Using Bourdieuʹs theory of practice to understand ICT use amongst nurse educators

SummaryBackground enting 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. Bourdieuʹs theory of practice provides a method for reconciling the two. ive vide a practical example of how Bourdieuʹs theory of practice can be employed to better understand nurse educatorsʹ responses to ICT. atory descriptive design, using a Bourdieusian case-study to guide a documentary analysis. s 9 a two-part study was conducted within a Department of Nursing (DON) in higher education (HE) in England. First Bourdieuʹs 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. s gʹs transition into academia, promotions criteria in HE and the value placed on research over teaching have influenced educatorsʹ responses to technology. sion e of Bourdieuʹs framework provides a rich and contextual backdrop for understanding how organisational factors interact to influence individualsʹ responses to technology adoption.