Using Bourdieu's theory of practice to understand ICT use amongst nurse educators

SummaryBackgroundImplementing changes in practice in either clinical or educational settings remains challenging. In the context of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption, the literature focuses either on organisational factors influencing its implementation, or on individual factors influencing its adoption into practice. Separately both fail to examine the issue holistically. Bourdieu's theory of practice provides a method for reconciling the two.ObjectiveTo provide a practical example of how Bourdieu's theory of practice can be employed to better understand nurse educators' responses to ICT.DesignExploratory descriptive design, using a Bourdieusian case-study to guide a documentary analysis.MethodsIn 2009 a two-part study was conducted within a Department of Nursing (DON) in higher education (HE) in England. First Bourdieu's theory of practice was used to develop a case-study; then nurse educators were recruited for a Q-methodology (Q) study. This paper focuses exclusively on the case study and the use of the theory of practice to interpret the findings from the Q-study.ResultsNursing's transition into academia, promotions criteria in HE and the value placed on research over teaching have influenced educators' responses to technology.ConclusionThe use of Bourdieu's framework provides a rich and contextual backdrop for understanding how organisational factors interact to influence individuals' responses to technology adoption.