Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 3 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Interpreting the “texts” of life Phenomenology research is a dynamic interplay among the research activities Determine a phenomenon Reflect on the essential themes that constitutes the nature of the lived experience Write a description of the phenomenon Use the description to interpret the meanings of the experience Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 5 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Determine if the research problem is suited for a phenomenological approach Identify a phenomenon of interest Recognize and specify the broad philosophical assumptions of phenomenology Collect the data from those who have experienced the phenomenon Multiple interviews (5-25 persons) Observations Artifacts (e.g., art, poetry, music) Pheno menol ogy 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 menol ogy 7 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Write Textual and Structural descriptions using the significant statements and themes Textual 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 menol ogy 8 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Overview of the Study The 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 Pheno menol ogy 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 framework What 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 disease Only eight participants drew pictures Authors integrated these pictures into their data analysis Pheno menol ogy 10 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Overview of methodology: Data analysis The transcripts were read several times The significant phrases or sentences were identified The 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 menol ogy 11 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Features of a phenomenological study The 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 Pheno menol ogy 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) Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 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 findings Include a passage on the philosophical assumptions of phenomenology Be sure and describe the phenomenon and talk about the context in which it occurs As with all qualitative research, be reflexive and position yourself Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 17 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e

Use quotes (short, medium, long) to provide voices of participants Use short eye-catching quotes Use embedded quotes Use longer quotations – requires the reader to be guided “into” and “out of” Pheno menol ogy 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 Pheno menol ogy 19 Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2e