Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, FCAHSFCAHS

Professor and DirectorProfessor and DirectorUBC School of NursingUBC School of NursingVancouver, BCVancouver, BC

Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, Sally Thorne, RN, PhD, FCAHSFCAHS

Professor and DirectorProfessor and DirectorUBC School of NursingUBC School of NursingVancouver, BCVancouver, BC

Centre for Critical Qualitative Health ResearchLawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

University of Toronto

Sept 27, 2010

Centre for Critical Qualitative Health ResearchLawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

University of Toronto

Sept 27, 2010

Methodological Conventions in Transition: Shifting the Balance

between Theorizing and Application

Methodological Conventions in Transition: Shifting the Balance

between Theorizing and Application

LocationLocation

DisciplineDiscipline TrainingTraining Conceptual Conceptual

OrientationOrientation

NursingNursing

Methodological AffinitiesMethodological Affinities

PhenomenologyPhenomenology Philosophy/Philosophy/

PsychologyPsychology

EthnographyEthnography AnthropologyAnthropology

Grounded Grounded TheoryTheory

SociologySociology

Confronting ResistanceConfronting Resistance

• Health science Health science communitycommunity

• Social scientist Social scientist colleaguescolleagues

• Grant Grant reviewers/Journal reviewers/Journal editorseditors

• Paradigm thinkingParadigm thinking

MethodolatryMethodolatry

““slavish attachment and devotion to slavish attachment and devotion to method”method”

““a preoccupation with selecting anda preoccupation with selecting and

defending methods to the exclusion of thedefending methods to the exclusion of the

actual substance of the story being told.”actual substance of the story being told.”

Janesick, V. J. (1994). The dance of qualitative research Janesick, V. J. (1994). The dance of qualitative research design: Metaphor, methodolatry, and meaning. In N. K. design: Metaphor, methodolatry, and meaning. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative Handbook of qualitative research research (pp. 209–219). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.(pp. 209–219). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rule-AlignmentRule-Alignment

The Entrée: Tabula RasaThe Entrée: Tabula Rasa

““Nothing is known…”Nothing is known…”

Researcher Role AbdicationResearcher Role Abdication

““The data speak for The data speak for themselves….”themselves….”

The Convenient ExitThe Convenient Exit

““Saturation Saturation was was achievedachieved…”…”

The Primacy of AbstractionThe Primacy of Abstraction

““The The overarching overarching metaphor….”metaphor….”

Narrative ImperativeNarrative Imperative

“ “My study My study participants participants speak their speak their truth…”truth…”

The Meaning of MeaningThe Meaning of Meaning

““My journey…..”My journey…..”

Truth Claim GrandiositiesTruth Claim Grandiosities

Lachrymal validity Lachrymal validity

Adulatory Adulatory credibilitycredibility

Theory Theory in Qualitative Health in Qualitative Health

ResearchResearch

Epistemological Epistemological DifferencesDifferences

Social ScienceSocial Science

Health ScienceHealth Science

What Theory Privileges What Theory Privileges

andand What What it it ObscurObscureses

The Fallout of Borrowed The Fallout of Borrowed Theoretical TraditionTheoretical Tradition

• Losing the Losing the disciplinary gripdisciplinary grip

• Manipulating Manipulating language signifierslanguage signifiers

• Discrediting the Discrediting the field with fuzziness field with fuzziness and irrelevanceand irrelevance

A Necessary but Not A Necessary but Not Sufficient Schism?Sufficient Schism?

Emancipation of Emancipation of Qualitative Health Qualitative Health

ResearchResearch

Applied Qualitative Applied Qualitative MethodologyMethodology

The Next The Next GenerationGeneration

Venturing Beyond Venturing Beyond DescriptionDescription

and Theorizingand Theorizing

Using Research to Bring a Using Research to Bring a Clinical Angle of Vision into Clinical Angle of Vision into the Evidence-Based Contextthe Evidence-Based Context

• Limits of conventional Limits of conventional sciencescience

• Experiential phenomena Experiential phenomena not amenable to not amenable to measurementmeasurement

• Patterns in experiencePatterns in experience• Commonalities and Commonalities and

variations variations • Critical reflection on Critical reflection on

contextcontext

Applied Qualitative Applied Qualitative Research as a Corrective to Research as a Corrective to

Big ScienceBig Science

IlluminatorIlluminator

Variance InterpreterVariance Interpreter

ChallengerChallenger

HumanizerHumanizer