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Interpretive phenomenology presents a unique methodology for inquiring into lived experience, yet few scholarly articles provide methodological guidelines for researchers, and many studies lack coherence with the methodology’s philosophical foundations. This article contributes to filling these gaps in qualitative research by examining the followin...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... interviews represent a more artificial reality created by the researcher, the photos serve as a way of bringing everydayness into the interview to elicit everyday life (S. Ybema, personal communication, July 9, 2019).The photograph (Figure 1) showing a nursing workstation within a deeper alcove spurred discussion about the isolation felt by nurses and the longing for past team spirit. The following are sample interview questions that were used specifically for photographs (inspired by the questioning strategy recommended by EvansAgnew et al. (2017) The pictures are also used to enrich the observational data as the researcher positions the delimited picture within the larger unit context. ...
Context 2
... is the meaning for the interviewee and the researcher about this element in relation to the studied phenomenon and why? "What do I now know or see that I did not expect or understand before I began . . . ?" (Benner, 1994a, p. 101) The first constructed narrative synthesis provides a paradigm case from which other narrative syntheses can then be examined: "in its own terms and in light of the first paradigm case . . . for comparison of similarities and differences" (Benner, 1994a, p. 114). ...
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Citations
... Despite the fact that a phenomenon can only be grasped re ectively as a past present and not in its totality, the interpretative approach has the methodological feature of relating the particular to the universal, which is known as the Whole-Part-Whole method (Van Manen, 2016). The ndings are the result of co-construction between participants and researchers, and thus are of a highly contextual nature (Frechette et al., 2020). Therefore, this type of research is unique in comparison to other types of constructivist research because of its speci c grounding in the understanding of human Being as Being-in-the-world, i.e. ...
... According to Gadamer, a new understanding of oneself, as well as of others, emerges from a fusion of the horizons of meaning (Ger.: Horizontverschmelzung), binging about a common understanding . This fusion requires a great degree of re exivity and openness to others on the part of researchers (Frechette et al., 2020). In the course of our research, we used so-called bridling journals to help us re ect on the state of our research. ...
Emerging ontological approaches in archaeology have been seeking to provide a new basis for the future orientation of the discipline. This inspired us to problematise one of the metaphysical assumptions of the field—the phenomenon of prejudice. Owing to the modern origins of archaeology, prejudice may still be perceived as a negative element that we should, ideally, eliminate. Our interpretative phenomenological research inquired into how prejudice is experienced by archaeologists, aiming to reveal its ontological significance. This means that archaeologists themselves, from diverse national and personal contexts, have become the source of our data. We uncovered the phenomenon in interviews, focus group discussions, and during field observations. In an effort to promote interdisciplinary dialogue in the humanities, this article also provides individual scholarly and professional perspectives of each author on the phenomenon under question. Finally descending deep into the metaphysical origins of the field suggested a possible applied direction for future archaeological–ontological research.
... Similarly, researcher perspectives are known to play a role in the interpretation of qualitative data. 76,77 Exploration of these perspectives was again beyond the scope of the current study but should be acknowledged in considering interpretation. ...
Objective
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent in certain populations. However, evidence indicates that many individuals do not respond to treatment. Digital supports hold promise for increasing service provision and engagement but there is a lack of evidence on blended care options and still less research guiding the development of such tools. This study details the development and overarching framework used to build a smartphone app to support PTSD treatment.
Methods
The app was developed in line with the Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share (IDEAS) framework for the development of digital health interventions and involved clinicians (n=3), frontline worker clients (n=5) and trauma-exposed frontline workers (n=19). Integrated iterative rounds of testing were conducted via in-depth interviews, surveys, prototype testing and workshops, alongside app and content development.
Results
Clinicians and frontline workers both expressed a clear preference for the app to augment but not replace face-to-face therapy, with the aim of increasing between-session support, and facilitating homework completion. Content was adapted for app delivery from manualised therapy (trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Prototype versions of the app were well received, with both clinicians and clients reporting the app was easy to use, understandable, appropriate and highly recommendable. System Usability Scale (SUS) scores were on average in the excellent range (82/100).
Conclusions
This is one of the first studies to document the development of a blended care app designed specifically to augment clinical care for PTSD, and the first within a frontline worker population. Through a systematic framework with active end user consultation, a highly usable app was built to undergo subsequent evaluation.
... Meanwhile, semi-structured household interviews enable researchers to consider traditional and local knowledge, as well as people's experiences and contexts, in facing challenges within this space (Bryman and Burgess 1995). These methods resemble those of Häggström (2019) and Frechette et al. (2020), who examined lived experiences as a methodology and a way to express self in and through the forest, respectively. Based on qualitative research, the snowball sampling technique was used, in which existing subjects provided referrals to recruit future subjects for the research study (Naderifar et al. 2017). ...
