Phenomenology Research Overview

This module provides an introduction to phenomenology research and an overview of its main characteristics and uses.

Learning Objectives:

 Define phenomenology.
 Describe how phenomenology is used.
 List the main characteristics of phenomenology research.
 Give examples of phenomenological research studies.
  

Begin this module by viewing the following YouTube video that provides a short introduction to phenomenology, types of
phenomenology research, methods, and limitations.

Phenomenology has its roots in a 20th century philosophical movement based on the work of the philosopher Edmund Husserl. As
research tool, phenomenology is based on the academic disciplines of philosophy and psychology and has become a widely accepted
method for describing human experiences.  Phenomenology is a qualitative research method that is used to describe how human
beings experience a certain phenomenon.  A phenomenological study attempts to set aside biases and preconceived assumptions about
human experiences, feelings, and responses to a particular situation.  It allows the researcher to delve into the perceptions,
perspectives, understandings, and feelings of those people who have actually experienced or lived the phenomenon or situation of
interest.  Therefore, phenomenology can be defined as the direct investigation and description of phenomena as consciously
experienced by people living those experiences.  Phenomenological research is typically conducted through the use of in-depth
interviews of small samples of participants.  By studying the perspectives of multiple participants, a researcher can begin to make
generalizations regarding what it is like to experience a certain phenomenon from the perspective of those that have lived the
experience.

Following is a list of the main characteristics of phenomenology research:

 It seeks to understand how people experience a particular situation or phenomenon.

 It is conducted primarily through in-depth conversations and interviews; however, some studies may collect data from diaries,
drawings, or observation.
 Small samples sizes, often 10 or less participants, are common in phenomenological studies.
 Interview questions are open-ended to allow the participants to fully describe the experience from their own view point.
 Phenomenology is centered on the participants’ experiences with no regard to social or cultural norms, traditions, or
preconceived ideas about the experience.
 It focuses on these four aspects of a lived experience:  lived spaced, lived body, lived time, and lived human relations.
 Data collected is qualitative and analysis includes an attempt to identify themes or make generalizations regarding how a
particular phenomenon is actually perceived or experienced.

Researchers conducting phenomenological studies are interested in the life experiences of humans.  This type of research can be
applied to wide variety of situations and phenomena.   Below are just a few examples of topics that would lend themselves to
phenomenological study:

 How do parents of an autistic child cope with the news that their child has autism?
 What is it like to experience being trapped in a natural disaster, such as a flood or hurricane?
 How does it feel to live with a life-threatening aneurism?
 What is it like to be a minority in a predominantly white community?
 What is like to survive an airplane crash?
 How do cancer patients cope with a terminal diagnosis?
 What is it like to be a victim of sexual assault?

The next modules in this series will explore phenomenology research methods, data analysis and the strengths and limitations of this
type of research.
Phenomenology Methods & Data Collection  

This module provides an overview of research methods for phenomenological studies and describes means of data collection.

Learning Objectives:

 List and describe the steps involved in a phenomenology study.

 Describe the basic principles applied to phenomenological methodology and data collection.
 Discuss ways in which phenomenological data can be collected.
 Summarize tips for conducting an effective interview.
  

The methodology used in phenomenology differs than most other research methodology because the goal is to describe a lived
experience, rather than to explain or quantify it in any way.  Phenomenology is solely concerned with the study of the experience from
the perspective of the participants, therefore, the methodology does not include a hypothesis or any preconceived ideas about the data
collected. 

Phenomenology makes use of a variety of methods including interviews, conversations, participant observation, action research, focus
meetings, analysis of diaries and other personal texts.  In general, the methodology is designed to be less structured and more open-
ended to encourage the participant to share details regarding their experience. Surveys and questionnaires that are commonly used in
other research methods to gather information from participants would be too structured and would not allow the participant to freely
share.  In other words, phenomenology emphasizes subjectivity. The goal of phenomenological research methods is to maximize the
depth of the information collected and therefore, less structured interviews are most effective.

Following is a list of principles and qualities applied to phenomenological methodology and data collection:

 Phenomenology searches for the meaning or essence of an experience rather than measurements or explanations.
 Researcher should begin with the practice of Epoche.  He or she will describe their own experiences or ideas related to
phenomenon to increase their own awareness of their underlying feelings. 
 Phenomenology is different in that the researcher is often participatory and the other participants are co-researchers in many
cases.
 This type of research focuses on the wholeness of the experience, rather than its individual parts.
 Phenomenology differs from other research in that it does not test a hypothesis, nor is there an expectation that the results
predictive or reproducible.  Additional studies into the same phenomenon often reveal new and additional meanings.
 The study can be applied to a single case or deliberately selected samples.

