Abstract
Interpretive methodology has been widely applied to interdisciplinary research over recent decades. The purpose of interpretive inquiry is to gain an understanding of human experience through establishing the meanings of phenomena. Also, its intention is objectively to interpret the meanings of phenomena that hide behind expressions of experience. Despite this increasing acceptance and application of interpretive approaches within interdisciplinary studies, as well as in the fields of education and nursing, it cannot be denied that its validity has long been doubted by positivists and empiricists. The purpose of this article is to argue that interpretive research is an appropriate methodology for understanding the meanings of phenomena. By doing so, its advantages and disadvantages will be discussed and described, and the means used by positivists and empiricists to cast doubt upon its validity will be examined. Finally, some strategies for reinforcing the validity of interpretive studies and for negating the criticisms of positivists and empiricists will be provided so as to reinforce the justification for using interpretive research in the field of nursing.
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