Since phenomenology underlies qualitative research, some claim that all qualitative research is phenomenological (Merriam 2009, p. 24).

 

Phenomenological research is looking at people’s perceptions of the world. Through exploring the lived experience of a concept or a phenomenon from several individuals to interpret the common meaning (Creswell 2017). It focuses on experiences and things in their appearing. When we do phenomenological research, it does not require us to get inside someone’s minds, instead, we are supposed to meditate and theorize how things manifest and appear through and in our day-to-day living (Vagle 2014, p. 22).

 

There are various types of phenomenology, transcendental phenomenology and hermeneutic phenomenology are widely used. Transcendental phenomenology focuses on people’s meaning of a lived experience of a concept or phenomenon, in order to learn about the essence, the nature, of the experience. While in hermeneutic phenomenology, researcher interprets texts to explore lived experience. Phenomenological research attempt to comprehend the essence of a phenomenon, through examining the perspective of people who have experienced the phenomenon. Phenomenological studies emphasize a focus on individual subjective experiences and interpretation of the phenomenon which exists in the lifeworld. As Howard (1994, p. 34) claimed that phenomenological approach can effectively involve experience of individuals within their own view and illuminate the significance of these experiences, eventually reveal a phenomenon (Howard 1994, p. 34). While Husserl (1970) suggested that pure phenomenological research intends to identify the essence instead of explaining, additionally, researchers are supposed to start their research without proposed hypotheses, bias or conceptions.