Phenomenology Research:

“The Lived Experience”

 Phenomenology is a science whose purpose is to
describe the appearance of things as a lived
experience.
 It allows nursing to interpret the nature of
consciousness in the world (Merleau-Ponty)
 It can be descriptive or interpretive (hermeneutic).
 It is a philosophy, an method, and an inductive
logic strategy
Two Philosophical Differences

 Peripheral research, stays distant from the

subjects, objectivity seeking, and knowledge is
gained by overcoming all doubt. Use Bracketing
(Husserl)
 Truth is not something we construct by distancing
ourselves from those we want to study. Truth
comes from our engagement with the world.
Subjectivity is as important as objectivity.
(Heideggerian)
 Different Types
of Phenomenology
 Phenomenology of Essences
 Experiment with relationships
 Coding by categories
 Using free imaginative variation
 Phenomenology of Appearances
 Focuses on phen. as it unfolds-takes shape
 Sense of dynamic adventure with the world
 Reductive Phenomenology
 Is a constant work of the self related to bias, etc
 Interpretive (Hermeneutic) Phenomenology
 To interpret the phenomena being observed
 Design Characteristics
 Purposive samples of 7-20 usually going for
saturation.
 Instrument is the researcher
 Data collection is by interview of groups or
individual that are verbatim, taped, and field notes.
 Data collection is directly tied to analysis, that
eventually is coded or structured into themes.
 Five Steps of the Method
 Shared Experience is presented
 Transform the lived experience into an experience
the subject would agree with
 Code the data
 Put it into written form and create confirmation of
the data texts.
 Create a complete integration of all of these for a
research document
 The Rigor of Trustworthiness
 Trustworthy questions
 Trustworthy approach
 Trustworthy in analysis
 Trustworthy and authenticity of data
 Other Research Rigors

 Descriptive Vividness
 Methodological Congruence
 Theoretical Connectedness
 Analytical Preciseness
 Heuristic Relevance
 Unique Features of
Phenomenology
 Most of the literature review is conducted at the
end of the data collection. It is believed the CF
biases the data collection and analysis.
 Like Grounded Theory but without a BSP or bias
already in mind.
 It is conducted by gathering interview data from
others.
 It is never quantitative, but some would prefer to
try and keep it objective.