The intersection between logical empiricism and qualitative nursing research: a post-structuralist analysis

Abstract

Purpose To shed light on and analyse the intersection between logical empiricism and qualitative nursing research, and to emphasize a post-structuralist critique to traditional methodological constraints. Methods In this study, a critical examination is conducted through a post-structuralist lens, evaluating entrenched methodologies within nursing research. This approach facilitates a nuanced exploration of the intersection between logical empiricism and qualitative nursing research, challenging traditional methodological paradigms. Results The article focusing on the “what abouts” of sample size, analytic framework, data source, data analysis, and rigour and methodological considerations, challenging the predominance of semi-structured interviews and the reliance on spoken voice as primary data sources, and re-evaluating the conventional notion of “rigour”. Conclusions I advocate for a shift from qualitative positivism towards more interpretive and post-qualitative inquiries, this work proposes new trajectories through interpretive, critical, post-qualitative, and artistic turns in nursing research, aiming to transcend positivist limitations and foster a plurality of perspectives and research as praxis. Implications emphasize the need for nursing researchers to expand methodological horizons, incorporating visual and artistic methods to enrich understanding and representation of health experiences, moving beyond positivist norms towards a more inclusive and ethically sound research paradigm.

Keywords

• epistemology
• logical empiricism
• methodology
• nursing research
• ontology
• postmodernism
• qualitative research
• research design
• social constructivism