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Phenomenology

Phenomenology. Kirsten Casey Anne Arundel Community College. Introduction. Originated by philosophers such as Husserl, Schutz and Merleu-Ponty A framework for providing a qualitative understanding of human experience Focuses on the meaning of human experiences (phenomenon).

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Phenomenology

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  1. Phenomenology Kirsten Casey Anne Arundel Community College

  2. Introduction • Originated by philosophers such as Husserl, Schutz and Merleu-Ponty • A framework for providing a qualitative understanding of human experience • Focuses on the meaning of human experiences (phenomenon)

  3. Research Questions • What is the essential meaning of an experience? • That which it is, and without which it could not be (van Manen) • For example: • What is the essence of being a mother? • What is the essential structure of a caring nurse-client interaction ?

  4. Goal To produce a brief statement that succinctly evokes the phenomenon

  5. Assumptions • Phenomenologists assume that human experience is inherently subjective • Within these subjective experiences are essential structures that characterize the experience • The way to gain access to these structures is through description of experiences

  6. Stages in a Phenomenological Study • Researcher chooses phenomenon and selects appropriate models, frameworks, or theories to guide data collection • Participants interviewed; researcher brackets own experiences. • A description is written that fully describes the experience.

  7. Stages in a Phenomenological Study • Descriptions of the participants’ experiences (possibly including researcher) are reduced to themes • These themes are reduced to a statement that summarizes the essential meaning • Researcher returns to participants to check validity of analysis

  8. Role of Researcher • Researcher’s own experiences with a phenomenon are included as a part of the study. • Since the essence is universal, meaning must be true for researcher as well as participants

  9. Researcher Participant 2 Participant 1

  10. Characteristics of Phenomenology • Use of subjective data to describe an objective truth • Researcher’s own experiences integrated into the study • Focus on finding the common thread in phenomenon

  11. Phenomenology is useful when … • researcher wants to understand human experience • the goal is to understand a universal meaning of an experience • the reduction of context specific information to a more general understanding of the phenomenon is desired

  12. Phenomenology is useful when … • the researcher is willing to become closely entwined with the research

  13. Phenomenology is not useful for • understanding differences in students performance • evaluating the effectiveness of particular curricular change • describing the the implementation of a curricular change • answering questions about the cognitive domain (misconceptions, spatial ability)

  14. When would it be useful in chemistry education?

  15. Laboratory • A part of the curriculum that is valued for the experience it provides students • There is disagreement about the meaning of the laboratory • An experience we share with our students • Finding a common essence might lend ammunition for reform efforts

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