S.TRUEMAN PhD THESIS 2016

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Chapter 4: The Case and Methodology

4.1 Introduction

This study seeks to interpret and understand the phenomena of the social world constructed by Australian remote generalist nurses providing mental healthcare. The study utilises an interpretive case study design. This chapter presents a general discussion of the philosophical underpinnings of qualitative research, before examining interpretive case study design in more detail. The philosophical underpinnings of the research concern the concepts of epistemology , axiology , rhetorical structure , ontology and methodology (Creswell, 1998; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Guba & Lincoln, 1994; Ponterotto, 2002). As a methodological approach, the principles of interpretive case study are defined, described and justified in relation to their use in present research. Following this, an overview of the study framework and the role of the researcher is outlined. The chapter concludes with a discussion on criticisms, and acknowledges some potential limitations of case study research. 4.2 Philosophical Underpinnings 4.2.1 Epistemology The word ‘epistemology’ derives from the Greek epistēmē , meaning ‘knowledge, understanding’, while logos translates to ‘study of’. Accordingly, epistemology is a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. Epistemology questions what knowledge is, and the extent to which knowledge pertinent to any given subject or entity can be acquired. Positivist epistemology asserts that only ‘facts’ derived from the scientific method can make legitimate knowledge claims. This approach suggests that by following rigorous, standard procedures, a researcher can study the participant and topic