Concepts are specific terms or ideas that are derived from reality. McEwen and Wills (2019) define concepts as phenomena that happen in nature. In nursing research, a concept can be taken as a variable in an investigation. For this reason, the process of concept analysis has to follow specific steps. There are many models for performing concept development, but they all have similar basic steps of naming the concept and reviewing related studies. This paper will analyze the concept of “self-esteem” in relation to exercise in the youth as considered in the review by Ekeland et al. (2009). The model introduced by Rodgers will be utilized for the analysis.
The Rodgers’ process has six steps, during which the concept is defined, analyzed, and presented (Gray et al., 2017; McEwen & Wills, 2019). The first action is to identify the idea; the chosen concept for this work is “self-esteem;” according to the review by Ekeland et al. (2009), self-esteem is “the value we place on ourselves” (p. 2). Associated terms are “value,” “self-description,” “confidence,” and “personal worth.” The working definition for self-esteem is the subjective, self-described sense of personal value.
The study by Ekeland et al. (2009) identifies children and young people as a sample for collecting information about self-esteem. As the authors are interested in finding the connection between physical activity and self-esteem, the realm is further limited to self-esteem before and after exercise in children. Self-esteem is measured in studies using self-report questionnaires, such as the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI), Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Thomas Self-Concept Values Test, and Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ-2), and others (Ekeland et al., 2009).
The article by Alpert et al. (1990) is a model case – the authors examine the influence of aerobic exercises on the health and self-esteem of preschoolers. Self-esteem is measured using the Thomas Self-Concept Values Test, and the authors find that this measure increased following the program of exercises among children (Alpert et al., 1990). According to the test used in this paper, self-esteem is a combination of perceptions – one group is a perception of oneself in relation to personal appearance, independence, fears, and abilities. Another part of self-esteem seems to be constructed from one’s thoughts about how one is perceived by others (Alpert et al., 1990). Thus, upon interpreting the results of the studies collected by Alpert et al. (1990) and Ekeland et al. (2009), it is suggested that self-esteem is not directly connected to concepts of fears, independence, and others, but to one’s perception, which may be influenced other factors.
From this interpretation, several implications for future research on self-esteem arise. For instance, if self-esteem is not directly related to the factors with which it is questioned, then the question is which processes and activities can impact the increase in self-esteem. For instance, Lazarević et al. (2017) find that physical exercise itself is not important, while gender, perception of one’s body, and ability to continue exercising regularly contribute to increased self-esteem. In turn, Batista et al. (2016) argue that the high regularity of physical activity is more significant than the practice itself. Ekeland et al. (2009) consider both team and individual exercises; this relationship is underexplored in their review. Stevens et al. (2019) find a link between self-esteem and participation, but they focus on adults and consider only one exercise – running. All these factors have to be considered when looking at the potential positive effect of exercise by acknowledging limitations, controlling for variables, and repeating studies with different samples.
The analysis of the concept based on Rodger’s process allows one to define the concept and present information related to it. As the strategy calls for real-life exemplars to build the knowledge surrounding the concept, the scholar using it is likely to engage in a thorough investigation into existing cases. This, in turn, can ground the concept in reality and lead to hypotheses and questions for further study that arise from real issues. Overall, the process of concept analysis is foundational to nursing research as it is a starting point in creating research questions and pinpointing patterns in people’s behavior.
References
Alpert, B., Field, T. M., Goldstein, S., & Perry, S. (1990). Aerobics enhances cardiovascular fitness and agility in preschoolers.Health Psychology, 9(1), 48.
Batista, M., Cubo, D. S., Honório, S., & Martins, J. (2016). The practice of a physical activity is related to self-esteem and academic performance in students of basic education. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 11(2), 297-310.
Ekeland, E., Heian, F., Hagen, K., Abbott, H., & Nordheim, L. (2009). Exercise to improve self-esteem in children and young people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1), CD003683. Web.
Gray, J.R., Grove, S.K., & Sutherland, S. (2017). Burns and Grove’s the practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). Saunders Elsevier.
Lazarević, L. B., Lazarević, D., & Orlić, A. (2017). Predictors of students’ self-esteem: The importance of body self-perception and exercise. Psihološka Istraživanja, 20(2), 239-254.
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2019). The theoretical basis for nursing (5th ed.) Wolters Kluwer Health.
Stevens, M., Rees, T., & Polman, R. (2019). Social identification, exercise participation, and positive exercise experiences: Evidence from park run. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(2), 221-228.