Historical and epistemological perspectives on research and nursing

This paper examines four main themes with respect to some problematic issues concerning the discipline of nursing, nursing scholarship and the social sciences. First, attention is directed to the controversial issues concerning nursing's search for a knowledge base. Second, a historical context is provided by drawing attention to some key developments between the quantitative and qualitative approaches to research in nursing. Third, the issue of the fundamental and attested difficulties in the application of qualitative methodologies is addressed. Finally, it is submitted that in the interest of nursing's future as a scholarly endeavour, the discipline should focus polemic attention on the body of knowledge already accumulated.