"Whatever Happened to Qualitative Description?" (Sandelowski, 2000) was written to critique the prevailing tendency in qualitative health research to claim the use of methods that were not actually used and to clarify a methodological approach rarely identified as a distinctive method. The article has generated several misconceptions, most notably that qualitative description requires no interpretation of data. At the root of these misconceptions is the persistent challenge of defining qualitative research methods. Qualitative description is a "distributed residual category" (Bowker & Star, 2000). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press) in the classification of these methods. Its value lies not only in the knowledge its use can produce, but also as a vehicle for presenting and treating research methods as living entities that resist simple classification.

What's in a name? Qualitative description revisited.

Committee for assessing progress on implementing the recommendations of the institute of medicine report the future of nursing: leading change, advancing health

Constructivist grounded theory is a popular method for research studies primarily in the disciplines of psychology, education, and nursing. In this article, the authors aim to locate the roots of constructivist grounded theory and then trace its development. They examine key grounded theory texts to discern their ontological and epistemological orientation. They find Strauss and Corbin’s texts on grounded theory to possess a discernable thread of constructivism in their approach to inquiry. They also discuss Charmaz’s landmark work on constructivist grounded theory relative to her positioning of the researcher in relation to the participants, analysis of the data, and rendering of participants’ experiences into grounded theory. Grounded theory can be seen as a methodological spiral that begins with Glaser and Strauss’ original text and continues today. The variety of epistemological positions that grounded theorists adopt are located at various points on this spiral and are reflective of their underlying ontologies.

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The Development of Constructivist Grounded Theory

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Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation

Title. Transition shock: the initial stage of role adaptation for newly graduated Registered Nurses.

Aim.  The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework of the initial role transition for newly graduated nurses to assist managers, educators and seasoned practitioners to support and facilitate this professional adjustment appropriately.

Background.  The theory of Transition Shock presented here builds on Kramer’s work by outlining how the contemporary new graduate engaging in a professional practice role for the first time is confronted with a broad range and scope of physical, intellectual, emotional, developmental and sociocultural changes that are expressions of, and mitigating factors within the experience of transition.

Data sources.  This paper offers cumulative knowledge gained from a programme of research spanning the last 10 years and four qualitative studies on new graduate transition.

Discussion.  New nurses often identify their initial professional adjustment in terms of the feelings of anxiety, insecurity, inadequacy and instability it produces. The Transition Shock© theory offered focuses on the aspects of the new graduate’s roles, responsibilities, relationship and knowledge that both mediate the intensity and duration of the transition experience and qualify the early stage of professional role transition for the new nursing graduate.

Conclusion.  Transition shock reinforces the need for preparatory theory about role transition for senior nursing students and the critical importance of bridging undergraduate educational curricula with escalating workplace expectations. The goal of such knowledge is the successful integration of new nursing professionals into the stressful and highly dynamic context of professional practice.

Transition shock: the initial stage of role adaptation for newly graduated registered nurses.

Newly graduated nurses are entering the work force and finding that they have neither the practice expertise nor the confidence to navigate what has become a high ly dynamic and intense clinical environment burdened by escalating levels of patient acuity and nursing workload. This research used qualitative methods to build on and mature aspects of the new nurse’s transition experience into acute care. The theory of transition presented in this article incorporates a journey of becoming where new nursing graduates progressed through the stages of doing, being, and knowing. The whole of this journey encompassed ordered processes that included anticipat ing, learning, performing, concealing, adjusting, question ing, revealing, separating, rediscovering, exploring, and engaging. although this journey was by no means linear or prescriptive nor always strictly progressive, it was evo lutionary and ultimately transformative for all participants. The intense and dynamic transition experience for these newly graduated nurses should inspire educational and ser vice institutions to provide preparatory education on transition as well as extended, sequential, and structured orientation and mentoring programs that bridge senior students’ expectations of professional work life with the reality of employment. J Contin Educ Nurs 2008;39(10):441-450.

A process of becoming: the stages of new nursing graduate professional role transition.

Aim. The aim of this paper is to compare Glaser's model of theory generation, where theory rises directly and rigorously out of the data, devoid of interpretivism, to Strauss's conceptually descriptive approach that encourages directive questioning and supports an interpretive stance.

Background.  The discovery of grounded theory (GT) was born out of a merger between Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, the proverbial ‘fathers’ of GT. Since the co-creation of their approach to theory development through research in 1967, these scholars have taken seemingly divergent paths in further developing and evolving the pragmatic use of GT.

Discussion.  Numerous researchers have used GT as a general method, applying it to both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. In this paper we discuss the stages and strategies of data sampling, collection, coding and analysing used by both Glaser and Strauss. Constant comparative analysis is identified as the primary strategy in the integrated coding and analysing stages of this theorizing method, regardless of the researcher's philosophical or research orientation. We also discuss initial or open coding, advanced coding, memoing, and theoretical sampling, with particular attention to comparing and contrasting the descriptive terms and application strategies that have been suggested by both Glaser and Strauss.

Conclusion.  The reported distinctions in the approach, method, and general intent of GT reflected in this paper are not easy to comprehend. The two methods reflect different basic philosophical paradigms, and therefore represent distinct approaches to GT. Researchers need to be clear about which philosophy and resulting analysis approach they are using, and the effect that approach will have on the research process and outcomes.

Grounded theory: reflections on the emergence vs. forcing debate

The nursing profession now contains 4 generational groups with divergent approaches to work (Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials). Potential misunderstandings regarding generational values and work ethics can contribute to conflict in the nursing workplace, particularly for the new nurse graduate. An understanding of the issues inherent in a multigenerational workforce can shed light on potential areas of conflict, as well as provide new directions for recruitment and retention strategies. The topics of nursing leadership, mentoring, and career development are addressed from the perspective of a multigenerational nursing workforce.

http://sjheducation.weebly.com/uploads/8/0/5/5/8055457/multigenerational_nurses_in_the_workplace.pdf

Judy E. Boychuk Duchscher

Papers

Transition shock: the initial stage of role adaptation for newly graduated registered nurses.

A process of becoming: the stages of new nursing graduate professional role transition.

Grounded theory: reflections on the emergence vs. forcing debate

Multigenerational nurses in the workplace.

The experience of marginalization in new nursing graduates.