Analysis of Thesis Using Physiological Variables ; -with reference to the thesis published in Korea from 1962 to 1996-

석.박사 학위논문에서 생리적 변수를 다룬 연구에 대한 분석 -1962년부터 1996년까지 발표된 국내 학위논문을 중심으로-

Objectives: The studies in biological, behavioral and psychosocial perspectives in nursing research are fundamental in the balanced development of nursing knowledge. Many nursing researchers have placed a strong emphasis on developing psychological and behavioral aspects of nursing knowledge as is evidenced by the large body of research in these areas. However, the paucity of nursing research using the principles of biological science for measurements and techniques have often invited open criticism by many nursing researchers. This study attempts to characterize the researches performed in master and doctoral thesis which used physiological variables. Methods: We analyzed masters' thesis from 1962 to 1996 and doctoral thesis from 1982 to 1996 listed in CD from Korean Nurses Association. Results: Out of 3060 masters' thesis from 1962 to 1996, 342 (11.2%) thesis used physiological variables whereas 43 (10.1%) doctoral thesis used physiological ones. Number of thesis with physiological variables was the highest in Seoul National University for masters' thesis whereas for the doctoral thesis the number was the highest in Yonsei University. The research subjects in these thesis with physiological variables were mostly patients (53.5% in masters' and 69.8% in doctoral). Master's thesis often conducted either nonexperimental or survey research (69.9%) whereas experimental research design prevailed vital signs(181 thesis), blood tests(133), body composition(124), microorganisms(74), gastrointestinal functions(36), lab test(33), drug(21), urinary functions(20), movement(17), Apgar Score(15), reproductive functions(9), skin related functions(6), body fluid and electrolytes(4), parasite(4), metabolism(3), and sensory(1), Among the 338 master' thesis which studied the common nursing concepts such as anxiety, pain, stress, and depression, 48(14.2%) thesis utilized physiological variables while 15 out of 35 doctoral thesis addressed these concepts using physiological variables. Conclusion: In summary, our results indicate that despite the large amount of nursing research performed over the last decades, there are a few nursing researches done with physiological variables either in masters' or doctoral thesis. To enrich nursing knowledge with different perspectives of nursing including especially biological ones, the efforts have to be made to conduct bionursing science research.