NURS400 Health Care Problem Analysis

Socratic Problem-Solving Approach

The Socratic Method is a teaching style in which teachers ask students questions designed to stimulate more complete thinking and deeper insight. It also relates to the steps of performing scientific research. When the Socratic approach is applied, students are prompted to look more closely at your ideas, question your assumptions and accepted premises, and view your choices through a rigorous lens.

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Apply the Socratic approach

Applying the Socratic approach to problem solving helps you identify gaps and improve your thinking when writing papers or completing projects. The questions may be used to spark new insights when responding to discussion topics and posts.

Identify the elements of the problem, issue, or question

Supporting actions:

- Break the problem down into pieces, elements, or components.
- Recognize how the pieces or components are related to each other.
- Look for missing information or gaps in what you know.
- Note the information that you do not have, cannot find, or is unavailable.
- Separate symptoms from underlying causes.
- Avoid judgments and premature solutions.
- Gather information.

Supporting questions:

- What problem am I trying to solve?
- What are the key issues in this problem?
- What facts do I have? A fact is “something that actually exists; reality; truth; a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true.”*
- What evidence do I have? Evidence is “that which tends to prove or disprove something; grounds for belief; proof.”*
- Which pieces of information are opinions? Opinion is “a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty; a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.”*
- Which pieces of information are inferences? To infer is “to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence.”*
- Are the inferences well or poorly reasoned? Can alternative inferences be drawn from the same facts or observations?
- Which pieces of the information are theories? A theory is “a more or less verified or established explanation accounting for known facts or phenomena.”*
- What do I not know?
- What information is missing, and is it possible to get the information I do not have?
- What are the possible sources of information?
- What must remain unknown for now?
Analyze, define, and frame the problem, issue, or question

Supporting actions:

- Gather information that you need to know more about the context surrounding this problem.
- Decide which pieces of information are important.
- Identify your point of view.
- Consider how your cultural values shape your perception of the problem.
- Evaluate conflicting evidence.
- Separate symptoms from underlying causes.
- Avoid value judgments and premature solutions.
- Analyze arguments.
- Identify what you do not understand and the complexities of the problem.
- Define a research problem.

Supporting questions:

- What are my goals? What am I trying to accomplish?
- Which pieces of information are the most important in relationship to this problem?
- Is the information, or presented evidence, relevant to the problem? Are there other ways to interpret the information?
- How does the information relate to:
  - What I already know?
  - My personal and professional experiences?
- How does this information support or match my experiences?
- How does it contradict or differ from my experiences?
- What information opposes my position?
- What theories in my discipline shed light on this problem?
- What are the values, beliefs, and assumptions (i.e. or the things that are taken for granted and usually unstated) implied in the problem statement?
- What are my values and beliefs in relationship to this problem?
- Am I ignoring evidence that does not fit with my beliefs?
- Am I failing to consider or investigate evidence that may contradict the theory I support?
- What are my assumptions in relationship to this problem?
- What support or evidence do I have to back up these assumptions?
- What are the values, beliefs, and assumptions of my sources of information and references in relationship to this problem?
- How does my culture or my world view shape my approach to this problem?
- How would someone from another culture or world view approach this problem?
- What are the possible causes of this problem?
- What blind spots are keeping me from seeing additional causes?
- What evidence supports my assertions? How reliable is this evidence?
- What evidence supports others’ assertions?
- How reliable is this evidence?
- What other issues relate to this problem?
- Am I considering the complexities of this problem?
- How important is the problem relative to other problems?
Consider solutions, responses, or answers

Supporting actions:

- Consider the evidence for and against:
  - Your theory or viewpoint.
  - Others’ theories or viewpoints.
- Analyze arguments.
- Imagine the implications of each possible solution.
- Formulate research questions or hypotheses.

Supporting questions:

- What theories relate to these solutions?
- What are the possible expert views that may be held on this problem?
- Which views are best supported by evidence?
- What are all the possible solutions, resources, and constraints to this problem?
- Additional solutions
  - What blind spots are keeping me from seeing them?
  - What are the implications of these?
  - What might be the consequences of these?
  - What world view does each imply?
Choose a solution, response, or answer

Supporting actions:

- Evaluate your choice from alternative viewpoints, or put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
- Question and consider the problems that may arise from your choice.
- Choose research questions or hypotheses.

Supporting questions:

- What theories in the discipline provide support for this solution?
- How did I reach this conclusion?
- Is this solution aligned with my goals? Does this solution address the problem’s most critical aspects?
- Why do I prefer this solution, response, or answer?
- How is this solution, response, or answer supported by, or dependent upon,:
  - Data, facts, and evidence?
  - Opinions or inferences?
- What are the costs of this solution?
- What are the possible risks of this solution? How likely are those risks?
- What are the possible benefits of this solution? How likely are those benefits?
- How do my biases affect my choice? What alternative biases might be held by others, and how would these affect their choices?
- What assumptions, values, and goals does my choice imply?
Implement your choice

Supporting actions:

- Develop an action plan.
- Test research questions or hypotheses.

Supporting questions:

- Is the implementation supported by theory?
- Is the implementation supported by the facts?
- Is the implementation consistent with my purpose?
Evaluate the results

Supporting actions:

- Analyze the results of your actions.
- Analyze research data and formulate new questions based on the results.

Supporting questions:

- Did I make progress toward solving the problem?
- What did I learn?
- How do the results relate to existing theories?
- How do the results shed light on the existing body of evidence?
- What new questions are raised by the results?

Socratic problem-solving references

Paul, R., & Elder., L. (2006) The miniature guide to critical thinking concepts & tools (4th ed.). Dillon Beach, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking.

Wertheim, E. G. (n.d.). A model for case analysis and problem solving. College of Business Administration, Northeastern University. Retrieved August 7, 2007, from http://web.cba.neu.edu/ewertheim/introd/cases.htm (Material no longer available at this link.)

*Source: Dictionary.com

Related Resources

Apply critical thinking

Learn more about applying the Socratic approach when creating discussion posts.

Socratic problem-solving approach

Identify gaps and improve your thinking when writing a course paper or completing a project.

Practice Activity

Use the Socratic approach when responding to a discussion question.

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