While most of the literature on park management and nature conservation has focused on the negative implications for local people’s livelihoods, fewer studies have empirically analysed local people’s strategies in responding to these policies and renegotiating their position to continue their traditional livelihoods using their traditional knowledge and legal systems. This study contributes to the current literature on nature conservation by focusing on the impacts of nationally and internationally driven nature conservation policies on indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) and collective strategies and responses to such policies and initiatives to continue their livelihood and cultural practices. We employ a qualitative research approach, using the convivial conservation theoretical lens to analyse the data collected. We conclude that conservation policies have worsened existing livelihoods and constrained the improvement of indigenous people’s livelihoods and local communities. Yet, IPLCs have devised coping mechanisms to deal with the negative effects of these conservation interventions, which include resistance to some conservation policies, agricultural intensification, and involvement in commercial activities. We argue that the convivial conservation approach may offer viable solutions to existing conflicts by promoting human and non-human coexistence, based on indigenous and local people’s knowledge and practices.
... Narrative analysis, on the other hand, uses both thematic approaches to interrogate what an experience (story) is about, and structural approaches to explore how a story is composed [2,5,35]. This requires researchers to immerse themselves in the data [36], interpreting data with self-awareness, reflexivity, and empathy [24] and understanding the psychological, cultural, and social contexts and function of narratives [37]. This is not plausible or possible within brief text streams provided in free-text written responses to questions in PROMs (or posted on social media) [38] rather, this requires more in-depth qualitative research with experienced and expert qualitative researchers [39]. ...
Introduction:
For many years psychologists and other social scientists have been pushing for the individual patient's perspective - priorities, needs, feelings and functioning - to be incorporated into drug development. This is usually achieved throug the use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical trials.
Areas covered:
This paper discusses some of the key issues in the use ofPROM data as the sole method of generating information about the patient's perspective and outlines the relevance of narrative evidence to enhance understanding and interpretation of PROM data.
Expert opinion:
The development and use of PROMs situates them at the vertex of two very different trends in medicine: patient-centered care and standardization. Indeed the application of PROMs - which pull in the direction of standardisation - results in a narrow conception of evidence by overriding the subjectivity of individual experiences, beliefs and judgments. Without additional context, PROM data cannot easily support individual patient-level care. When collected systematically and with an interpretive phenomenological approach, narrative data can contain valuable information about the patient experience that numerical ratings from PRO measures do not capture.
... However, relatively few studies have examined the lived experience of unemployment in combination with varied contextual factors in the general population, or taken an interpretive phenomenological approach to understanding these experiences. Such an approach offers considerable value here, by prioritising the interpreted meaning of a phenomenon as it emerges within particular contexts (like the COVID-19 pandemic), and enabling an in-depth investigation beyond simply what the commonalities of an experience are, to how they are experienced [44,45]. ...
... The current study's theoretical framework and philosophical positioning drew on the interpretive, Heideggerian phenomenological tradition [44][45][46]. This approach holds that 'being' only occurs in a particular context (dasein), and thus any experience of a phenomenon is inextricably situated within a sociocultural and geographic environment. ...
... All study methods were approved by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HC210358). In line with recommendations for phenomenological approaches, purposive sampling was used to target participants with a rich understanding of the phenomenon of interest, and ensure a necessary degree of homogeneity in the phenomenon being studied [44,45,47]. To this end, eligible participants were (1) Australian residents aged 18-65 years, (2) fluent in English, (3) had experienced unemployment for at least 3 months in the last 2 years, and (4) during their period of unemployment, were both available for and able to work (e.g., did not have full-time study or caring responsibilities, or did not have injuries or disabilities precluding work). ...
Background
Unemployment is known to involve various psychosocial challenges that can negatively impact mental health. However, the intricacies of how individuals experience these challenges and strive to cope within the context of varied sociocultural and individuating factors, remain comparatively understudied. The present qualitative study used an interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of mental health and coping during unemployment.
Methods
Fifteen Australian adults who had recently experienced unemployment (for ≥3 months in the last 2 years), despite being available for and able to work, participated in semi-structured interviews from August to September 2021. Maximum variation sampling ensured participants represented diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis within NVivo12 software.
