Phenomenology - A Qualitative Research Method

1. Phenomenology
a Qualitative Procedure
An inductive model of research where the
researcher allows for a theory to come forward
during the data collection and analysis phase of the
research, or even later in the research process, as a
general basis for comparison with other theories.

2. Phenomenology
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary,
phenomenology is defined as,
“1: the study of the development of human
consciousness and self-awareness as a preface to or
a part of philosophy
2a (1) : a philosophical movement that describes the
formal structure of the objects of awareness and of
awareness itself in abstraction from any claims
concerning existence (2) : the typological
classification of a class of phenomena<the
phenomenology of religion>”

3. Phenomenology
Phenomenology finds its roots in disastrous times when Edmund
Husserl sought to develop a new qualitative procedure which would
lead to absolute certainty of the disastrous state in Germany following
World War One. Germany was shaken to its very core. The business
world was defunct. The German culture was confused to the point
that even the art of the era reflected the confusion. Groenewold
(2013) states, “To arrive at certainty, anything outside immediate
experience must be ignored, and in this way the external world is
reduced to the contents of personal consciousness.” The desire for
absolute truth in this context of pure and utter strife and depression of
all human functions brought about phenomenology as a means of
gaining access to truth.

4. Phenomenology
(Kafle, 2013) states, “Phenomenology of Perception
has identified four qualities that are considered as
'celebrated themes' or characteristics common to
different schools of phenomenology. These qualities
are description, reduction, essences and
intentionality.”

5. Phenomenology
a Qualitative Procedure
Qualitative research is an inquiry process of understanding a social or
human problem, base on building a complex, holistic picture, formed
with words, reporting detailed view of informants, and conducted in a
natural setting. It is termed the constructivist approach or naturalistic,
the interpretative approach or the postpositivist or postmodern
perspective. For the qualitative researcher, the only reality is that
constructed by the individuals involved in the research situation.
An effort to intensely investigate and experience the exact phenomena of
the study, the researcher and the object of the research while
suspending any other reality that may or may not be represented.

6. Phenomenology
Phenomenolgical approaches seek to:
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Explore,
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describe,
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and analyze the meaning of individual lived experience.
It asks the questions as to how the authors :
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perceive
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describe
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feel about it,
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judge it,
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remember it,
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make sense of it,
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and talk about it with others.

7. Phenomenology
There is an assumption of a prior, shared experience the author is
having with the reader. The author and the reader then analyze the
unique expressions and then compare notes by the shared experience
due to the 'phenomena' of the study and all of the details inherent in
this research procedure. The phenomena is processual and is
describe as
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being,
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becoming,
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understanding,
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and knowing.

8. Phenomenology
There are authors how have problems with phenomenology and how
it is constructed as a research method. (Heidegger,1988) states, “We
have thus identified four groups of problems that constitute the
content of the second part of the course: the problem of the
ontological difference, the problem of the basic articulation of being,
the problem of the possible modifications of being in its ways of being,
the problem of the 'truth-character' of being. The four theses treated
provisionally in the first part correspond to these four basic
problems ... following the lead of these theses, are not accidental but
grow out of the inner systematic coherence of the general problem of
being.

9. Phenomenology
a Qualitative Procedure
There are disadvantages to phenomenology. According to
(Groenewold, 2004), “The researcher is required to make a
substantial amount of judgement calls while consciously
bracketing her/his own presuppositions in order to avoid
inappropriate subjective judgements.”
There are those who would say there are not only disadvantages
but even go on to say there are problems.
On a practical note, it is important to consider the possible
difficulties of participants expressing themselves.

10. Phenomenology
Difficulties with the Qualitative Procedure
Groenewold, (2004) states, “The subjectivity of the data leads to
difficulties in establishing reliability and validity of approaches and
information.
It is difficult to detect or to prevent researcher induced bias.
There can be difficulty in ensuring pure bracketing - this can lead to
interference in the interpretation of the data.
The presentation of results - the highly qualitative nature of the
results can make them difficult to present in a manner that is usable
by practitioners.
Phenomenology does not produce generalisable data.
Because the samples are generally very small, can we ever say that the
experiences are typical?
(cont.)

