Parse's Research Methodology and the Nurse Researcher-Child Process

The Parse research method is a human science based nursing research methodology which views young children as partners in research about universal lived experiences. To view children in this way requires a considerable revision of the view of children assumed in many traditional theories of childhood and in research with children. In the human science paradigm, persons of all ages are viewed as human beings who make choices and assign meaning. In accord with the assumptions of the Parse research method, children are considered the experts about their health and capable of contributing to nurses' understanding of the human-universe-health process. The remarkable variation of children's thoughts, feelings and actions testifies to the complex and open nature of human becoming at all ages. Children's thoughts, feelings, and imaginings are made more accessible with the aid of art, stories, and play when offered in true presence.