Results
Four major themes were identified: 1) disrupted identity and direction in life; 2) navigating conflicting views of contribution and progress; 3) knowing how to cope is not enough; and 4) unemployment as a catalyst for new understandings. Unemployment disrupted participants’ sense of purpose, identity and visions for the future. It signified a perceived failure to meet societal standards of value based upon the economic functions of work, which participants struggled to reconcile with their own priorities for work that satisfied psychosocial needs. Participants were aware of effective coping strategies, although these had mixed positive and negative effects on mental health, or were difficult to mobilise during unemployment. The COVID-19 pandemic, while normalising unemployment to some degree, exacerbated future uncertainty and prevented engagement with known coping strategies (e.g., social interaction). However, unemployment could also instigate growth through re-defining markers of achievement, re-aligning goals with one’s core values, and developing greater compassion.
Conclusions
Experiences of mental health and coping during unemployment share complex relationships both with each other and with broader personal and sociocultural contexts. Service providers may better meet the mental health needs of those experiencing unemployment by balancing the economic and psychosocial functions of work, understanding that coping is a wholistic issue that goes beyond knowledge of effective strategies, and being aware of the opportunities for self-development that unemployment can create.
... This "feminine style" ascribed to women politicians could just as well describe the results for women scholars. Several approaches within qualitative research, especially when interviews are employed, have been thought of as seeking to capture "lived experience" (Frechette et al., 2020), legitimize the subjectivity of human reality (Morgan and Drury, 2003), or "give voice" to those who are rarely heard (Larkin et al., 2006). Women in politics and women scholars seem to ground their knowledge in the concrete, lived reality of others (their electorate or their research participants), listening and giving voice to marginalized groups' subjective experiences, and yielding their own power or their voice for the sake of others. ...
Introduction
I investigated the authorship gender gap in research on political psychology.
Methods
The material comprises 1,166 articles published in the field’s flagship journal Political Psychology between 1997 and 2021. These were rated for author gender, methodology, purpose, and topic.
Results
Women were underrepresented as authors (37.1% women), single authors (33.5% women), and lead authors (35.1% women). There were disproportionately many women lead authors in papers employing interviews or qualitative methodology, and in research with an applied purpose (these were all less cited). In contrast, men were overrepresented as authors of papers employing quantitative methods. Regarding topics, women were overrepresented as authors on Gender, Identity, Culture and Language, and Religion, and men were overrepresented as authors on Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology.
Discussion
The (denigrated) methods, purposes, and topics of women doing research on politics correspond to the (denigrated) “feminine style” of women doing politics grounding knowledge in the concrete, lived reality of others; listening and giving voice to marginalized groups’ subjective experiences; and yielding power to get things done for others.
... Qualitative studies [44][45][46] exploring lived experiences of climate change have reported sample sizes between 10 and 30 participants, supported by additional researchers suggesting that 10 interview participants are sufficient to reap rich data. 47 The target sample size for this study was 11 interviewees, allowing for variation but small enough for interviews to provide rich accounts of experiences for phenomenological analysis and interpretation. 41 Data collection was undertaken using LimeSurvey, with the survey link open mid-June to mid-July 2021. ...
... 38,40 This bridging of participants' and researchers' horizons was done by highlighting key points from interviews, writing individual summaries and preliminary analyses, and comparing and contrasting these with overall notes after revisiting transcripts at the end of the interview period. 38,47 Coding and data management we re trialed using NVivo12, 59 but coding and thematic analysis were chiefly hand-written, iterative processes 60 undertaken by the PI and guided by coauthors' recommendations. Su p p o rt i n g confirmability, these researchers, including a qualitative social scientist working on climate change adaptation and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report in Working Group II, assisted in further analysis and discussions to reach consensus on emerging themes and coding categories. ...
Scientists caution against ignoring human-induced climate change and related health repercussions, with a growing body of literature highlighting the mental health effects of climate change and the importance of understanding coping and adaptation strategies. Less is known, however, about sustainable personal practices fortifying mental health in the context of climate change. The present study sought to investigate how long-term yoga practitioners (yoga therapists or yoga teachers) in Australia with a lived experience of climate change-related events are coping and adapting. The aim was to better understand participants' reports of climate change-related experiences and how yoga influences their mental health and choices in the face of climate change. Eleven in-depth telephone interviews were conducted and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological methodology. Participants reported that their ongoing relationship with yoga influences how they cope with climate change-related stressors and their being-in-the-world, and how concern for all life bolsters their responses to climate change. The results illustrate the part yoga may play in supporting long-term practitioners to prepare for, cope with, and respond to climate change events and impacts. Offering inclusive, interdisciplinary yoga therapy and community-based networks fostering ethical living and response flexibility may prove beneficial not only for the mental health and coping ability of participants, but for the planet.
