Vitalism in a Chiropractic Programme – a New Zealand Case Study
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Vitalism in a chiropractic programme – A New Zealand case study Marina Fox A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education 2017 School of Education Supervisor: Andrew Begg ix Attestation of Authorship: I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material published or written by another person (except where explicitly defined in the acknowledgements), nor material that to a substantial extent has been submitted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning. Marina Fox ii Contents Contents .................................................................................................. iii Abstract .................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ................................................................................ vii List of Tables and Figures ....................................................................... ix CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1 Background and definitions ...................................................................... 1 Background of the author ......................................................................... 3 Research question ................................................................................... 4 Objectives ................................................................................................. 4 Structure of this thesis .............................................................................. 5 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................ 8 Chiropractic .............................................................................................. 8 Vitalism ................................................................................................... 15 New Zealand College of Chiropractic ..................................................... 21 Curriculum .............................................................................................. 22 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................................ 27 Introduction ............................................................................................. 27 Methodology ........................................................................................... 27 Pragmatism, post-structuralism and post-positivism .............................. 28 Quality criteria for qualitative research ................................................... 29 Methods.................................................................................................. 32 Ethics...................................................................................................... 35 Data collection ........................................................................................ 36 Analysis .................................................................................................. 38 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 39 iii CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS ......................................................................... 40 Introduction ............................................................................................. 40 Background of the participants ............................................................... 40 Emerging themes ................................................................................... 41 Question 1 .............................................................................................. 41 Question 2 .............................................................................................. 44 Question 3 .............................................................................................. 47 Question 4 .............................................................................................. 50 Question 5 .............................................................................................. 52 Document review .................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION ..................................................................... 58 Introduction ............................................................................................. 58 Vitalism at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic .............................. 59 Does what we do match what we say? .................................................. 62 Immediate application to the New Zealand College of Chiropractic ....... 63 Intermediate applications (other chiropractic colleges) ........................... 68 Challenges ............................................................................................. 73 CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION .................................................................. 75 Introduction ............................................................................................. 75 Summary of findings ............................................................................... 76 Recommendations ................................................................................. 77 Limitations .............................................................................................. 79 Suggestions for further research ............................................................ 80 Concluding notes .................................................................................... 81 REFERENCES: ........................................................................................ 83 Appendix A: Participant recruitment sheet.............................................. 94 Appendix B: Participant information sheet .............................................. 95 Appendix C: Consent forms .................................................................... 98 iv Abstract As a lecturer understanding one’s philosophical drivers in education is vital. There has been a long history of debate in chiropractic as to whether the traditional philosophy of vitalism should remain the chiropractic philosophy. A shift to mechanism in the twentieth century has seen evidence-based medicine become the dominant healthcare philosophy. How does a vitalistic point of view remain relevant in this environment? My study critically examines lecturers’ perceptions of vitalism and how these are included in a modern curriculum. Literature from biological science supports a shift from historical vitalism to contemporary neo-vitalism, a model that acknowledges the self-organising, self-regulating and self-healing capabilities of the body. Further research into complex adaptive systems may provide another avenue for philosophical exploration in chiropractic. A qualitative methodology within the post-structural paradigm framed this study. A narrative of the lived experience of some members of the faculty teaching in an undergraduate chiropractic degree was sought. Findings are built on several individual interviews and focus groups of lecturers held at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. This research suggests that the key definition of vitalism used by these lecturers is neo- vitalism. The reality of life as a chiropractic educator is that historically, there has been a certain amount of tension between vitalistic philosophy and mechanistic research in the profession. This case study suggests that while this tension is still apparent today, neo-vitalism provides an environment where that tension is lessened. v In the face of the new biology of complex adaptive systems there is potential for a greater common understanding that, with further research and discussion, could lessen the divide even further. vi Acknowledgements I would never have contemplated starting this degree without the support of my former manager, Pieter Kachelhoffer, to whom I indebted and grateful for getting me started, all those years ago, with his vision of my replacing him in his role so that he was free to retire in peace (which he has happily achieved). To the faculty of the New Zealand College of Chiropractic, who co-operated willingly and enthusiastically in the study, I offer my gratitude for their openness and honesty in sharing their views of vitalism and its inclusion in their classrooms. To my own staff, for their understanding of the time away from the office I needed to complete the writing process, and their willingness to pick up parts of my workload. To Mark Marino and Phil McMaster, without your readiness to indulge my need to talk through my thoughts, I would not have been able to articulate them nearly as well in writing. To Kelly Holt, for your time and calm guidance through the emotional rollercoaster of thesis writing. Without your help, I would not have been able to complete this work. To Andy Begg, whose invaluable work over the past two years has played an essential part in directing my energy in a purposeful manner, and improving the depth and quality of my work. vii In addition, I acknowledge the AUT University Ethics Committee that granted ethics approval for my research on May 2, 2016 (AUTEC reference number 16/143). I would like to thank Linda Daniell for conducting the focus groups in accordance with the ethics approval, Tracey Mendey for her transcribing assistance and Imogen Fraser-Baxter for her editing