Discourses with potential to disrupt traditional nursing education: Nursing teachers’ talk about norm‐critical competence

Abstract

This paper describes the discourses underlying nursing teachers' talk about their own norm-critical competence. Norm criticism is an approach that promotes awareness and criticism of the norms and power structures that exert an excluding effect in society in general and in the healthcare encounter in particular. Given the unequal relationships that can exist in healthcare, for example relationships shaped by racism, sexism and classism, a norm-critical approach to nursing education would help illuminate these matters. The studied empirical material consisted of focus group interviews. Nursing teachers discussed their norm-critical competence based on the university course "Norm-Aware Caring" in which they had recently participated. Through a critical discourse analysis, three discourses were identified in their talk, all of which had the potential to disrupt traditional, normative nursing education. However, in all three discourses there was an underlying discourse of normality, clearly positioning the teachers as exemplifying the "normal." The binary constructed between normality and otherness contradicts a basic tenet of the norm-critical approach and may hamper the development of genuine norm-critical competence in nursing education.

Parents' reasons for not attending parental education groups in antenatal and child health care: A qualitative study

“…By using norm criticism, leaders can raise awareness of the privileges, power imbalances and exclusion that some norms create. It is also a way to challenge social structures and combating marginalisation of individuals and groups in society (Tengelin & Dahlborg‐Lyckhage, ).…”

“…According to Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir, Kovacs, and Jojsimovic´ (), when using norm criticism, one can raise awareness of the power imbalances and exclusion that norms could create. If nurses have norm‐critical competence, and an awareness of one's own taken‐for‐granted norms, prejudices and stereotypical beliefs, then they could analyse and understand norms and power structures (Tengelin & Dahlberg‐Lyckhage, ). There were parents who wanted more diversity in the groups.…”

“…Given that parents express so many diverse reasons for not attending PE, it will be a real challenge for the leaders to manage and meet all the parents' needs and interests. A lack of norm awareness creates an implicit bias that seems to be correlated with a lower quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst, ), and this risks negatively affecting the nurse–patient relationship (Tengelin & Dahlberg‐Lyckhage, ). To support parents' preparation for parenthood, it is instead important for leaders to create a norm‐critical approach in the PE groups and thereby avoid lowering the quality of care (FitzGerald & Hurst's, ; Tengelin & Dahlberg‐Lyckhage's, )—not least because of the fact that today many parents feel unprepared for parenthood, but at the same time, they are very receptive to advise and information about becoming or being a new parent (Barimani et al, ).…”

“…Awareness and a thoughtful approach are important tools for them as leaders when working with PE groups. As Tengelin and Dahlberg‐Lyckhage () so clearly expressed, norm criticism needs to be continuously reflected upon and discussed, in combination with self‐reflections about one's own privilege and situation. However, this study has shown that to attract parents to participate in PE groups, it is necessary for the clinical practice to work on three levels: the individual, group and organisational levels.…”

Academic voice: On feminism, presence, and objectivity in writing

“…The linguistic practices of women are more reflexive, co-operative, and relational. The use of reflection in women's compositional writing is frequently proposed as a preference that allows women to connect with their ideas and knowledge more effectively (Easley, 1997;Fleischman, 1998;Leggatt-Cook, 2010;Meisenhelder, 1985;Ryan et al, 2013;Tengelin & Dahlborg-Lyckhage, 2017). The feminist goal is to redefine these acts of power and aggression in writing as empowerment and to emancipate rather than take control of others (Meisenhelder).…”