11. Phenomenology
Difficulties with the Qualitative Procedure
On a practical note, it is important to consider the possible difficulties
of participants expressing themselves.
The subjectivity of the data leads to difficulties in establishing
reliability and validity of approaches and information.
It is difficult to detect or to prevent researcher induced bias.
The presentation of results - the highly qualitative nature of the
results can make them difficult to present in a manner that is usable
by practitioners.
Practically, it is difficult to gain the amount of time from those
involved in the study. Additionally, it is a very time consuming effort
that is difficult to determine when the research finally ends.”

12. Phenomenology
a Qualitative Procedure
Qualitative research is performed to answer scientific questions that
differ from quantitative research. According to Elliott (1995),
qualitative research, “ … has taken the position that qualitative research
lends itself to understanding participants’ perspectives, to defining
phenomena in terms of experienced meanings and observed variations,
and to developing theory from field work. By the same token, he argues
that quantitative methods lend themselves to testing hypothesized
relationships or causal explanations, evaluating the reliability, validity
and underlying factor structure of psychological measures, and
measuring degree of generalizability across samples.” The author
emphasizes the high regard for the tool that provides the best answers for
the research performed. This is the difference between inductive and
deductive reasoning, but some believe the quantitative has less room for
human error.
"

13. Phenomenology
1. Unstructured in-depth phenomenological interviews.
2. The questions were not specific to the topic but the participant’s
experiences, feelings, beliefs and convictions about the concept.
3. The response to the questions is bracketed to determine “what goes on
within” the participants.
4. After this bracketing is performed, the researcher is forced to bracket
his own thoughts and emotion about the life if the individual and analyze
the interviewer's interpretation.
5. The interviewer may never know how many questions may be used nor
the length of the study with the participant.
6. Memoing is performed so the researcher's interview notes clearly
represent what was seen, heard, and experience during the interview.
7. The participants can be directly interviewed multiple times or can be
requested to write an essay of their viewpoint during the interview.

14. Phenomenology
Data Analysis
According to Creswell (1994), “A plan for a qualitative procedure
should end with some comments about the narrative that emerges
from the data analysis.” This is indicative of the inductive model of
thinking. In phenomenological studies, researchers classify, describe,
interpret, and analyze the experience to arrive at conclusions on the
reserach. It is a conscious study of experiences, an analysis of the
pertinent conditions and experiences of the phenomena being studied.
It comprises the possible conditions including language, intentionality,
habits, social contexts and practices within the human experience. It
is then that the researcher arrives at conclusions of the study.

15. Phenomenology
Data Analysis
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Creswell (1994) process of analysis:
1. Understand the philosophical perspectives how people
experience a phenomenon.
2. Write research questions to explore the experience for
individuals and their typical life.
3. Collect data from those who experience the phenomenon,
usually accomplished with long interviews.
4. The phenomenological data analysis: divide into
statements, then form clusters of meaning, ascertain a
general description of the experience, including what is
experienced and how it is experienced.

16. References
British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38(3), 215-229.
Caelli, K., Ray, L., & Mill, J. (2008). 'Clear as Mud': Toward Greater Clarity in Generic Qualitative
Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(2), 1-13.
Creswell, J. W. (1994). Research design. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
Elliott, R., Fischer, C. T., & Rennie, D. L. (1999). Evolving guidelines for publication of qualitative research
studies in psychology and related fields.
Groenewald, T. (2004). A phenomenological research design illustrated.
Heidegger, M. (1988). The basic problems of phenomenology (Vol. 478). Indiana University Press.
Kafle, N. P. (2013). Hermeneutic phenomenological research method simplified. Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary
Journal, 5(1), 181-200.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER. (2009). Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary. Merriam Webster.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Focus on Research Methods-Whatever Happened to Qualitative Description?.
Research in nursing and health, 23(4), 334-340.