"It is general conception of any field of inquiry that ultimately determines the kind of knowledge the field aims to develop as well as the manner in which that knowledge is to be organized, tested and applied. The body of knowledge that serves at the racionale for nursing practice has patterns, forms and structure that serve as horizons of expectations and exemplify characteristic ways of thinking about phenomena. Understanding these patterns of knowing is essential for the teaching and learning of nursing. Such an understanding does not extend the range of knowledge, but rather involves critical attencion to the question of what it means to know and what kinds of knowledge are held to be of most value in the discipline of nursing."
Carper, B.
