Types of Phenomenological Research: A Comprehensive Guide

Phenomenology is a philosophy that gives a theoretical guideline to a researcher to understand a respondent's personal experiences. The investigator can employ interviews, observations, or discussions as data collection strategies within a phenomenological area of inquiry. If you are looking for help with phenomenological research, our expert writers extract information to gain insights on individual experiences and derive insights from them to illustrate why they act the way that they act. This article is a guide to the types of phenomenological qualitative research, how to conduct the research, the structure of a phenomenological paper, and an example for reference.

Phenomenology Definition

Phenomenology research is the process of understanding an individual's perception of a particular phenomenon through qualitative methods such as interviews or focus groups. It was developed by the German philosopher Edmond Husserl [1859-1938] in the 20th century, who aimed to make philosophy a precise science field by relying on real experiences for research rather than assumptions. The purpose of the phenomenological approach is to explain phenomena as they are experienced by individuals in certain situations.

Types of Phenomenology Qualitative Research

Virginia Braun is a psychology professor at the University of Auckland who noted that even though there are multiple types of phenomenology, the qualitative research method typically involves understanding an individual's experiences. However, there are two main types of phenomenological research, and they are:

(1). Transcendental phenomenology

Transcendental phenomenology, developed by Edmund Husserl, is where the researcher analyzes the subjective experience of awareness with regard to individual experiences. It is grounded in the concept of eliminating any possible assumptions to understand phenomena from a fresh perspective, thereby allowing the true meaning of the experience to emerge within its own identity naturally. Though philosophically sensible, this approach lacks clarity even when defined.

(2). Hermeneutical phenomenology

Hermeneutical phenomenology refers to the study of personal experience and requires a description of the meanings of phenomena experienced by participants in an investigation. It is concerned with the human experience as it is lived. The focus is on illuminating details and trivial aspects within experience that may be overlooked with the goal of creating meaning and achieving a sense of understanding.

How to Conduct Phenomenology Research

Step 1: Select the research question

The first step is to choose a research topic and question that are significant and have social meaning. The research question should seek to expose the meaning of the human experience and expose more of the qualitative than the quantitative attributes of the participant's experience.

Step 2: Conduct a comprehensive literature review

The next step is conducting a literature review of existing works on the topic connected with the chosen research topic. The researcher assesses the research designs, methods of data collection, and results of previous researchers to identify knowledge gaps.

There are four major types of reviews that can be done in this step and they are thematic, theoretical, methodological, and integrative. The literature review chosen depends on your research topic and study.

Step 3: Acquire informed consent from the respondents

Informed consent is documented using a written, signed, and dated form. It must be written in an easily understandable language for the participants, and the subject must be given sufficient time to consider participation. Phenomenology research is human science and this type of research is normally guided by adopting ethical principles on the respondents.

Step 4: Come up with a research design

A research design is a plan that serves as a roadmap of how the researcher will conduct the study. In this step, the researcher chooses the most suitable qualitative method for their research. Interviews are the most common method in phenomenology. The researcher comes up with a set of questions to guide the process.

Step 5: Data collection using qualitative methods

The next step is collecting data using the specified method in the research design. The researcher should focus on a specific research topic without drifting away from it.

Step 6: Organize and analyze the data

In this step, the researcher studies the data collected and follows the steps of phenomenal analysis. The phenomenal analysis steps involve horizontalizing the information, then making a list of the units and categorizing the ones with similar characteristics while eliminating repetitive phrases. The categories are then used to develop a detailed description of the respondents' experience, and then the researchers come up with the phenomena.

Structure of a Phenomenological Paper

(1). Introduction

The introduction section is written to inform the readers how the researcher conducted the study, the significance of the project, and how the process will be done. The introduction typically consists of the problem and purpose statement, the research question, the theoretical framework, and definitions.

(2). Literature review

The literature review is a discussion of the current published material on the topic of study. It aims to synthesize and evaluate the material and information according to the central themes and research questions. Provide background information on the area of inquiry and group the research based on themes and trends. Illustrate how existing literature connects to the overall research inquiry and demonstrate any inconsistencies in theory and findings.

(3). Methodology

In the methodology section, you should show a comprehensive understanding of the type of phenomenology research and why you thought it was the most suitable to answer your research question. The methodology section consists of the research design, the role of the researcher, detailed information on the participants, the instrumentation, methods of data collection and analysis (qualitative data analysis software include; NVivo and MAXQDA), and ethical considerations.

(4). Results

In the results section, the researcher presents themes that emerged from the analysis. Using participant quotes directly to support interpretations; the researcher identifies patterns and variations in the lived experiences of the participants. It also describes and identifies patterns, trends, and variations discovered in the lived experiences of the participants.

(4). Discussion

The discussion section illustrates the relevance of your findings in the context of existing literature. It starts with a summary of why the study was conducted, then an interpretation of the findings while putting them in the context of existing literature and the phenomenological framework (transcendental or hermeneutic). This section also explains limitations faced while conducting research and gives future researchers areas of study.

(5). Conclusion

The purpose of the concluding paragraph is to reinforce the main ideas presented in the phenomenological paper. The researcher summarizes the key points that have been discussed and demonstrates the significance of the study. Future areas of research in the field of study are also illustrated in this section.

Phenomenology Example

A researcher wanted to investigate the experience of stress on teachers in rural areas. They conducted a phenomenological study using in-depth interviews using 15 male and female teachers with the interviews lasting 20 minutes for each respondent. They recorded the data and analyzed the data to find common themes.

The researcher discovered that the teachers were stressed due to the lack of development in the classrooms and the lack of teaching materials despite having large numbers of students. They concluded that the teachers need a strong support system to alleviate stress, and there needs to be development of institutions in those areas.

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To conduct phenomenology research, as the researcher, you should have technical knowledge of the process of conducting analysis of the data collected. Phenomenology is a unique qualitative research method with somewhat complex methodologies such as hermeneutical and transcendental phenomenology. The analysis of the results requires familiarity with the steps of doing phenomenology analysis, not to mention the ethical guidelines that have to be followed when conducting the study.

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Summary

Phenomenology is a philosophy that helps the researcher understand a certain phenomenon as it is experienced by the respondent. It was founded by the German philosopher Edmond Husserl whose goal was to make philosophy a 'real' science through relying on real experiences rather than assumptions. This is why, when conducting a phenomenology study, the researcher drops all assumptions placed on the individual's experience.

Conducting phenomenology research requires knowledge of the research and analysis process to get accurate results. This may be overwhelming for someone who's not familiar with these steps, consequently, our expert phenomenology writers come in. They conduct comprehensive research and systematically write your paper within your desired time frame. So, are you looking for help with phenomenological research? Contact us today to see how we can help you. Also, you can view our order process to learn how to place an order.