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.
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.
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.
Our expert phenomenology writers can help you choose the most suitable methodology depending on your research, select the qualitative method to use while following ethical guidelines, and systematically present your research results clearly for the reader to understand the respondents' experiences. In case you are running late on deadlines or simply need help with phenomenological research, you can hire our
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