Phenomenology 1

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Describes the meaning of lived experiences for several individuals

Describes what the participants have in common as they experience a phenomenon

The purpose is to reduce the experiences of the participants with a phenomenon to a description of a universal essence

Phenomenology 2

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Researcher collects data from participants, develops a composite description of the essence of the experience that consists of “what” they experience and “how” they experienced it

It has a philosophical foundation based on the writings of Husserl, Heidegger, Sart, and Merleau-Ponty

Phenomenology 3

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Interpreting the “texts” of lifePhenomenology research is a dynamic

interplay among the research activitiesDetermine a phenomenonReflect on the essential themes that constitutes

the nature of the lived experienceWrite a description of the phenomenonUse the description to interpret the meanings

of the experience

Phenomenology 4

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Focuses on the description of the experiences of the participants

Researchers engage in “epoche” in which they set aside their own experiences to take a fresh perspective toward the phenomenon they are studying (“bracketing”)

Researchers reduce data to “significant statements” from which they construct themes and descriptions and then reduce them to an overall essence of the experience

Phenomenology 5

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Determine if the research problem is suited for a phenomenological approach

Identify a phenomenon of interestRecognize and specify the broad

philosophical assumptions of phenomenology

Collect the data from those who have experienced the phenomenonMultiple interviews (5-25 persons)ObservationsArtifacts (e.g., art, poetry, music)

Phenomenology 6

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Ask participants two broad general questions:What have you experienced in terms of

the phenomenon?What contexts or situations have

typically influenced or affected your experiences about the phenomenon?

Identify significant statements (sentences or quotes) that provide an understanding of how the participant experienced the phenomenon

Cluster significant statements into themes Pheno

menology 7

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Write Textual and Structural descriptions using the significant statements and themesTextual Descriptions: a description of what

the participants experienced Structural Descriptions: a description of the

context or setting that influenced how the participants experienced the phenomenon

Write a composite description that presents the “essence” of the phenomenon using the Textual and Structural descriptions that focuses on the common experiences of the participants and the meaning of all of the experiences Pheno

menology 8

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Overview of the StudyThe study focused on the cognitive

representations that AIDS patients held about their disease

The authors advanced the Self-Regulation Model of Illness Representation that suggested that patients were active problem solvers whose behavior was a product of their cognitive and emotional responses to AIDS.

The study described how patients represented AIDS in images had not been studied

Phenomenology 9

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Overview of methodology: Data collection The study involved conducting interviews

for over 18 months with 58 men and women with a diagnosis of AIDS

The interview questions reflected a phenomenological frameworkWhat is your experience with AIDS?Do you have a mental image of HIV/AIDS?What feelings come to mind?What does it mean to have it in your life?

The participants were also asked to draw pictures of their diseaseOnly eight participants drew picturesAuthors integrated these pictures into their data

analysis Phenomenology 10

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Overview of methodology: Data analysis The transcripts were read several timesThe significant phrases or sentences were

identifiedThe meanings were clustered into themes

(175 significant statements and 11 major themes)

The results were integrated into an in-depth exhaustive description of the phenomenon

The findings were validated using member checking and their remarks were included into the final description

The study concluded with the essence (the exhaustive description of the patient’s experiences and coping strategies) Pheno

menology 11

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Features of a phenomenological studyThe study used systematic data analysis

procedures of significant statements, meanings and themes, and an essence

The study included tables illustrating significant statements, meanings and theme clusters

The study included a central phenomenon that was appropriate for phenomenology

The study involved rigorous data collection with 58 participants

The study ended by describing the essence of the experience

Phenomenology 12

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Introduction (problem, questions) Research procedures (a phenomenology

and philosophical assumptions, data collection, analysis, outcomes)

Significant statements Meanings of statements Themes of meanings Exhaustive description of phenomenon(Adapted from Moustakas, 1994)

Phenomenology 13

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Use the terminology associated with phenomenological research

This terminology appears throughout a study – the statement of the problem, the purpose, the research questions, the sampling strategies

A glossary of terms associated phenomenology is in Appendix A

Phenomenology 14

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Write separate sections for significant statements, meaning units, textual and structural descriptions, and for the essence

Can use tables to convey findingsInclude a passage on the philosophical

assumptions of phenomenologyBe sure and describe the phenomenon and

talk about the context in which it occursAs with all qualitative research, be

reflexive and position yourself Phenomenology 15

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

The essence of the experience is presented through a short narrative paragraph that is based on the textual and structural descriptions

The paragraph containing the essence is enclosed in a figure

Phenomenology 16

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

The reader is also educated about phenomenology and its philosophical assumptions

At the end of the study the researcher writes a short paragraph about how the “essence” in terms of its value and inspiration to the researcher’s life

Phenomenology 17

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Use quotes (short, medium, long) to provide voices of participants

Use short eye-catching quotesUse embedded quotesUse longer quotations – requires the

reader to be guided “into” and “out of”

Phenomenology 18

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Understanding the broad philosophical assumptions of phenomenology

Choosing individuals for the study who have all experienced the phenomenon so that a common understanding can be forged

Bracketing personal experiences – Researchers must decide how their personal experiences will be introduced into the study

Phenomenology 19

Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e