Philosophical Underpinnings
Phenomenology has its roots in the human sciences. Edward Husserl and Martin
Heidegger were philosophers whose work inspired current phenomenology.
Husserl was a German philosopher credited with moving from naturalistic
science to philosophical reduction by separating the researcher’s preconceived
notions to reveal a true lived experience. “Husserl’s phenomenology emphasized
a way of coming to know through the actual experience of a phenomenon
(experiential epistemology) with a goal of describing the experience of the
phenomenon. Thus methodology inspired by Husserl is often called description
methodology” (Converse, 2012, p. 29).
Heidegger’s philosophy was influential in the development of the use of
phenomenology in nursing today. He supported the idea that the researcher
needs to know about the history of an individual in order to have proper
context for investigation. Heidegger (1962) believed “that the meaning of
being is an important way of understanding human existence” (Pratt, 2012,
p. 12). The concepts of “time” and “being” were essential to helping research-
ers have a context to explore the lived experience of others. Phenomenology
focuses on the human experience and causes the nurse to ask why a particular
phenomenon has occurred. In addition, Heidegger saw nurses’ experience
KEY TERMS
audit trail: The
documentation
of the research
process and
researcher’s
decision making in
qualitative studies
phenomenology: A
type of qualitative
research that
describes the
lived experience
to achieve
understanding of
an experience from
the perspective of
the participants
grounded
theory: A type of
qualitative research
that examines
the process of a
phenomenon and
culminates in the
generation of a
theory
ethnography: A
type of qualitative
research that
describes a culture
historical: A type of
qualitative research
used to examine
events or people
to explain and
understand the
past to guide the
present and future
lived experience:
The perspective of
an individual who
has experienced the
phenomenonType of Qualitative
Research Focus Example Question
Phenomenology Lived
experienceWhat is the lived experience
of a woman dying from
breast cancer?
Grounded theory Process What is the process of
recovery following breast
cancer?
Ethnography Culture What are the self-breast-
exam practices of Amerasian
women?
Historical The past What were the ancient
Romans’ basic beliefs
regarding diseases of the
breast?TABLE 9-1 Comparisons of Qualitative Methods
9.2 The Four Major Types of Qualitative Research 231