Table 1 Defining epistemology and qualitative research
From: Quality assurance of qualitative research: a review of the discourse
Epistemology: | |
|---|---|
Definition | Relating to quality |
Epistemology reflects the relationship between the inquirer and that which is to be known [60]. An epistemological approach entails assumptions about what is to be considered knowledge and the appropriate ways to construct or produce it. | Epistemology is crucial to defining what one considers constitutes quality in research: research questions, methods and interpretations all depend upon epistemological assumptions. |
Qualitative epistemological approaches identified in debates around quality: | |
Postpositivism/realism | Interpretivism/constructionism |
Social reality exists but can never be fully apprehended, only approximated [18]. Methods must be systematic and rigorous [45]. | Reality does not exist; knowledge is constructed through the research process and interpreted through the researcher's own values and assumptions [27]. |