<p>Crotty (2003) suggests that when taking into account human knowledge and the status and value that can be attributed to it, the four basic elements of any research process that must be considered are:</p> ■<p>Methods – the procedures or techniques used to gather and analyse data related to a research question or hypothesis.</p> ■<p>Methodology – the strategy, plan of action or design behind the choice of particular methods, which links the choice of methods to the desired outcomes.</p> ■<p>Theoretical perspective – the philosophical stance informing the methodology, providing a context for the process and grounding its logic and criteria.</p> ■<p>Epistemology – the theory of knowledge embedded in the theoretical perspective and thereby in the methodology. A way of understanding and explaining how we know what we know.</p>