A History of the Evolution of Nursing Research in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta from 1980 to 1998

• Author / Creator

  Pasieka, Denise E

• The purpose of this study was to trace the historical evolution of nursing research at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta between 1980 and 1998. The questions that guided this study were: What were the trends in nursing research, specifically what type of questions were studied and what research methods were utilized by researchers between 1980 and 1998? What contextual factors, internal and external, influenced the development of nursing research? What roles did key leaders play to foster a climate conducive to research pursuits and in accessing/developing funding opportunities for nursing research? Historical methods were used to answer these questions. The primary data sources used in this study included eleven faculty produced scholarly reports on research and scholarly activities, which were supplemented with secondary data. In the reports there were 1180 listed publications (90 missing). This included 283 research-based articles, 118 non-research articles, 217 conference proceedings, 189 books/book chapters, and 221 editorials and other written work. The results showed the research production increased over time, that research topics shifted towards a clinical foci, that research methods became more sophisticated with an almost equal use of qualitative and quantitative methods by the late 1990s, that the majority of researchers in the Faculty of Nursing worked in research teams, and that there was a shift from publishing in minor nursing journals to major, international nursing journals over time. The evolution of nursing research in the Faculty of Nursing did not occur in isolation and there were contextual elements that influenced the evolution of research. The external influences included a professional focus on nursing research by key organizations, the emerging status of nursing research at that time, research funding including the establishment of nursing specific supports, and networking. Internal influences included the scholarly reports, the nursing graduate programs including the establishment of the first Canadian doctoral program, and key individuals. The key individuals, which included Drs. Jannetta MacPhail, Marilyn Wood, and Shirley Stinson, were resourceful and steadfast in their convictions that nursing research was a natural progression for the profession of nursing. It was through their actions in their various roles that one can note how they approached and advocated for the growth of nursing research and the development of nurse researchers alike. Finally, the results indicate that nursing research would not be where it is today without the tenacity of these pioneers of nursing research.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Leadership
  • Nursing deans
  • History
  • Nursing research
  • History of nursing

• Graduation date

  Spring 2017

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Nursing

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3C24R08F

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.