Concept development: exploring undocumentedness

Abstract

Concept development involves multiple processes, one of which is concept exploration. The purpose of this paper is to present the process of concept exploration as exemplified in the case of undocumentedness. This particular exploration of undocumentedness was grounded in the discipline of nursing and approached from a feminist perspective. The exploratory process of the concept included personal reflexivity, the construction of definitions, examination of the historical, social, political, and legislative context of undocumented immigration in the United States, exploration of the meanings and implications of the concept, discussion of the relationship of undocumentedness to nursing and health, and identification of the needs for research to further develop the concept of undocumentedness for nursing.