The importance of researcher positioning is widely acknowledged as essential prior to conducting research (Nayar and Stanley, 2015). It was therefore important that I explored my own views of reality and my cultural values, attitudes and beliefs prior to undertaking this research. Consideration of the influence of my professional philosophy, including its values and beliefs were also key to understanding my position in relation to the research.
There are a number of epistemological positions which exist within the literature, with scholars debating if they exist as separate entities or indeed upon a continuum from which research and the search for knowledge is understood (Kielhofner, 2006; Pring, 2004). The epistemology underpinning the positivist stance is that of objectivism (Crotty, 2015). Objectivism is
…the notion that truth and meaning reside in their objects independently of any consciousness (Crotty, 2015; p42).
Adopting a positivist approach would have required the use of objective, quantitative research methods, of the natural sciences such as experiments and the use of surveys to measure, behaviours, actions, interactions and cause and effect relationships, avoiding error or bias (Bryman, 2007). My personal interest was never in quantifying, gathering statistical objective data, testing hypotheses and theories or developing laws. I therefore rejected positivism.
Within this research, I wanted to understand the meaning each student constructed as they interpreted their experiences of being a student with additional support requirements on the BSc (hons) OT programme within one Higher Education Institution (HEI) within the United Kingdom (UK). My
intention was to understand their life-world as they constructed it, viewing the individual as a ‘sense maker’ (Ashworth, 2015; p 15). It was my intention to co-construct the research findings through interaction and interpretation. I was interested to understand the subjective meaning of their disability, their
experiences of academic life and practice placement and their motivations for becoming an Occupational Therapist. I wanted to give my participants a voice empowering them to influence change and enhance future practice (Allan, 2010; Gibson, 2015).
Therefore the aim and objectives of this research were more aligned to interpretivism which seeks to understand human behaviour rather than explaining human behaviour, as would be expected from a positivist
interpretativism (Blair and Robertson, 2005; Howell, 2013; Pring, 2004). It was not my intention to reduce the complexities and nature of exploring
individual’s experiences and environments to component parts or ‘discreet variables that can be measured and controlled’ (Nayar and Stanley, 2015; p4). Furthermore, I did not wish to generalise the research findings (Willig, 2000) to a larger population, as would be expected if testing a hypothesis using a large sample. My intention was to understand the ‘multiple realities’ (Cresswell, 2007; p16) of the subjective concept of disability from an
individual’s perspective in the context of studying OT in one university within the UK.
Remaining emotionally neutral and detached, as would be expected within an objectivist epistemology and positivist approach (Green & Thorogood, 2009; Howell, 2013) would have been impossible, as I am an OT lecturer and practice placement coordinator. I recognised my position in relation to both the research topic and the participants. I acknowledged that my knowledge of the subject would influence my interpretation but that this would also allow me to consider my professional understanding of the research (see section 3.4). I reflected throughout the research process and analysis of the data
anticipating the effects of my position, as envisaged within an interpretivist approach (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2011).
It could also be argued that, professionally as an Occupational Therapist whose philosophy is grounded in humanism and understanding the complexities and uniqueness of individuals that the ‘pursuit of objective evidence’ (Blair and Robertson, 2005; p270) is incompatible with the professions philosophy. Conducting research which reflected and was congruent with not only my personal philosophy but that of my profession, from both an OT and educationalist perspectives was important to me (Tight, 2003).
Research within OT began to develop within the 1950’s and was predominantly focused on objective scientific methods to gather data emulating our medical and psychology colleagues (Custard, 1998; Yerxa,
1991). At this time scientific research was deemed essential for the growth of the profession (Custard, 1998) and thus OT was driven to establish the value of occupation using experimental quantitative methods ‘in an attempt to validate its existence [and] ensure its survival’ (Custard, 1998; p676). The focus, therefore, being on pathology, effectiveness of intervention and
outcome measurement such as range of movement, strength and endurance rather than that of true occupation (Yerxa, 1991).
Whilst the focus on experimental scientific research supported the
development, growth and reputation of the profession, it was ‘inconsistent with the holistic philosophy of OT’ (Custard, 1998; p679) and in 1991, Yerxa
suggested that the OT profession needed ‘to seek or invent new ways of knowing’ (p200), which were more consistent with the profession’s
epistemology. She suggested that the epistemology of OT was far from that of the medical profession and argued eloquently for the use of research which is ethically and culturally consistent with the values of the profession.
