Synergy Among Multiple Methodologies: Investigating Parents’ Distress After Preterm Birth

Abstract

Interpretive methodologies require a level of introspection and engagement that is different from that used in empirical and analytical methodologies. The use of multiple interpretive methodologies to explore a phenomenon, in the context of a single study, is a unique perspective for undertaking qualitative research. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the synergistic nature of combining interpretive methodologies to capture multiple facets of a phenomenon. We used two different philosophical orientations, Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology and Foucauldian discourse analysis not only to describe the differences in research questions, methods, and analyses, but also to illustrate the added insight gained from a multiple-methodological approach. The differences between interpretive methodologies, as well as the analytic value of this innovative approach, are nuanced and are best demonstrated through the analysis of an exemplar transcript using both methodologies. Although subtle methodological differences exist, the interpretations combined create a deepening understanding of the phenomenon. Awareness of how each interpretive tradition influences the language around the research question, the data collection and analysis, and overall integrity of the level of inquiry is crucial to maintaining a rigor in both traditions, yet recognition of multiple “truths” allows for a more holistic representation to be created.