A phenomenological research study typically follows the four steps listed below:

 Bracketing – The process of identifying, and keeping in check, any preconceived beliefs, opinions or notions about the
phenomenon being researched.  In this process, the researcher “brackets out” any presuppositions in an effect to approach the
study of the phenomenon from an unbiased perspective.  Bracketing is important to phenomenological reduction, which is the
process of isolating the phenomenon and separating it from what is already known about it.
 Intuition – This requires that the researcher become totally immersed in the study and the phenomenon and that the
researcher remains open to the meaning of the phenomenon as described by those that experienced it.  The process of
intuition results in an understanding of the phenomenon and may require the researcher to vary the data collection methods or
questions until that level of understanding emerges.
 Analysis – The process of analyzing data involves the researcher becoming full immersed into the rich, descriptive data and
using processes such as coding and categorizing to organize the data.  The goal is to develop themes that can be used to
describe the experience from the perspective of those that lived it.
 Description – This is the last phase of the process.  The researcher will use his or her understanding of the data to describe
and define the phenomenon and communicate it to others.
Several researchers have described variations of the for the steps used in phenomenology. The following diagram provides an example
of a more detailed description of the steps in a phenomenology study.  It summarizes steps in the Modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen
method as described by Moustakas (1994):

The video below, Tips for Conducting an Effective Phenomenological Research Study,  offers additional information regarding how to
effectively use interviewing as a means of data collection for phenomenological study.  Data analysis will be the focus of the next
module in this series.
Phenomenological Data Analysis
This module provides a general overview of the steps used to interpret and analyze phenomenological data.

Learning Objectives:

 Describe how phenomenological data is analyzed in general.

 Explain the steps involved in analyzing phenomenological data
 Discuss the interpretation of phenomenological data.
 

Phenomenological research tends to generate a significant quantity of data that may include interview notes, transcripts, recordings,
and other types of records that must be analyzed. Pure phenomenology attempt to simply describe the data, but does not attempt to
explain or interpret.  However, most phenomenological research adds an interpretive element that allows the data to be used as a
basis for theory and allows it to be used to challenge structural or normative assumptions.  It may even to be used to challenge or
support policies or actions related to a particular experience or phenomenon.

To begin, the researcher should read through the volume of material to begin to get a feeling for what has been said about the
phenomenon being studied.  The researcher can then begin a deeper analysis of the data in an effort to organize the information,
focus on a deeper understanding and pull out emerging themes.  The approach should be a fluid one that follows the nature of the
data and allows the direction to change through the course of analysis.

The researcher should look at all aspects of the experience as described by the participants.  This includes physical surroundings,
objects, other people present, type of activity, outcome, social and personal interactions, time frame, emotions, belief or value
systems, attitudes.  The researcher can then look to identify commonalities among these aspects between the accounts from different
participants.  The goal is to use these observations to identify themes. This can be difficult, but it may be helpful to keep in mind that
themes are elements of the described experience that cannot be changed without losing meaning. For example, if the researcher was
reviewing narratives collected from victims of sexual assault, the researcher should consider which aspects of the narrative could not
be changed without losing the meaning or understanding of how that phenomenon was experienced by the victim.  If an aspect can be
changed and the meaning is not lost, then that aspect is not essential and not part of the theme. 

If a significant amount of data has been collected, it is important that the researcher organize the data.  Breaking the data down and
categorizing it by using codes can help to identify those essential aspects and develop themes.  As discussed in previous models, it is
critical the researcher remove assumptions, pre-conceived ideas and biases out of the analysis process.  Organizing the data and using
codes to assist in developing themes may make the process more objective. The following video offers a step-by-step guide to coding
data and developing themes.

There may be both collective and individual themes that emerge from analysis.  Individual themes would be those that are unique to
one or few participants that may have some aspect of the experience that varies from others.  Collective themes are those occur across
a group of participants who experienced the phenomenon.  Exploring the deeper meaning of these themes may allow for interpretive
analysis and some generalization of how the phenomenon is experienced.  For more information on the details regarding interpretive
analysis, please see the interpretive analysis resource links in the menu to the right.
 Strengths & Limitations of Phenomenology
This module provides a discussion of the strengths and limitations of using phenomenology.

Learning Objectives:

 List and describe the strengths of phenomenology.

 List and describe the limitations of phenomenology.
 Discuss ways in which the limitations can be overcome.
 

As with any research method, phenomenology has strengths and limitations.  Overall, it can provide a rich and detailed view of a
human experience.  However, it does depend upon the articulateness of the participant and it requires that the researcher be objective
and free of bias when interpreting the data. Following is a more detailed list of specific strengths and limitations of phenomenology.

Strengths of Phenomenology:

 Seeks to find the universal nature of an experience and can provide a deeper understanding.
 The themes and meanings of an experience emerge from the data.  The qualitative nature of  phenomenology allows the
researcher to notice trends and look at the big picture.  The data is not fit into a statistical test that confines or restricts the
interpretation.
 Helps to understand a lived experience and brings meaning to it.  This may contribute to the development of new theories,
changes in policies or changes in responses.
 Results may help expose misconceptions about an experience.  It may be a means to have the voices of the participants
heard which may prompt action or at least challenge pre-conceived notions and complacency.

Limitations of Phenomenology:

 The research participants must be able to articulate their thoughts and feelings about the experience being studied.  It may
be difficult for them to express themselves due to language barriers, age, cognition, embarrassment and other factors.
 Phenomenology requires researcher interpretation, making phenomenological reduction an important component to reduce
biases, assumptions, and pre-conceived ideas about an experience or phenomenon.  Researcher bias is difficult to determine or
detect.
 Results are not statistically reliable, even with a larger sample size.  It does not produce generalizable data.
 It may be difficult to gain access to participants.
 Presentation of findings may be difficult.  The subjectivity of the data may lead to difficulty in establishing reliability and
validity.
 Policy makers may give less credibility to phenomenological study.
 Gathering data and data analysis may be time consuming and laborious.