Philosophical ponderings on qualitative research methods in nursing.

This article focuses on the philosophical underpinnings of qualitative research methods. The historical context reflects an interpretive turn from envisioning nursing as a natural science to one of a human science. The phenomological paradigm is reflected upon in the questioning of perception, philosophy, nursing philosophy, paradigms, assumptions, and praxis. An invitation to embrace human understanding of experience, meaning of life worlds, the essences of experience, the attentive practice of thoughtfulness, and caring attunements is extended. The aims of discovery and qualitative research methods are presented within social, experiential, linguistic, and cultural contexts. In a fundamental sense, this paper is about the meaning and seriousness of human experience and nursing's efforts to study such experience faithfully, with reverence and wonderment.