• A brief outline of the conceptual framework you used with the families in planning their care.

• A description of why you found the conceptual framework to be helpful or a hindrance as you used the nursing process in your work with families. (How useful was the framework in helping you formulate nursing diagnoses, in planning interventions, in carrying out interventions, in evaluating results?).

• A brief summary of issues you believe were important for the families, but were not addressed by the conceptual framework.

• A brief description of what you learned from using a conceptual framework for organizing your clinical practice.

• Appropriately cited references using APA format.

Last updated: 9 NOV 1997

My framework helped me make the COF project assignment for NSG 389 students because it indicated I believe students:

• are self-directed
• have the capacity to learn
• may be motivated to learn or to earn a grade
• may be motivated to ask questions if they do not understand an assignment

My framework hindered my making the COF project assignment for NSG 389 students because it did not address my assumptions that:

• students needed only a little structure relative to the assignment
• students would voluntarily seek consultation
• students might have higher priority for preparing the COF paper than other activities

Issues I identified in reviewing processes related to making the student assignment and reading student papers that might have produced a different outcome, but were not addressed in my own conceptual framework were:

• Even though I believed the directions for the assignment were clear, I might have included more structure. My framework does not indicate that students need high levels of structure to enhance learning.

• Students do not seem to understand (perhaps, appreciate) my assumption that standards for writing influence how readers perceive the credibility of writers. For example, I believe correct spelling, organizing and developing ideas, and using primary references for citations rather than secondary references enhances the credibility of the writer. My conceptual framework does not clearly indicate the significance of external standards for reviewing academic work.

I learned from this exercise that an assessment of student ability to grasp ideas from written materials in the course document needs to be evaluated well before giving a written assignment. An early assessment of abililty to interpret written assignment guidelines could identify issues and suggest ways to address the situation (interventions) that would assure student success with the later graded activity.

I also learned that my conceptual framework may not address the full range of possible ways human beings exist, behave, or learn. Based on my experience with this activity, I could revise my framework, or consider more carefully assumptions that underlie statements already in my framework.

Specifically, I could add to my framework the idea that modeling expectations for students could clarify misconceptions or misperceptions of the purpose for a written assignment.

Primary Reference:

Curran, D. (1985). Stress and the Health Family. Minneapolis, MN: Winston.

Secondary Reference:

Bomar. P.J. (1996). Nurses and Family Health Promotion: Concepts, Assessment, and Interventions. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.