Critical realism in nursing: an emerging approach

Abstract

Critical realism, a philosophical framework originally developed by Roy Bhaskar in the 1970s, represents a relatively new approach to research generally and to nursing research in particular. This article explores the ontological and epistemological tenets of critical realism and examines the application of critical realist principles to nursing research and practice through a review of the literature. It is evident that few published nursing research studies have, as of yet, utilized critical realism as their paradigm of choice. Both the strengths and limitations of the presentation and use of critical realism in these studies are discussed in this article. Given the varying degrees of success of the authors in explicating critical realism as a philosophical framework, the value of critical realism to the research study, and the ways in which usage of the critical realist framework influenced development of the study and interpretation of findings, it is evident that the quality of future publications espousing the use of critical realism must continue to be strengthened significantly.

Applying Meta-Theory to Qualitative and Mixed-Methods Research

“…In the actual domain, events occur, whether or not these effects are experienced by humans. Events take place in the actual domain and have existence irrespective of whether these are perceived by humans (Schiller, 2016). The realm of the empirical refers to human perception and social processes, including seemingly formal inquires, such as scientific investigation and processes.…”

Personality, Work-Life Balance, Hardiness, and Vocation: A Typology of Nurses and Nursing Values in a Special Sample of English Hospital Nurses

“…A fuller account of general principles of critical realist methodologies is given in Bagley et al (2016). Critical realism is seen as a valuable research approach in the study of institutions, and of groups of students and workers (including nurses), experiencing stress and change (Bhaskar 2002;McEvoy and Richards 2003;Wilson and McCormack 2006;Walsh and Evans 2014;Schiller 2016;Williams et al 2017;Allmark and Machaczek 2018). Critical realism in nursing research is par excellence a methodology "for emancipatory practice" (Parlour and McCormack 2012).…”

Using the realist interview approach to maintain theoretical awareness in realist studies

“…It contains information that becomes known to human beings through direct and indirect experiences associated with the 'actual' domain. Through research endeavors, researchers can theorize about the 'real' by exploring event patterns and the experiences and perceptions of the actors of the phenomenon (Schiller, 2016). The relationship between these three domains is illustrated in Figure 1.…”