The Philosophical Position

As a researcher, it is important to identify and articulate the philosophical position of this qualitative study. Consideration of the conceptual background from an ontological and epistemological perspective informed the decision to adopt this methodological approach. By understanding these concepts, this strengthened my rationale for the methodology and justification of the process and ultimately to defend the research outcomes. Kincheloe and Berry (2004, p.8) propose that using the philosophical tools will ‘clarify the process of inquiry and provide insight into the assumptions on which it conceptually rests’. As a researcher, the aim is to be transparent over the philosophical position that has informed my choice of methodology. This is central in generating new knowledge in the form of this qualitative study and contributes to the overall quality of the research.

In taking a phenomenographical approach to provide an answer to the first research question, there is a need to consider the nature of reality within the social world under investigation and how we know what we know (ontology) as well as understanding the nature of knowledge and crucially what counts as knowledge (epistemology). In terms of phenomenography, Åkerlind (2005b, p. 321) recognised it is only recently that these assumptions underpinning this

methodology have been developed but are crucial in ‘clarifying and tightening up the process’. These underpinnings have guided this study which Guba and Lincoln (1994 p. 99) stress are a requirement to any research investigation. By reflecting on these underpinnings, they have provided a lens to understand and review what Guba and Lincoln (1994 p. 99) determine ‘a

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basic set of beliefs that guide actions’. From an ontological perspective, this study is ‘about being’ and what Crotty describes as ‘what is’ in relation to ‘existence and reality’ (Crotty, 1998, p.10).

Within phenomenography, the ontological assumptions are focused on the ‘conceptions’. In this case, the ontological assumptions are around the ‘conceptions’ of being a lecturer in nursing. This empirical study will explore the nature of knowledge through the descriptions of the conceptions. Pearsall and Trumble (1996, p.299) define conception as ‘the process of forming an idea or mental picture of a group or class of objects formed by combining all their aspects’. The way that knowledge is generated is according to Svensson (1997, p. 165) very similar to the way conceptions are generated. Svensson (1997) explains this as a dualist assumption by seeing the world as separate from the individual:

‘knowledge is around human thinking and activities and conceptions are reliant on human activity and the world or reality external to the individual’. (p.165).

The term ‘external’ is pertinent here as crucially in phenomenography, the human being, in this case the lecturer in nursing, is seen as relational to their view of the world and not seen as separate as Svensson suggests. It is significant that in phenomenography, the world is seen as one in which we live and experience with no dividing line between the world of the individual and the world outside. In this non-dualist stance, phenomenographers see:

‘reality constituted through the reciprocally intertwined emergence of humans and their world’ (Bowden and Marton, 2004 p. 206).

with conclusions being drawn on how individuals ‘conceive of various aspects of their reality’

(Marton, 1986, p.42).

Marton (1981 p.180) presents two distinct perspectives on how we look at reality itself. He explains that how we make sense of the world and make a judgement about this is known as the first order perspective. How the world is experienced by other people Marton (1981 p. 180) goes on to explain this as second-order perspective. Marton (1981) argues that it is only by investigating peoples’ descriptions of experiences that is authentic rather than making

Susan Harness 91 assumptions or theorising about their experiences. In this case, this qualitative study focuses on the relation between the lecturers in nursing and the phenomenon or conceptions of being a lecturer in nursing and how these are negotiated during a tutorial with an individual student. The phenomenographic rationale is that the phenomenon will only be described by the lecturer in nursing. This rationale echoes with the position held by Dall’ Alba (2004) in that knowledge is not exclusively cognitive, but is created, enacted and embodied. These non- dualist perspectives guide my ontological position with this study. The diagrammatic representation in Figure 5 clearly illustrates the path for phenomenographers.

Figure 5 Points of Departure Between Phenomenography and Other Research Approaches (Trigwell, 2006, p.369)

It is equally important to position this study from an epistemological perspective. Epistemology is concerned with the theory or theories of knowledge which have been the focus of

considerable debates over the years (Berger and Luckmann, (1966); Blackler, (1995); Bleiklie and Byrkjeflot, (2002); Eraut, (1994); Karseth and Nerland, (2007); Larsen et al., (2002); Luckett, (2009); Maton, (2003); Nonaka and Takeuchi, (1995); Petit and Huault, (2008); Trowler and Cooper, (2002). According to Jary and Jary (1991, p.186), epistemology is how ‘we can know about the world’ and how new knowledge is created. This study needs to explore the formation of knowledge and how this knowledge is applied within my chosen methodological approach to examining the data.

Susan Harness 92 The assumption within phenomenography is that the only world that humans can

communicate about is the world that they experience. In phenomenography, it is the

descriptions of conceptions that are central to the understanding of knowledge and meaning. Svensson (1997, p.167) explains this as understanding the similarities and differences in meaning. The epistemological position is that reality is dependent on how individuals perceive themselves in the world. In this case, the basic epistemological assumption regards the participants’ conceptions of how they experience the world as reliable data to understand the meaning of being a lecturer in nursing.

In summary, this phenomenographic study is situated within an ontological assumption of non-dualism. That is, the relationship between the human being and reality is the only world that can be experienced and therefore communicated. The epistemological assumption is that humans and in this case lecturers in nursing, differ as to how they experience the world. However, it is the position of this qualitative study that these differences or conceptions can be described, understood and have meaning to others and takes the relational view that the world that appears to lecturers in nursing is the world that they are in the middle of and is real to them. The following section will explore the origins of phenomenography.