Minding the gap: some theory-practice disjunctions in nursing education research

Nursing and nurse education are currently experiencing 'turbulence' as a re sult of the rapid, unpredictable and often divergent forces in the macro- a nd micro-institutional settings. Research-based knowledge seeks to 'smooth- over' this 'turbulence', which the literature cites as 'gaps' between the r hetorical ideals and practical realities. This paper deconstructs three inf luential ENB-sponsored research projects. It is argued that these research reports introduce forms of 'Utopianism', reinserting theory-practice gaps t hey sought to close down. Finally, as a result of the idealism revealed by the deconstruction, five key issues for future development in nursing resea rch are discussed. These issues are of significance to educationalists sinc e educational policy and practice in nursing are often developed from resea rch findings. (C) 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.