Concept Analysis
Concept analysis is a methodical process designed to clarify and dissect concepts within specific contexts, often utilized across various fields such as nursing, literature, science, and business. This analytical approach emphasizes the significance of understanding concepts in their respective domains to ensure accurate communication and application. For instance, terms like "compassion" can have varying interpretations in psychology versus nursing, highlighting the need for precision in concept analysis.
The process generally involves several steps that may not follow a strict sequence but can overlap or require revisiting. Key stages include selecting a concept, defining its aims, identifying its various uses, and establishing its defining attributes. Researchers may also construct model cases representative of the concept and analyze antecedents and consequences tied to it.
Prominent methods, such as the widely adopted eight-step Walker and Avant model, offer structured frameworks for carrying out concept analysis. Understanding how concepts are defined and measured, particularly in diverse cultural contexts, is crucial for researchers to address complex issues effectively, making this approach a valuable tool for nuanced inquiry in multiple disciplines.
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Concept Analysis
Concept analysis is the process of clarifying concepts and their context. It is commonly used in the nursing field as well as in the fields of literature, science, and business. Its definition changes when it is applied to different areas of study, which have unique points of view. Concept analysis generally relies on philosophy rather than testing or experiential knowledge, though some methods apply data to test a concept analysis.
Overview
- Understanding a concept within the limits of a particular field is important to ensure researchers are precise in discussing and using a concept. For example, compassion means different things in the fields of psychology and nursing. Concepts are theoretical by nature but can be measured through research.
Some general steps in concept analysis include gathering and sorting information; understanding which concepts are specific to a field of study; considering the concept by breaking it down, studying opinions on it, and discussing it; and coming to conclusions, which again must be analyzed.
The processes or phases of concept analysis are not necessarily steps taken in a specific order. They may cross into one another or be parallel processes. A researcher may also revisit phases during analysis.
Many researchers have developed methods of concept analysis. Some of these include Wilson (1963), Walker and Avant (1983), Rogers (1993), and Morse (2000). The eight-step Walker and Avant method, which is based on the thirteen-step Wilson method, is widely used both in nursing and other fields. Other researchers have adapted the Wilson method.
The eight steps of the Walker and Avant method are:
- Select a concept.
- Determine the aims or purposes of analysis.
- Identify all uses discovered about the concept.
- Determine defining attributes.
- Identify/construct a model case.
- Identify/construct other cases (borderline, related, contrary, invented, and illegitimate).
- Identify antecedents and consequences.
- Define empirical referents.
A researcher must decide on the focus as well as the reason for performing a concept analysis, both of which are covered in the first two steps. The point of focus may be a concept such as an action or characteristic. The unit of analysis is the focus of the researcher's investigation and may be individual, group, social action, organization, or another unit.
Walker and Avant advocate a thorough examination of the concept in step three, including uses that are far removed from the field of study. The defining attributes of step four are the characteristics specific to the concept and related to the field of study. The fifth step involves choosing a real-life situation that represents all the defining attributes, or those necessary to the concept. The sixth step, examining other cases, is from the Wilson model. In step seven, antecedents are attributes or events that must exist before the concept occurs. Consequences are things that may exist because of the concept. The eighth step brings together defining attributes and measurable ways to observe the concept.
Applying Concept Analysis
One can see how to apply methods of concept analysis using the Walker and Avant model with freedom as an example.
Having chosen the concept, a person must decide the purpose of analysis. A lawyer or judge would be interested in certain definitions of freedom, an educator working in a dictatorship would focus on other aspects of freedom, and a psychologist or social worker studying domestic violence would see the topic from another point of view. A researcher must also consider the scope (the unit of analysis)—for example, freedom of an individual, social class, or society.
In step three, one seeks definitions of the concept. What does freedom mean? What emotions do people associate with it? How does it influence people's lives? Freedom can be understood in many ways, including physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual freedom. Definitions include freedom from slavery or imprisonment, being exempt from something, and having use of something without restriction. According to the Walker and Avant model, a person must consider all uses of the word before focusing on those that fit the field of study. For example, novels, songs, and films with the title Freedom, and American artist Norman Rockwell's 1943 series of paintings called the Four Freedoms may all be related to the concept and must be considered.
In step four, one looks for defining attributes of freedom. Is it an experience of having control of oneself? Is freedom about living without fear? These attributes should directly relate to the unit of analysis and the purpose the researcher has defined for this concept analysis.
Next, a person looks for a model case (step five), some real-life situation that represents the defining attributes chosen. Is it South African leader Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for many years because of Apartheid? What about a case study of a woman who left her abusive spouse and created a better life for herself and her children? Or the story of Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani activist and advocate for female education? One then studies other cases and classifies them according to their relevance to the point of focus (step six).
For step seven, what are the antecedents of freedom as defined in this analysis? Is it a government that ensures religious freedom or a society that values individual rights? What are the consequences of this freedom—an educated population, healthy families, or a robust economy?
In step eight, one must examine the empirical referents. How is freedom measured? It may be an absence of people in slavery or an increase in the number of girls who finish high school and go to college.
The result of a concept analysis may require a person to revisit earlier steps in the process.
Bibliography
Botes, A. "Concept Analysis: Some Limitations and Possible Solutions." Curationis (2002): 23–27. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. www.curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/download/779/716
Brush, Barbara L., Keri Kirk, Laura Gultekin, and Janet M. Baiardi. "Overcoming: A Concept Analysis." US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Jul. 2011. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149846/
"Concept Analysis: Theoretical Basis for Nursing." Podcasting My TMU. Taipei Medical University. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. podcast.tmu.edu.tw/podcast/download/1300
Nuopponen, Anita. "Methods of Concept Analysis—A Comparative Study." LSP Journal 1.1 (2010): 4–12. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. http://rauli.cbs.dk/index.php/lspcog/article/viewFile/2970/3051