Focus on Methodology

Phenomenology is a challenging method for many students to understand and apply. Introduction to Phenomenology: Focus on Methodology breaks down the history, methodology, and application so students can more easily write proposals and conduct phenomenological research. Author Cheryl Tatano Beck draws on her depth of experience in applying and teaching phenomenological methods to distill the method into a single guidebook for students and new researchers alike. This introductory book provides a clearer picture of phenomenology as method and its applications to social, behavioral, and health sciences, covering both interpretive and descriptive phenomenology from research design through analysis.

This book is divided into four parts. Part I briefly provides the philosophical underpinnings of descriptive and interpretive (hermeneutic) phenomenology, summarizing the main goals of the original texts. Part II focuses on descriptive phenomenology, while Part III concentrates on interpretive phenomenology. Each type of methodology is covered in its own chapter, with tables comparing the methodologies to one another so readers can better understand the differences and similarities. Part IV addresses evaluating, writing, and teaching phenomenology. Unique chapters on writing a proposal, getting your study published, developing a research program, and preparing to teach phenomenology help complete the cycle of research and help graduate students transition from student to researcher to teacher. Appendices provide study activities for students and examples of two types of phenomenological proposals.