NSE Week 4: Phenomenology

Phenomenology definition

• Understanding human lived experience (what meaning do people ascribe to their experience?)

• How the phenomenon is perceived, felt, judged and remembered, made sense of and spoken about

• Focus on the lived experience, the life world

Values and concept of phenomenology

• Process of learning and constructing meaning of human experience

• Critique of positivist assumptions about human experience

• study life world or lived experience

• Acknowledges intersubjectivity of lived experience

• Bracketing of preconceive ideas (common in descriptive types

Descriptive Phenomenology

• Based on Edmund Husserl’s philosophy

• focuses on providing rich and detail description of the lived world

Interpretive/Heideggerian Phenomenology

• Based on Martin Heidegger philosophy 

• Move from description towards understanding and searching for relationship and meaning

Hermeneutics philosophy

Focuses on interpreting a phenomenon or meaning making

Assumptions of Hermeneutics

• Interpretation is derived from history, culture, and purpose of the text

• Uses qualitative methods establish context and meaning of what people do

• Reality is constructed based on interpretation of data and co-created with participants

• Acknowledges interpretation and analysis is shaped social processes

Intersubjectivity

We share common understanding of world

When is bracketing not used?

when using interpretive phenomenology

Bracketing (phenomenological reduction)

identifying and holding in abeyance (state of temp disuse or suspension) preconceived beliefs and opinions about the phenomenon under study

Bracketing involves steps

• intuiting

• Analyzing

• Describing

• Refexivity

Intuition (Bracketing steps)

remain open to the meanings attributed to the phenomenon by those who have experienced it

Analyzing (Bracketing steps)

extracting significant statements, categorizing, and making sense of the essential meanings of the phenomenon and reporting themes

Describing (Bracketing steps)

occurs when the researcher comes to understand and define the phenomenon

Reflexivity (Bracketing steps)

bracketing is achieved through reflexive journaling of one’s preconceptions

In interpretive phenomenology you move from…

Description → Understanding & searching for relationship & meaning

Hermeneutic circle

• Acknowledges interpretation & analysis is shaped social process

• interpretation is derived from history, culture, & purpose of text analyzing parts of a whole iterative process- analyzing it over & over

• Reality is constructed based on interpretation of data & co-created with participants

• uses qualitative methods establish context & meaning of what people do

Descriptive phenomenology (Nature of research question)

What is the nature of the experience . . .?

E.g., What is the is nature of being incarcerated correctional? 

Descriptive phenomenology (Researcher’s position or role)

Set aside preconceived knowledge (bracket) to eliminate their influence

Descriptive phenomenology ( Basic assumptions)

Marginal – Understanding is separated from context of the person’s experience 

Descriptive phenomenology (Research purpose)

To describe the nature of a phenomenon

Interpretive phenomenology (Research purpose)

To interpret or understand meaning of a phenomenon

Interpretive phenomenology (Nature of research question)

What is the meaning of the experience . . .?

E.g., What is the meaning of living with migraine?

Interpretive phenomenology (Researcher’s position or role)

Integrate preconceive knowledge into the research

Interpretive phenomenology (Basic assumptions)

Central  – Understanding is inseparable from cultural, political social, economic, and historical context of a person’s experience 

Process of Conducting phenomenological research

• Identifying a phenomenon of interest on

• structuring the study

• data gathering

• data analysis

• describing finding

Identifying a phenomenon

• People who have firsthand experience of an event or situation 

• Issues that are common to the everyday existence of people 

• Centered on live experience as starting point if the research 

Phenomenology sampling methods

Small sample sizes 3-8 people

• snowball (network)

• purposeful

• convenience sample (used less often)

• maximum variation

Structure of the Study-Researcher’s perspective 

• Bracketing of preconceived ideas 

• Identify personal biases about the phenomenon of interest

• Clarifying and documenting how personal experience and beliefs may influence the research process 

• Set aside personal biases when engaging with participants

• Bracketing allows the researchers to pursue of interest to participants

• Researchers' worldview and assumptions provide insight-interpretive phenomenology

Data Analysis

Begins simultaneously with data collection

• Data is managed using a qualitative software or can be done manually with excel

Presentation findings

• Written in narrative form 

• Theme and subthemes supported with quote from participants reflecting the lived experience 

• Researcher's interpretation 

• Presented in thematic forms