Phenomonology
1 MARCH 2018
On this day we had a workshop in which Phenomonology was discussed. There was also a related workshop discussing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Phenomologists – there is no I. No subject.
In phenomenology there is only one world but to get other people into your world, you must use words (communicate). Text is a form of communication. Qualitative research is about looking at text and extracting meaning. The attitude of researcher towards extracting meanings from text points to his/her paradigmatic outlook. Interpretation doesn’t just have to be about text, it can be be any form of expression (eg. Dancing, body language). The researcher is always judging relative to the context
Different philosophical approaches:
Heidegger…
Hermeneutic circle = all meaning is understood according to what you already know. All understanding is interpretation. Things find meaning in a linguistic frame of reference.
Wittgenstein…
words are norms
Creativity = combining things in a unique way. Things already exist but creativity is combining these things in a unique way. Language is way of organising people into a coherent whole (eg. Symbols/language)
Language is culturally sensitive. What are you trying to tell me?
Sampling
Saturation sampling. Sample taken until you keep getting same data.
There are 2 criteria for sampling
- Sufficiency
- Saturation of information
Analysis
Type of questions – open-ended questions. Can use other information – other field notes. Analysis – explication of meaning. Investigation of bits that make something up.
Work through interview finding themes, then integrate them into one overarching theme.
Reflection:
Is data received from biometric measures not a form of text? Can phenomonology not be applied to the neurosciences. This bears further investigation.