Alternative approaches to research in physical therapy: positivism and phenomenology.
This article presents philosophical approaches to research in physical therapy. A comparison is made to demonstrate how the research purpose, research design, research methods, and research data differ when one approaches research from the philosophical perspective of positivism (predominantly quantitative) as compared with the philosophical perspective of phenomenology (predominantly qualitative). Differences between the two approaches are highlighted by examples from research articles published in Physical Therapy. The authors urge physical therapy researchers to become familiar with the tenets, rigor, and knowledge gained from the use of both approaches in order to increase their options in conducting research relevant to the practice of physical therapy.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Science
- Research Design
- Research
- Reproducibility of Results
- Rehabilitation
- Professional-Patient Relations
- Physical Therapy Modalities
- Philosophy
- Models, Organizational
- Humans
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Science
- Research Design
- Research
- Reproducibility of Results
- Rehabilitation
- Professional-Patient Relations
- Physical Therapy Modalities
- Philosophy
- Models, Organizational
- Humans