... 3 For the UK, this resulted in a sample of 36 single interviews and four group discussions which were included in my study. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using methods of hermeneutic text interpretation (Frechette et al 2020;Maiwald 2005;Reichertz 2004). That is, the interview transcripts were interpreted to identify repetitive, typical experience structures and, coherent with the theoretical framework, implicit beliefs about the actors' acting potentials. ...
This paper picks up Oscar Lewis’s controversial culture of poverty theorem and shows that it has analytical potential, if applied with a rigorous, dispassionate and actor-bound concept of “culture”. Based on Alfred Schutz’s socio-phenomenological model of the lifeworld, “culture” is understood as the interpretive und pragmatic ways in which actors approach the world. Staying true to this framework, I argue that people in scarce living conditions are deprived of institutionalized possibilities to live out their intentionality. This demoralizes and disorients them, which results in the loss of inner drive and pessimistic attitudes. Fatalism and passiveness infiltrate their action planning. Phenomenology helps to systematize these results into spatial, temporal and social aspects: people in poverty lose opportunities for the appropriation of space, their biographies appear to stagnate and they are preoccupied with securing their social reputation. My results therefore show that poverty should not be understood as a self-isolated subculture. Instead, people in poverty are heavily oriented towards the dominant middleclass and its life models. The interview data that provided these insights were collected in North England and South Wales, in the facilities of subsidiary and counseling bodies, between 2016 and 2019. They were analyzed using methods of hermeneutic text interpretation.
... This was a descriptive phenomenological study that sought to investigate the everyday lived experiences of participants living with a longterm IUC at home in Northwestern Tanzania. Edmund Husserl's philosophy was followed, where the researchers collected and analyzed the data while suspending their preconceived assumptions about the phenomenon (Bracketing) to gain deeper insights into how participants viewed and understood those experiences [15]. ...
... Eleven (11) long-term indwelling urinary catheter users were recruited using a purposive sampling technique, as described previously [15], from the 202 participants living with a long-term indwelling urinary catheter at home who were attending the urology clinic at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC). The profile of the participants reflected the heterogeneous population of long-term catheter users, which included eleven men ranging in age from 22 to 85 years. ...
... The development of the guide was based on the general understanding of indwelling urinary catheters. During data collection and initial analysis, this pre-understanding was put within brackets [15]. Open-ended questions were used to elicit patients' views and experiences of living with an indwelling urinary catheter (IUC). ...
Experiences from patients living with a long-term indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) at home among men attending urology clinics have not been reported. Evidence-based information on such experiences is important for improving nursing care in low- and middle-income countries such as Tanzania. Using a descriptive phenomenological qualitative research design, we observed two main themes: “Adjustments to positive living with a catheter at home”, denoting that social interaction and psychological and spiritual support are important to positively live with the catheter, and “The home environment influences negative or positive living”, considering intimacy and altered body image to significantly influence the ability to practice sex, leading to wives’ self-sacrifice. Respondents experienced difficulties in living with a long-term IUC at home due to a lack of information from healthcare professionals on how to manage their catheters and urine bags. In adjusting to positive or negative living with a catheter at home, respondents had to figure out strategies to minimize psychological and emotional trauma and hasten the adjustment process. A clear guideline or checklist is needed to ensure that all important information is provided by health professionals at the time of discharge and during subsequent visits to patients on how to care for the catheter insertion sites and help them adjust to living with a long-term IUC.
... Although quantitative research on breast cancer is useful, it does not routinely offer research participants the opportunity to provide rich descriptions and relevant information on their experiences as they are lived, relative to time, context, and place. Scholars have long highlighted the importance of qualitative inquiry in healthcare when they argued that it offers researchers the opportunity to unpack research participants' subjective experiences, options, and choices as well as how they respond to and live through those experiences [11,12]. It is well known that qualitative research brings to the fore the importance of human agency in health and illness. ...
This study explored the psychological and physical well-being of 12 Ghanaian women diagnosed with breast cancer, aged between 22 and 69 years. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with participants to understand their lived experiences following their diagnosis and treatment. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. Findings revealed that patients’ psychological and physical well-being relative to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are marked by (a) persistent pain, (b) concerns with physical appearance, (c) the willingness to lose a breast for survival, (d) positive religious coping, and (e) posttraumatic growth (i.e., positive psychological changes in the aftermath of diagnosis or treatment). The findings suggest that recognising patients’ concerns with pain, physical changes, and the will to lose a breast to survive in the care continuum may yield public health dividends. Moreover, the findings highlight the need for individualised psychotherapeutic interventions to assist the patients to deal with the disease in the aftermath of their diagnosis and treatment.
