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Chapter 3 Research Framework
researcher and for contributing to research rigour (Polit and Beck, 2006; Speziale
and Carpenter, 2003). Reflexivity is the process of becoming self-aware whereby
researchers consider their own thoughts and actions in light of different contexts. It is
an ongoing critique of one’s own reactions and potential areas of bias throughout the
research journey. It enables a transparency both of the knowledge discovered and of
how it was discovered (Holloway and Wheeler, 2010; Mills, Eurepos and Wiebe,
2010). Reflection and reflective journals give the researcher the opportunity to
account for their influence on the research process and to give examples of how their
background affects the way they view phenomena, and this enables the reader of the
research to establish whether or not the researcher maintained all ethical principles.
3.12 Chapter Summary
This chapter has discussed how the research framework for this research study was
developed. This included providing a rationale for the pragmatic paradigm
underpinning it, discussing the case study and action research
methodologies/strategies chosen, and the subsequent options available for data
collection. This was followed by an exploration of data analysis approaches that are
also available to the researcher. Specific focus was given to case study analysis. The
importance of maintaining rigour was discussed and the chapter concluded with an
examination of the procedures required to maintain research ethics with a potentially
vulnerable population.