Phenomenological Research: “The Lived Experience”

1. Phenomenological Research:“The Lived Experience” Presented by Natasha Arthurton and Marni Gavritsas Long Island University, C.W. Post

2. What is Phenomenology? • noun • the philosophical study of phenomena, as distinguished from ontology, the study of being; specif., such a study of perceptual experience in its purely subjective aspect • a descriptive or classificatory account of the phenomena of a given body of knowledge, without any further attempt at explanation • noun • A philosophy or method of inquiry based on the premise that reality consists of objects and events as they are perceived or understood in human consciousness and not of anything independent of human consciousness. • A movement based on this, originated about 1905 by Edmund Husserl

3. Phenomenological Research • Phenomenological Research is a strategy of inquiry in which the researcher identifies the essence of human experiences about a phenomenon as described by participants. Understanding the lived experiences marks phenomenology as a philosophy as well as a method, and the procedure involves studying a small number of subjects through extensive and prolonged engagement to develop patterns and relationships of meaning (Moustakas, 1994).

4. Phenomenologists • Researchers who search for essentials, invariant structure (essence) of the central underlying meaning of the experience and emphasize the intentionality of consciousness where experiences contain both the outward appearance and inward consciousness based on memory, image and meaning." (Creswell, 2008, p.52) • Researchers depict this essence or basic structure of experience.

5. Four Philosophical Perspectives of Phenomenology • Philosophy without presupposition • Philosophy as a search for wisdom • Intentionality of consciousness • Refusal of subject-object dichotomy The strong philosophical component makes phenomenology particularly useful in social and health sciences, sociology, psychology, nursing and education. (Creswell, 2013)

6. Features of Phenomenology • What is the phenomenon to be explored? Define a single concept or idea. • Explore the phenomenon with a heterogeneous group who have experienced the phenomenon. (groups vary from 3-4 to upwards of 25) • Engage in a philosophical discussion. Discuss how the individuals have both subjective and objective experiences of something in common with other people. (refusal of subjective-objective perspective) • Researcher may bracket self out of study by discussing personal experience of phenomenon (this does not necessarily exclude researcher from study) • Data collection through interview (or poems, observations and documents) • Data analysis through systematic procedures looking at narrow units (significant statements) and then broader units (meaning units). Detailed descriptions are used to summarize the two key elements of WHAT THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE EXPERIENCED and HOW THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED IT • “Essence” is the culmination of a phenomenological study (Creswell, 2013)

7. Hermeneutical Phenomenology Van Manen, educator and phenomenological researcher • Research focused on the lived experience “Phenomenology is not a set of foxed procedures, however hermeneutic phenomenological research is a combination of six activities: • Turning to a phenomenon which seriously interests us and commits us to the world; • Investigating experience as we live it rather as we conceptualize it; • Reflecting on the essential themes which characterize the phenomenon; • Describing the phenomenon through the art of writing and rewriting; • Manipulating a strong and oriented pedagogical relation to the phenomenon; • Balancing the research context by considering parts and whole (van Manen, 1990, p.30-31) • In hermeneutical phenomenology, the researcher provides not only a description, but an interpretation of the lived experience.

8. Transcendental/Empirical/Psychological Phenomenology Moustakas, psychologist, phenomenological researcher • Research focused less on interpretation and more on description of experience of participants • Relies on Husserl’s concept of epoche, wherein investigator sets aside their experience to take fresh perspective • The epoche leads to the transcendental approach “in which everything is perceived freshly, as if for the first time” (Moustakas, 1994, p.34) • Researcher develops two descriptions: • Textural: What participants experiences • Structural: How they experienced it (conditions, situations, context) (Creswell, 2013) (Moustakas, 1994) • Researcher derives overall essence of experience from these two descriptions

9. The Procedures of Phenomenological Inquiry • Determine if phenomenological approach is best • Do several people share a common experience? • Can you develop policies, practices or develop deeper understanding of the features of the phenomenon? • 2. Define the phenomenon of interest to be studied • 3. Recognize and understand the philosophy behind phenomenology including bracketing, objective reality and individual experience • 4. Collect data through multiple in-depth interviews or other forms of collection • 5. Begin with the broad “What” and “How” questions. Proceed with broader open-ended questions to gather textural and structural data • (Creswell 2010)

10. Phenomenological Data Collection • Interview-In depth interview • Participation observation • Conversation • Action research • Focus Meeting • Analysis of Personal Texts ( Diary Writing) • Interpretive (Hermeneutic) Phenomenology • To interpret the phenomena being observed

11. Horizonalization • Horizonalization- “significant sentences or quotes that provide an understanding of how participants experienced the phenomenon.” • stems from the idea that the researcher should be receptive to and place equal value on every statement or piece of data. Being universally receptive allows the researcher initially to grant equal value to each statement uttered by the participant and thus promotes a rhythmic flow between the researcher and the study participant—an interaction that motivates full disclosure of the experience. The metaphor of a horizon is utilized when discussing horizonalization. A horizon can be thought of as a perspective, or way of seeing the world. (Leech & Onwuegbuzie , 2008) (The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, 2008) (Creswell, 2013)

12. Analyzing the Data • Two key questions are foundation for building and organizing data (What, How) • Highlight significant statements • Develop clusters of meaning into themes • Use themes to develop descriptions • Textural description includes what the participant experienced • Imaginative variation/structural description includes how the context or setting influenced the experience of the phenomenon • Composite description written based on data represents the “essence” of the phenomenon called the “essential invariant structure”

13. Conclusive Data… The researcher is more interested in gaining a greater understanding of “Z” than of “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D”. However, the individual participants’ interpretation of the phenomenon is necessary in the search for the essence of “Z” Z

14. Unique Features of Phenomenology • Most of the literature review is conducted at the end of the data collection. • It is conducted by gathering interview data from others. • Phenomenology has ties to both qualitative and quantitative research in that there is a subjective-objective perspective

15. Strengths • Help to give a better understanding of the real life situation and experiences • Good at surfacing deep issues and making voices heard, helps individuals to connect to the phenomenon and possibly group • Has the ability to query and probe in-depth issue of a phenomenon • Findings are allowed to emerge rather than being imposed by investigator

16. Challenges • Strong understanding of philosophical approaches required • Participants need to be carefully selected to ensure they have shared the experienced phenomenon • Bracketing may be difficult for researcher • Sample size-it can be hard to get over to people that a single-figure sample or small sample size is valid • Some may see little value in the descriptive conclusion of research

17. The Phenomenon of Phenomenology • “The challenge facing the human science researcher is to describe things in themselves, to permit what is before one to enter consciousness and be understood in its meanings and essences in the light of intuition and self-reflection. The process involves a blending of what is really present with what is imagined as present from the vantage point of possible meanings; thus a unit of the real and the idea” (Merriam, p. 17, quote from Moustakas). • According to van Manen, there are many ways to structure phenomenological research: thematically, analytically, exemplificatively, exergetically, existentially, and inventing an approach. (p. 168-173) (van Manen, 1990)

18. Resources American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2006). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Creswell, John. (1998). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (p. 52). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. Creswell, John. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (p. 76-82). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications. Giorgi, A. (1985). (Ed). Phenomenology and Psychological Research. Pittsburgh, PA: Dusquesne University Press. Stack, C. (1974). All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers. Turner, d S. (2003). Horizons Revealed: From Methodology to Method. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(1). Article 1. Retrieved from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/2_1/html/turner.html van Manen, M. (1990) Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy. ( p. 168-173). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition (1999). Foster City, CA : IDG Books Worldwide Inc.