PHVIT9510 Begreps- og teoriutvikling i helsevitenskap Emneplan

This course covers research into key phenomena originating from human experience of health and illness. Such phenomena can be perceptions of quality of life, hope, coping, pain, body, dignity, and suffering, and serve as the basis for developing concepts and theories in the health sciences. The course covers different methods for concept and theory development; for example, the hybrid model of concept development, semantic concept analysis, Walker and Avant's model for theory development, and grounded theory. The methods are applied to selected phenomena, concepts, and theories.

This course is primarily aimed at PhD candidates admitted to the PhD Programme in Health Sciences but is also open to other applicants. Admission requirements are a completed major, master's degree (120 credits) or equivalent qualification.

The course can also be offered to students who have been admitted to the "Health Science Research Programme, 60 ECTS", by prior approval from the supervisor and based on given guidelines for the research programme.

On completion of the course, the PhD candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The PhD candidate:

• is at the forefront of knowledge of methodologies related to the development of concepts and theories
• has an in-depth understanding of the relationship between human experience, concepts, and theories in a health science context

Skills

The PhD candidate can:

• develop a conceptual and/or theoretical framework related to their own research
• identify relevant clinical phenomena to develop concepts and theories
• analyse and interpret research findings related to concept and theory development
• address complex scientific issues and challenge established knowledge and practice in concept and theory development

General competence

The PhD candidate can:

• argue in favour of particular methodologies in concept and theory development based on scientific theory
• participate in discussions on concept and theory development

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, seminars, and self-study. The outcomes of the seminars are presented and discussed in plenary sessions.

Background

This PhD course has been an introductory course at the national, interdisciplinary research school Muni-Health-Care, financed by the Norwegian research Council (NRC), the last eight years (2016-2023). As the NRC ends the financing of the research school at the end of 2023, partners must assume responsibility for the courses in the next phase of the research school. OsloMet has been a partner in Muni-Health-Care since the start, but has not been responsible for any PhD-course in the research school so far. We therefore ask that OsloMet takes responsibility for the course from 2024.

Introduction

The overall aim of the Muni-Health-Care research school is to contribute to the improvement of the health and care services in the municipalities by building research capacity, developing research culture and generate sound scientific knowledge for the Norwegian municipality sector. The Norwegian municipalities vary largely in size, demography, economic and social structures. The municipal health and care services is the largest health care service within Norwegian health care. It provides the bulk of services to the Norwegian population, serving approximately 270.000 recipients annually. The services span from health promoting services to newborn, young children and teenagers, to day-to-day complex services to frail older people and people with long-term conditions across the lifespan.

Since its inception, Muni-Health-Care has contributed to the call for more research in this field by developing relevant state-of-the-art knowledge, reflecting the large variability and local needs of Norwegian municipalities. Furthermore, Muni-Health-Care has contributed to increased research capacity and culture by providing high quality doctoral education to a new generation of researchers and build research networks aimed at developing this field of research and clinical practice.

In eight years, 110 PhD students from 16 academic institutions in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland has successfully graduated from Muni-Health-Care’s program, in which they all have completed this introductory course during the first year.

The Municipal Health and Care Services as a Research Setting

The Municipal Health and Care Services as a Research Setting is an introductory course for PhD candidates whose research area is within the municipal health service. The course is interdisciplinary and aims to address several challenges associated with doing research within this sector.

The course will focus on key issues that must be addressed when conducting research into the municipal health care services and will emphasize different theoretical perspectives, organizational frameworks and structures, collaboration within the services and user involvement in research. There will also be lectures on key research topics and the challenges linked to these. The students will present their projects, participate in discussions, and function as opponents to fellow students’ presentations. The course will consist of lectures, presentations, group works, seminars and a final home exam.

The course will run as a three-day intensive physical course, followed by 4 follow-up webinars over the course of the next two semesters. The webinars will focus on the participants’ own projects, linking them to the overall theoretical and methodological topics addressed in the course.

Candidates must write an essay based on a concept and/or theory of their choice and apply principles from the methods of concept and theory development presented in the course. The essay must consist of up to 5,000 words and must be submitted no more than 2 weeks after the end of the course.

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, self-study, group work, seminars and plenary discussions.A high degree of activity and involvement is expected from the participants.

The participants submit an abstract of their research study prior to the start of the course. Each participant gives an oral presentation of their research study during the course and the participants provide feedback ("opposition") to each other. A written reflection note is submitted before each webinar, discussing theoretical and methodological issues of one’s own study, drawing on the literature in the course.

The assessment consists of an Individual home examination which must be submitted within four weeks after the end of the three-day intensive course. In the essay, the candidate will discuss an issue related to his/her own research study, drawing on the literature and presentations and discussions on the course. The essay cannot exceed 3000 words.

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