This study examined all the research published in Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing (JKAN) for last 30 years, from its beginning year to year 1999, based on an objective frame of evaluation. The purpose of this study is to reflect the trend of nursing research in Korea to date, and to provide an optimal direction for future research. The total number of 959 studies were analyzed with the following results. 1. Since 1990s, the number of non-degree based research has been larger than that of degree-based research compared to 1970s and 1980s. Both collaborative and funded research has been particularly increased in a gradual rate. 2. Research on nurses or nursing students has decreased while research on more diverse populations such as patients, patient families, or community-dwelling healthy clients has increased. 3. While essential nursing concepts such as human, nursing, and health have been consistently dealt as main research topics, research related to the concept of environ- ment has been insufficiently conducted. 4. It was remarkable that the quality of nursing research has been improved due to the acknowledgement of the importance of the empirical research method within the nursing community. 5. Qualitative research has appeared in the journal since the late 1990s, but it is still regarded to be in its novice stage. 6. Although the utilization of research findings for expanding the nursing body of knowledge has been wide in diverse specialties, most studies are limited to focus on concept development or evolution yet. also, in some of these research finding are utilization already considerably as to develop nursing interventions. Based on these findings, conclusions are extended to the following discussions: For the last 30 years, nursing research in Korea has shown an acute methodological development in both quantity and quality. However, there has been a lack of research on theory development although it is one of the ultimate goals in nursing. Further research should be empirical enough to be utilized in an actual nursing care context, and thus to be basis of developing culturally competent nursing theories in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the trends of family nursing research in Korea. The subjects were 62 articles, 132 master theses and 20 doctoral theses published during the period between 1970-1997. 7. The results are as follows. 1. The types of research that were analyzed were factor isolating, 6.1% and situation producing, 3.7%. 2. Research designs were experimental studies, 6.1% non-experimental studies, 89.7% and qualitative research, 4.2%. Survey research was the method used in 82.7% of the papers. 3. On the research subjects, 94 papers dealt with the family member of a patient or a single person, 59 papers dealt with a patient and 7 papers dealt with whole family. 4. On the places of studies, 64.0% of the studies were done in hospital rooms, 12.9% in the communities and community facilities, 12.0% in schools, 10.7% in the home, and 0.4% an occupational setting. 5. The most frequently used family concept in the title of the articles was "family support"(59 papers) followed by family function and family burden. 6. The most frequently used family assessment tool was Family Environment Scale(FES) developed by Moos and Insel. 7. According to family nursing domain described by Murphy' and Meister' study, the subdomain, relationship of the family and disease was found 83.2%. 8. Four papers built conceptual frameworks based on various theories of researchers. Eleven papers applied family theories and five papers applied nursing theories. Based on the above findings the following suggestions are made. 1. The various domains of family nursing research should be used including in the relationship of family and health, health policy and family, transcultural family research, and theoretical approach to family. 2. Qualitative research should be used for family nursing research. 3. Family assessment tools should be developed for the Korean family.