Terminologies used in Qualitative Research Design: 3. Phenomenological Paradigm✍

3. Phenomenological Paradigm✍

The phenomenological paradigm refers to perceptualizing any phenomenon in a phenomenological way. 
The phenomenological paradigm in qualitative research involves exploring and understanding the essence of human experiences as they are lived and perceived by individuals. This approach seeks to comprehend the meanings, perceptions, and structures of these experiences without imposing external interpretations or theories. Let's delve into an example to illustrate the phenomenological paradigm in qualitative research:

Example: Exploring the Experience of Chronic Pain

A researcher adopts a phenomenological paradigm to study the lived experiences of individuals coping with chronic pain. The focus is on comprehending the essence of their experiences and how they make sense of and live with constant pain.

Let’s have a look at the Research Methodology:✍

Participant Selection: The researcher purposefully selects individuals dealing with chronic pain for an extended period. The goal is to gather rich and diverse experiences related to the phenomenon.

Data Collection: Conducting in-depth, open-ended interviews is the primary method. During these interviews, participants are encouraged to freely express their experiences, emotions, coping mechanisms, and how chronic pain has affected various aspects of their lives. The researcher avoids leading questions and allows participants to describe their experiences in their own words. Leading questions are types of questions that kind of guide or push someone to answer in a certain way. These questions might already have an answer in mind, and they might suggest that answer to the person being asked.

For example, let's say you're asking about someone's favorite color:

If it is a Non-leading question: then it will be like "What is your favorite color? "

If it is the Leading question: Then "Your favorite color is blue, right?"

The first question allows the person to choose any color as their favorite. But the second question sort of suggests that the answer should be blue. It's like nudging or hinting at what answer the questionnaire might want to hear.

So, leading questions can sometimes make people answer in a way that might not be their true feeling or belief because the question itself kind of guides them toward a specific response. It's essential to try and ask questions that don't push someone to answer in a particular way to get their genuine thoughts or opinions.

Leading questions are those designed to steer or prompt a specific answer from the respondent, potentially influencing their perception or response. Here are several types of leading questions along with examples:

Assumptive Questions: These questions contain an assumption within them, suggesting a particular answer.

Example: "Don't you agree that the new policy is beneficial for everyone?"

Biased Questions: These questions contain a bias toward a particular answer, often revealing the questioner's opinion.

Example: "Wasn't the movie fantastic due to its incredible acting?"

Multiple-choice questions with a Preferred Response: Questions that provide options where one choice seems more favorable or desirable.

Example: "Do you prefer the efficient and reliable option A or the less reliable option B?"

Tag Questions: These are statements turned into questions by adding a tag at the end, often expecting agreement.

Example: "That was a great presentation, wasn't it?"

Leading by False Premise: Questions that presuppose a certain situation or fact, guiding the respondent toward a specific answer.

Example: "Since you enjoyed the event, how much fun did you have?"

Nudging Questions: These questions push respondents to answer in a particular direction without explicitly stating it.

Example: "Do you think it would be wise to consider option X in this scenario?"

Loaded Questions: These questions include emotionally charged or controversial language, often intending to provoke a certain response.

Example: "Have you stopped cheating on exams?"

It's important to note that while leading questions are commonly used in informal conversations or discussions, they might lead to biased or unreliable information in more formal settings like surveys, interviews, or legal proceedings.

It's generally important in research, interviews, surveys, or any form of information collection to strive for neutrality and avoid leading questions to gather unbiased and genuine responses from participants.

Data Analysis: The researcher adopts a phenomenological reduction approach. 

Phenomenological reduction is a method used in philosophy and qualitative research, especially in phenomenology, to better understand and explore people's experiences by focusing on how things appear to them without making assumptions or judgments.

In simple terms, phenomenological reduction involves putting aside our preconceptions beliefs, or assumptions about something so that we can truly understand it from the perspective of the person experiencing it.

Let's break it down with an example:✍

Imagine you're trying to understand how people experience fear. Instead of assuming you already know what fear is, you practice phenomenological reduction. This means you put aside what you think you know about fear and try to fully understand it based on what people say and describe their experiences with fear.

So, you might interview different individuals and ask questions like, "Can you tell me about a time when you felt really scared? What happened? What did it feel like?" By listening to their stories without imposing your own ideas, you're trying to understand fear purely from their descriptions and experiences.

Phenomenological reduction helps researchers or philosophers look at experiences without bias or assumptions, aiming to understand the essence of those experiences as they are perceived by the individuals who live through them. It's about focusing on how things appear or are experienced by individuals, rather than interpreting them based on our own beliefs or prior knowledge.

So in Data Analysis, The researcher adopts a phenomenological reduction approach. This involves suspending personal biases and preconceived notions to focus solely on understanding the participants' descriptions and perspectives. The data analysis process involves identifying patterns, themes, and essential elements inherent in participants' descriptions of living with chronic pain.

Findings: Let’s back to our previous example of chronic pain. Through the analysis, common themes emerge, such as the physical and emotional toll of chronic pain, coping strategies employed by individuals, changes in daily life, social interactions, and the struggle to find meaning and acceptance despite ongoing pain. These findings aim to capture the essence of the lived experience of chronic pain.

Application of Phenomenological Paradigm:

The researcher, following the phenomenological paradigm, refrains from imposing theoretical frameworks or interpretations on the data. Instead, the focus remains on the participants' subjective experiences, aiming to understand the phenomenon of chronic pain from their perspectives.

The researcher emphasizes the importance of empathy, actively listening to participants, and striving to comprehend the underlying structures and meanings within their experiences. This approach allows for a deeper understanding of how individuals navigate and make sense of their experiences with chronic pain.

By adopting the phenomenological paradigm, the researcher aims to capture the richness, complexity, and essential aspects of the lived experiences of individuals dealing with chronic pain, contributing to a more profound understanding of this phenomenon from the participants' standpoint.

Thank you for reading.👀

Professor (Dr.) P. M. Mxlek 

***Next Terminologies used in Qualitative Research Design: 4. Triangulation process