The design of a methodology to measure the level of conceptual knowledge among student nurses is described. The paper examines how the data- gathering technique of word association used in cognitive psychology to study the organisation of conceptual knowledge can be applied in a manner that will elicit concepts inherent within the subject of nursing and integral to professional practice. Results show that such a technique can reveal useful information about the level of conceptual structure among student nurses and that there is potential for further research into the cognitive organisation underlying 'novice' and 'expert' performance among student nurses.
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