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Qualitative Critique: A Study

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Qualitative Critique The qualitative approach to research is anchored in the ideographic tradition and seeks to focus on the insider's world and the meanings that are attached to behaviour. While this is a general view of qualitative studies each qualitative design has unique foci. Hudacek (2008) examined the concept of caring in the work of nurses using a phenomenological design. Phenomenology gives attention to the subjective social reality. It gives value to the individual experience of the actor even within highly structured organizations. It is through the everyday experiences that meaning is constructed. The use of phenomenology is therefore highly consistent with the attempt to understand the meaning of caring. The design and the stated purpose of the researcher are highly congruent. The researcher noted that the purpose of the study was to "describe the dimensions of caring." Phenomenology is useful for unearthing the individuals understanding of their own behavior and consequently the meaning they attach to particular actions. Another reason the design is in harmony with the purpose of the study is identified by the author; there is a lack of narratives of nursing care. The nursing profession has an acute absence of stories that in their collective strength describe not only what nurses do but why. The "why" component is a critical aspect of the nursing profession. It determines how actors understand their roles, and the behaviors that are consistent with those

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