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Phenomenology: Explore the unexplored concepts of non-positivism research method

Phenomenology: Explore the unexplored concepts of non-positivism research method

Qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach which is conducted through critical, self-reflexive enquiry where the researcher should be constantly asking questions about his role in the research process. Qualitative research design includes interviews, case studies, participant observation, action research, historical research, philosophical research, of which phenomenological research, an approach to collect qualitative data. 

This research method distinguishes itself from other research designs as it aims to provide a live experience despite quantifying the research. Phenomenology study inherits the experience from the participant’s perspective, as a result, no formulation of the hypothesis is required to carry on the process of data collection. The phenomenological method used in epistemology, where data and information can be obtained only by emphasising personal experiences and comprehension. 

Phenomenology uses multi-methods such as focus group meetings, participant observation, interviews, conversations, analysis of diaries and other personal texts. To solve the purpose, the questionnaire used is more unstructured and open-ended to explore the experiences of the respondents. Simply put, phenomenology emphasises subjectivity aiming to collect the data in detail using more unstructured questions.

Generally, such research methodology is used in finding out an individual’s experiences, perceptions from their perspectives and in the research studies related to psychology & medical. 

Few research examples employing phenomenological research are as follows:

  • Experiences of Higher Education Students with Disabilities
  • Studying the green flash that sometimes happens just after sunset or just before sunrise
  • Experiences of parents of young children suffering from autism receiving special education services
  • A phenomenological study on the resilience of  old age people from chronic disease

Phenomenology does not focus on measurements or explanations but searches for the meaning or essence of an experience. Phenomenology research is different in that the researcher is often participatory and the other participants are co-researchers in many cases. This research emphasises the study as a holistic approach rather than considering into parts.

Typically, a phenomenological research study follows the four steps, of which includes: 

  1. Bracketing – It is the process to keep a check on any preconceived beliefs or opinions about the phenomenon being researched.  
  2. Intuition – In this step the researcher gets fully involved in the study but simultaneously considers the phenomenon conceived by others.
  3. Analysis – Here the researcher uses processes such as coding and categorising to organise the data.  
  4. Description – This process involves utilisation of cognition regarding data collection and after understanding the phenomenon communicates it to others.

Talking about the strengths of phenomenological research, it provides an in-depth understanding of the themes and meanings of experience that emerge from the data and provides sensible meaning to lived experience. Such type of study contributes to the development of changes in policies or development of new theories. But many a time, researcher may not be able to express the experiences to its full context due to different barriers such as age, language, cognition, motivation, embarrassment and other factors. 

Sometimes the researcher may be biased which is difficult to determine. Also, the results may not be statistically reliable even if the large sample size is taken and may not produce results which may be generalised over the whole population. 

The darker side of this research is that the policymakers do not provide much credibility to it as the subjectivity of the data may lead to difficulty in establishing reliability and validity.

Learn to write your thesis quicker than ever

Learn to write your thesis quicker than ever

Writing faster is a task of practice to a large extent. The more you write, the faster you become. However, if you keep doing things without improvisation, you will reach the plateau at some place. You can see a significant gain in your writing productivity by having the right kind of practice and tools.

phd thesis writing

  1. Build up your database: The preparation required for phd thesis writing is quite similar to the preparation required for cooking. If you have all your ingredients ready in advance, you can put up the things together much faster. Writing relies on data, its analysis and if it is done priorly, it can get organized in a much better way.
  2. Let go of the tendency to be perfect: Getting fast requires the writer to give up the habit of looking for perfection in the first go. This helps to declutter the tasks in mind and, it is important to just focus on writing in the first go. Improvisations can be seen at a later stage. A good and smooth riding process needs to be like iteration, you need to get all the stuck ideas out of your head and then start fixing and treating them one at a time.
  3. Write regularly: Make it a practice to write frequently, every day, even if you write little. When you do this by habit, your brain stays tuned to the topic and stays in the habit of writing, and it becomes a relatively easier task where ideas flow our spontaneously and increase your consistency and speed. Smaller steps each day are more productive than a big leap once in a while.
  4. Read as much as you can: When you have ideas in your mind, then it becomes easier to express them in words. You must read about your topic, research, and the results obtained wherever possible and whenever you find the time. When there is an abundance of information in your mind, then the flow of concrete ideas is faster.
  5. Do not do multitasking while writing: When you are writing make sure that you just write. Don’t improvise and proofread at that time. First, finish writing and then leave the proofreading for a later time. This will not disturb the task at hand and improve not just the speed but also the quality of ideas in your mind.
  6. Enjoy writing: Enjoy writing because until the time your heart isn’t into it then results won’t be desirable. Make it fun and see the results.
Recreating the drama around your PhD Thesis Defense

Recreating the drama around your PhD Thesis Defense

Ask any PhD student about their thesis experience, and he or she will have a story to tell about their thesis defense. More than the research project, it is the story of the thesis defense that can incite the most extreme kind (positive or negative) of the reactions.

My personal experience to completing my PhD thesis was certainly similar to an amateur climbing a mountain for the first time. Life, since then, has been normal after being appointed as an assistant lecturer in a renowned university. The mighty “Everest” rose between my thesis proposal defense and my thesis defense. I do not know the reason, but some perception of my thesis proposal resulted in it being deemed insufficient by the review committee of my university. Although this felt like a “major” explosion for me, it turned out to be just a small “testing” explosive compared to what was to follow.

Following the proposal rejection, my thesis defense was also failed, probably due to the quantitative nature of my research study, which basically comprised of statistical analysis of collected data from surveyed population of university students coming from low income or single parent homes.

This should have effectively ended my pursuit of PhD credentials, however the review committee decided against it, subject to me agreeing to change my research methodology from quantitative to qualitative mode. The committee also decided that only Dr. Andrews can be my guide and mentor for my new research path. Luckily, Dr. Andrews agreed to work with me in this unforeseen scenario.

Thanks to him (and perhaps my own desperate situation), we bonded well over the next 18 months and even thought me to be “exceptionally talented” to get through with my research. His profile as a strong advocate for PhD students and his chair experience made sure that I did not have to make any major “mindset” changes to attempt the research project.

For the next 18 months, I worked hard on my qualitative methodology of research and ended up with a much better understanding of the research topic. Once the research project was completed, I had little trouble getting my research proposal approved. Following that, I worked on the project dissertation and felt more comfortable discussing my points with Dr. