Phenomenologists seek to discover the universal essence of their participants’ lived experiences through a reiterative analysis process. While phenomenologists (in transcendental and empirical approaches) often follow very traditional practices in conducting research, there are a number of alternatives available that can aid in the overall research process. From virtual interviews to transcription software, many of these tools provide varying benefits and they are especially useful for smaller scale phenomenological research studies (from 1 to 20 participants). In this article, the authors discuss a number of technology choices including virtual interview practices, transcription procedures, researcher reflective portfolios and qualitative analysis techniques using spreadsheet programs.
Keywords
Transcendental and Empirical Phenomenology, Technology, Analysis, Interviewing Techniques
Author Bio(s)
Dustin De Felice (Ph.D. University of South Florida) has more than a decade in the fields of adult education, applied linguistics and language teaching. He has taught in East Lansing, Michigan, Tampa, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and Cuernavaca, Mexico. In his current position, he is a proud faculty member in the Master of Arts in Foreign Language Teaching program at Michigan State University (http://maflt.cal.msu.edu/) and he is constantly amazed by the brilliance in his students and colleagues. You can find more of his work at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dustindefelice. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: Dustin De Felice at defelic5@msu.edu.
Valerie J. Janesick (Ph.D. Michigan State University) is Professor Emerita of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa. She teaches classes in Qualitative Research Methods, Curriculum Theory and Inquiry, and Ethics and Educational Leadership. She has written numerous articles and books in these areas. Her 4th edition of Stretching Exercises for Qualitative Researchers (2016) is organized around habits of mind and includes new sections on internet inquiry, data analysis, and constructing poetry from interview data. Her book, Oral History Methods for the Qualitative Researcher: Choreographing the Story (2010) Guilford Publications, argues for artistic representations of data and oral history as a social justice project. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: Valerie J. Janesick at vjanesic@usf.edu.
De Felice, D.,
&
Janesick, V. J.
(2015).
Understanding the Marriage of Technology and Phenomenological Research: From Design to Analysis.
The Qualitative Report,
20(10), 1576-1593.
https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2326
