 ) principle of transaction :” an agreement reached between patient & nurse in relation to any subject matter “. You might criticize this principle as lacking utility for the care of many patients ( comatose , newborn ……… )

REALITY CONVERGENCE

Reality convergence may refer to what is perceived from the theory in relation to MAN , HEALTH , or NURSING .

Reality convergence deals with whether the basic premises of a theory are accepted or rejected.

The reality convergence is considered as it relates to PRINCIPLE, INTERPRETATION, & METHOD

A theory may appear to veer (change direction suddenly ) significantly from the real world of one or more of these aspects.

1 ))PRINCIPLE

*Every theory is built on one or more essential principles.

*Principles are the crucial premises of a theory.

*As the theory develops, the conclusions of earlier arguments often become the premises in later assertions ,so

creating linked chain of reasoning .

*These premises determine the reality convergence of the theory

as to principle .

*You can choose to accept or reject the basic unsupported premises of a theory i.e. a set of premises appears to be self evident to a theorist does not mean that you will see it that way .

Example Newman's (1986) expanding consciousness.

If you hold a firm opinion that consciousness does not expand , so for you , Newman's theory lacks reality convergence. WHYBecause this principle is basic &

underlies the rest of the theory

2 ))INTERPRETATION A- nursing

* Interpretation tells what sort of nursing world the theorist

perceives.

*Does the theorist’s perception of the nursing world conform

with that of you?

Example :- Johnson’s (1980) world of behaviors as the setting for nursing .

For many nurses, patient behavior simply does not reflect the world of nursing.

*you might judge a theory to be deficient if it takes a reductionist view of man ,if you have a holistic

view of man

B- MAN

You ( as a critic ) may fault a theory for having an illness – based concept of health ,if you have a strong personal commitment to well care.

C- HEALTH

3 ))METHOD

*Some nurses are uncomfortable with a theory if its method is not scientific

(did not subject to research)

*some reject the dialectic methodology if conclusions reached by dialectic reasoning did not subject to research.

*if you assumed that a logistic approach is the only acceptable method, then you reject every non logistic theory as failing to reflect

reality.

*Critic committed to a problematic method will reject non problematic method.

SIGNIFICANCE

A theory is significant if it address essential ,not peripheral , phenomena in nursing & contribute to the development of

nursing knowledge .

Significance contains 2 elements

1--THE SO WHAT FACTORIf you (as a nurse ) heard a theory explained , & you find no fault with its internal structure also you see its applicability to practice ,BUT you felt tempted to ask SO WHAT?

It means that the subject matter of the theory is peripheral to your concept of what

nursing is really about .

2 –THE THEORY’S RESEARCH POTENTIAL:- its potential for expanding nursing knowledge.

Significant theory generates many hypotheses even some of them without high probability or difficult to test .

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination criterion means that the theory differentiates nursing from other health professions & from other caring – tending acts

Discrimination is important in a practice discipline that draws on knowledge from so many other fields.

Example:- if the nurse is acting as a nurse & not as a pharmacologist when she administers a medication , the discriminating nursing theory would

enable you to explain why

COMPLEXITY*Complexity may be seen as opposing to

PARSIMONY

Complexity allows the theory for more explanation & interrelationship of more variables.

*Complexity enables a theory to account for the richness of its subject matter .

*The criterion of Parsimony requires that the fewest possible variables be selected as descriptive & explanatory components.

Complexity & parsimony can be seen as opposite poles of a continuum.

Yet there are times when a complex idea can be expressed in parsimonious terms.

SCOPE OF THEORY *conceived as two general locations on the continuum (broad or limited score).

*the chief quality that affected by scope is the depth of the theory

*the narrow the theory , the more potential it has for guidance.

* The wider the theory , the more global its terms & meanings

*the ideal would be a theory that covered all kinds of nursing yet was highly detailed in its formulation

*the question of utility may interact with question of scope

REFERENCES

Barnum,S. ( 1994) Nursing Theory: Analysis, Application ,Evaluation. 4th ed. ,J.B. Lippincott company , Philadelphia , chapter 13 .