Qualitative research in OT and Occupational Science (OS) began to emerge as the profession sought more congruent research design and methods to explore the context and meaning of individual’s lives, occupations and illness experience, adopting an interpretivist epistemology. As a result, significantly increasing the volume of qualitative research within the profession (Nayar and Stanley, 2015). The current research within OT and OS aims
…to understand the place of occupation within and throughout people’s lives (Nayar and Stanley, 2015; p9).
In congruence, it was my desire to explore and understand how studying OT had and was influencing the participant’s lives. My intention within this
research was specifically to explore and understand the person’s experiences of the role of being an OT student with a disability and in participating in the occupation of studying OT, which is suggested, is
…information which can not be enumerated or captured by measurement without losing some of the richness and depth of meaning (Nayar and Stanley, 2015; p9).
OT is built on the premise that there is an inherent link between occupation, health and wellbeing and that engaging in meaningful occupations can lead to a greater fulfillment and quality of life (Wilcock, 2001). The profession is underpinned by humanism and its values. Occupational Therapists recognise the complexity and uniqueness of human beings, whose qualities include
…language, history, culture and the endowment of life experiences with spiritual meaning (Yerxa, 1991; p199).
It is this complexity and uniqueness which I aimed to explore, illuminating the individual’s experiences and the meaning attributed to this through their own cultural and historical stories. Occupational Therapists recognise the
importance of the lived experiences of the people they work with and my intention here was to seek the individual’s ‘real world’ view (Yerxa, 1991; p201) of being an OT student, with a disability studying a BSc (hons) programme in the UK. I did not seek to reduce this experience to a single cause-effect relationship removing variables, which would have inevitably lost sight of the complexity of both the person and their occupations (Yerxa, 1991). My interest lay in the subjective experience and the environmental and contextual influences of this experience. Occupational Therapists recognise the environment as a barrier or an enabler to engagement and occupational performance and I wanted to understand and interpret the impact of the environment, in its widest context, on the individual’s experiences.
From an educational perspective, Cohen et al (2011) also suggest that whilst the traditional scientific objective research approaches remain important, there has been increased interest and a tendency to adopt interpretivist approaches. Miller and Glasser (2016) suggest that
…research can not provide the mirror reflection of the social world that positivists strive for, but it can provide access to the meanings people attribute to their experiences and social worlds (p53).
Interpretivism was required to gain insight into the complex subjective experiences of the students and there are a number of research
methodologies outlined within the literature which could have been employed to explore this phenomenon. Whilst qualitative methodologies such as
ethnography, grounded theory, narrative research and case studies have similarities to phenomenology, they also have distinct differences. All qualitative research begins with a research problem, which requires exploration (as outlined within the introduction and literature review). Frequently they employ similar methods of data collection, within a natural setting, use inductive data analysis to identify themes, ensure that the voice of participants is evident, within ‘thick’ descriptions, whilst explicitly
demonstrating researcher reflexivity (Cresswell 2007). However, their purpose and aims differ.
Exploring a life [phenomenology] is different from generating a theory [grounded theory] or describing the behavior of a cultural group [ethnography] (Cresswell, 2007 P77)
It was my desire to explore the life experiences of individual’s with a disability studying OT. Differences also exist in terms of the ‘emphasis’ and ‘extent of data collection’ (Cresswell, 2007; p77) e.g. observations within ethnography and the multiple forms of data collection within case study research to develop a comprehensive view of the case.
However, phenomenology and specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) which has its focus on the everyday ‘lifeworld’ of individuals was indicated to explore a concept which had not been widely researched previously (Maringer and Jensen, 2014; Wright-St Clair, 2015).
Phenomenologists, seek to understand an individual’s ‘personal lifeworld’ (Ashworth, 2015; p4) through understanding, describing and interpreting an individual’s perceptions and the meaning they ascribe to experiences they have had. Concepts which resonate well with the philosophy of OT, in which we focus on the participation in meaningful occupation, such as studying OT with a disability (Nayar and Stanley, 2015).
Very little previous primary research has been conducted exploring the experiences of being an OT student with a disability as discussed previously. However, those that have been completed (Brown, et al 2006; Jung, et al 2014; Velde, et al 2005) have all adopted a phenomenological approach. Therefore supporting the use of the approach in this study, however, none of those identified explicitly used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).