The Phenomenology of Qualitative Research
January 11th-13th 2018
Nova Southeastern University
Official Conference Website
The phenomenology of qualitative research asks us to study consciously what appears before us as qualitative researchers. This lens on our lived experiences as qualitative researchers shines not only on who we study, but also on us as we study. As reflective practitioners of our research craft, we accept the challenges of being human instruments of our inquiries acknowledging the responsibilities of the decisions we make in who, what, where, when, why, and how we study the phenomena we do and do not explore.
From a practical perspective, the phenomenology of qualitative research suggests we embrace the phenomenological dualities of epoché and bracketing regardless the design and methodology we employ in our work. The application of these central tenets of phenomenological awareness encourages us to study ourselves as we study others making the practices of journaling and keeping research notebooks as central to our designs and procedures as interviewing, taking field notes, and conducting data analyses. In doing so, we usher in a phenomenological sense of accountability in building rigor and quality in our qualitative research.
The phenomenology of qualitative research encourages us not only to be thorough in our data analysis, but also to be imaginative in our data transformation. These different yet connected analytical processes are present in most qualitative research methodologies, yet phenomenologists seem to have a special vocabulary and transparency in sharing how they accomplish these steps in producing creative, meticulous results. It would seem all qualitative researchers could benefit from adapting such best practices.
At The Qualitative Report Ninth Annual Conference, we want you to share your lived experiences as qualitative researchers: “How are you becoming qualitative researchers, How do you practice your craft, How do you consciously produce the results that you do, and How do manage yourself throughout your work?” are some of the phenomenology-inspired questions we can explore together at the conference. Take us inside your world as a qualitative researcher by describing what you do and how you make sense of that which you do. We want to hear these reflexive tales in your proposed papers, panels, and workshops so we all can learn the phenomenology of qualitative research.