A REEXAMINATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL-DESIGN FOR NURSING RESEARCH

This paper will present a case for the re-examination of the experimen tal design for contemporary nursing research. It is an attempt to re-d ress the academic 'romance' with the new found orientation towards exp loratory descriptive research. To make the case, there is a need to ma ke explicit some of the erroneous assumptions regarding the philosophi cal origins of the experimental design. By ignoring the contribution o f the experimental design, there is the risk of overlooking certain ar eas of potential nursing knowledge. This is particularly pertinent in the current political climate, where the need to provide cost-effectiv e outcomes is reliant upon the principles of causality and certainty i nherent in experimental designs.