WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

Trustworthiness and my Prejudices Brought to the Data
Koch (1996) explains over the past two decades there has been “a shift from a
conventional empirical paradigm to alternative paradigms” (p.178) in relation to the
rigour and trustworthiness of qualitative research. Koch believes it is up to the writer to
show the reader how trustworthiness is achieved within a qualitative study and it is up to
the reader to decide whether or not that study is believable. Within this context, I will
attempt to show the trustworthiness of my study.
Researchers may choose to utilize Husserl’s methodology in phenomenological research
to “bracket out” their own pre-understandings (Crotty, 1998, p.219). Bracketing is
described by Crotty, as “the act of suspending one’s various beliefs in the reality of the
natural world in order to study the essential structures of the world” (p.175). I chose not
to use such methodology; instead I followed Heidegger’s philosophy by addressing my
pre understandings of the lived experiences of coordinator midwives because I
acknowledge I am part of this world and I believe I cannot detach myself from it. Smythe
et al (2008) write “what matters is not accuracy in the sense of reliability, or how the
researcher came to make certain statements; what matters is what has held the thinking of
the researcher and in turn holds the thinking of the reader” (p.1397).
My initial pre-understandings interview assisted me ‘look from the outside in’
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