Phenomenology is a method of research that seeks to explain the nature of things through the way people experience them. It translates literally as the “study of phenomena.” Thanks to Cindy for breaking down this research method clearly, and opening up reflection on some of the pros and cons. The approach investigates everyday experiences while attempting to suspend preconceived assumptions about the phenomenon. In other words, phenomenological research studies “lived experiences” in order to gain deeper insights into how people understand such experiences. 

This methodology for research is descriptive – the researcher aims to describe (as accurately as possible) the structure of a chosen phenomenon. It is a popular qualitative method, and many scholars choose this method to gain a deeper understanding of how human beings think. The data collection involved might include observation through interviews, surveys, analysis of personal text, and focus groups and conversations, etc. Some challenges might come up with data gathering and data analysis (oftentimes new researchers are daunted with how time-consuming the process may be). Or there might be researcher-induced bias that can affect the outcome of the study. That said, this method is a great way to uncover what a particular experience means to a group of people, and how they experienced it.

Our class slides

I am glad to have shared an example of “creative” MA thesis project in order for you to understand how research plays into an ongoing fiction project (Gianna Lepanto’s MA Thesis Proposal and Lit Review submitted halfway in the process of developing her MA Thesis). Next week, I will share an example of a student’s qualitative research approach for a more academic study.

Reminder

Organization

I am also glad you were able to further “workshop” your research ideas in part 2 of class this week. Please remember how important organization is to effective research work. You now have a central folder for all of your work, and an ongoing google doc for all notes you generate pertaining to research process and research inspiration. Valerie dubbed this google document as “the Dump Doc” (i.e. it will contain all of your generative note taking – the good, the bad, the ugly). The truth is that it takes a lot of thinking and processing to get to “the good stuff”. So I think that “catch-all” name is perfect for your “notes” document that will serve as a central location for all your ideas and thoughts that come to mind regarding your ongoing research work. Please remember that research is iterative, and cyclical, so expect to revisit your research questions more than once, as you keep refining the scope of your inquiry.

At this stage after the further brainstorming done in class this week, you might want to list new (more specific versions) of your inquiry questions – write them down and highlight them in your “notes” google doc. What move will you make next?  You should dive a little deeper. Database time! Select a database based on the search tips that Craig provided (or literally go into the library and make an appointment to work with one of the reference librarians) to find some articles to upload. Familiarize yourself with how the search engine works, and then run a basic query. Enter your topics/questions and see what comes up.  Which primary sources feel like an interesting yield? Which ones have zero appeal. What grabs your attention?  Read abstracts, upload articles and drop some of the better ones into your folder.

Continue to take notice of what you are noticing, and what matters to you. 

Your to-do list

Please read: A Phenomenological Research Design Illustrated by Thomas Groenewald.

Please write your ninth blog reflection (due 4/4) on the above Phenomenology article. Ricki will lead our discussion of this article in class. **In addition, please remember to work steadily each week on your Research Proposal progress and include an update in your blog.

Next week

We will have class next week in our Zoom room. I will send you the link on Thursday morning (it is the same zoom link we always use). See you on screen then, and have a great weekend.