West J Nurs Res. 2003 Aug;25(5):464-81; discussion 482-91. doi: 10.1177/0193945903253909.

Are phenomenology and postpositivism strange bedfellows?.

Western journal of nursing research

Frances E Racher, Steven Robinson

PMID: 12955966 DOI: 10.1177/0193945903253909

Abstract

Researchers are advocating that a necessary condition of scholarly research is congruence between philosophical positions and research approaches. Phenomenology and postpositivism, traditionally, may appear to be situated in scientific inquiry as polar opposites and mutually exclusive paradigms. This article (a) describes the reflections of a nurse researcher and clarifies her philosophical assumptions; (b) delineates the postpositive paradigm and the interpretive paradigm, which traditionally includes phenomenology; (c) discusses phenomenology as a philosophy, an approach, and a research method; and (d) demonstrates the consistency between postpositivism and phenomenology. Nurse researchers must be aware of their philosophical assumptions and appraise the philosophical underpinnings of the methodologies, but this process should not restrict and limit their exploration of possibilities and the creativity in their efforts to address the growing challenges that await nursing science research.

MeSH terms

• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Creativity
• Existentialism*
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Humans
• Knowledge*
• Models, Nursing
• Nurses / psychology
• Nursing Methodology Research / methods
• Nursing Methodology Research / standards
• Nursing Theory
• Philosophy, Nursing*
• Qualitative Research
• Reproducibility of Results
• Research Design
• Research Personnel / psychology

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Review