Mel Gill
Student Support & Guidance Tutor
School of Education
Some students make the mistake of thinking that
level 6 writing means using complex English and
the longest words possible in order to show just
how clever they are.
“It is intuitive, therefore, that the fundamental
dichotomy in theory and practice is inevitably
exacerbated and irrevocably confounded by the
underlying quixotic nature of nursing lecturers”.
“It seems obvious that the theory practice gap is
always going to be made worse and become
dreadfully confused by nursing lecturers who don’t
live in the real nursing world”
“Jones (2005) recently traced the theory practice gap in nursing. He
argues that authors such as Brown (2001) and Raymond (1998) had
identified the difficulty between the understanding of nursing theory and
its actual implementation in clinical areas as being a divide which had
existed from the time of Florence Nightingale’s early interventions in the
1800’s. It seems, therefore, that this is a true dichotomy, a division
between what is intended in theory and what actually occurs in
practice.
Fletcher (2004) argues that a possible source of this dichotomy may
be nursing lecturers who retreat into academic environments and lose
contact with the real world of the clinical environment. Hamilton (2001:
200) accused these lecturers of being “quixotic”, meaning that they
were tilting uselessly at windmills like the confused hero of the story
“Don Quixote”. This seems to suggest that these lecturers are actually
confusing an already difficult situation by being unrealistic in their
expectations and the focus of their attacks on the health system.
Indeed, Worthing (2005) argues that a lecturer who does not also
actively practice the nursing profession can make no useful contribution
to the reduction of the theory practice gap”.

Careful explanation, showing understanding of
the complex terminology used

Extensive use of literature to support the ideas
being presented

A linking, “conversational” style, which shows
the student’s own interpretation of what they
have read and how it informs the argument
being presented.
“Brown (2005) maintains that leadership is an essential
quality in nursing. This is confirmed by the recent
requirements of the NHS Plan (DOH, 2002). This Plan has
emphasized the importance of introducing the
transformational model of leadership. Smith (2001)
explains that this is a leadership which involves the use of
charisma and interpersonal skills to enable achievement.
Jones (2004) argues that the key characteristic of
transformational leadership is empowering others to
achieve. In my own experience, a leader with
transformational qualities can make any team member feel
that they have a useful part to play in the organization.
This is confirmed by Fea (2001) who argues that
transformational leadership increases feelings of self-worth
and capability in their team members”.
“A review of the available literature provides a wealth of examples of
authors advocating leadership as an essential quality in nursing. For
example, as early as 1950 Shackleton emphasized that nursing needed
strong leadership and recommended a strong transactional approach of
reward and punishment to get results and promote teamwork. More
recently, however, authors have been moving towards the concept of
charismatic and transformational leadership. These qualities are also
an integral part of the new recommendations laid down in the NHS Plan
(DOH 2002).
Charisma appears to be a complex phenomenon to define. Davidzhar
(1991) suggests that it is an aspect of personality which makes the
individual irresistible to others, in terms of their ability to persuade and
empower others. However, other authors, such as Romano (1996) and
Harvey (2000) highlight the intangible nature of charisma and
emphasise the frustrating point that individuals know charisma if they
see it, but find it difficult to define.
It appears problematic, therefore, to identify exactly how charisma can
become an integral part of developing transformational leadership in
nursing, if it is a quality which, in itself, is difficult to define. For
example, Smith (2001) maintains that transformational leadership uses
a combination of charisma and interpersonal skills to enable
achievement. However, identifying potential transformational leaders
may be a difficulty if the pre-requisite for identifying charismatic
individuals is an integral part of this selection process.
Jones (2004) argues that the key ability of a transformational leader is
the ability to empower others, while Fea (2001) maintains that their key
strength is to increase feelings of self-worth and capability in their team
members. On reflection, my own experience of transformational
leadership appeared to be based principally on being persuaded, by
the sheer force of personality of the individual, that I had the potential to
contribute and achieve. It seemed to me that it was their apparent faith
in me and their power of persuasion that enabled me to become an
effective team member.
This requirement for charisma in transformational
leadership, therefore, may indeed be based on individual
personality factors that enable others to feel good about
themselves and their achievements. There is some
evidence that this is the case. Jones (2003), for example,
argues that transformational leaders are born and cannot
be made. Regisara (2003) also maintains common key
personality traits can be identified in effective
transformational leaders, which have probably been
present since childhood. It seems, therefore, that the key
requirement of the NHS Plan (2002) for the training of
transformational leaders is not going to be as
straightforward as they first envisioned, as the available
literature suggests that these leaders are born, rather than
made”.

Individual issues are explored in considerably more depth. (It is essential,
therefore, in Level 6 writing to focus on a few key issues, so that they can
be explored in sufficient depth within the available word allowance).

The student should constantly be trying to find answers in the literature,
particularly finding different definitions and interpretations of key issues

Once the literature is presented, the student puts their own “spin”
(interpretation) on it

Personal thoughts and reflections are always followed up by attempts to
find supporting evidence (substantiation) in the literature

The complexity of the issue is recognised. Things are not presented
simplistically as “black and white”. Instead, shades of grey are
acknowledged.

The student’s “voice” is heard throughout, trying to make sense of what
they have read and comparing it with what they have experienced.
Bysshe, J (2006) Rationale for Development of Academic
Writing Guidelines Thames Valley University [Online]
Available:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s
&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEkQFjAE&url=http%3A
%2F%2Fwww.wolfson.tvu.ac.uk%2Fschools%2Fnursi
ng%2Fnursing%2520guidelines%2520for%2520academ
ic%2520writing.doc&ei=1Xl7Uv_7LuWM0AXym4GA
Cw&usg=AFQjCNHZ4ERNzSygGLqM7LjXFTAtwLZj
xA&bvm=bv.56146854,d.d2k [Access date: 6.11.13]