The experiment: is it worthwhile?

Parallel developments in social and educational research as well as more explicit humanistic philosophies of nursing have influenced views on what types of investigation are acceptable or useful to this field. Shifts in opinion towards more participative and qualitative studies reflect the move away from the predominant traditions of medical research and the experiment. This paper attempts to explore the reasons for such a change and examine the related criticisms of the positivist school and in particular deductive experimental approaches in order to assess whether such approaches should continue to have a role in building nursing knowledge.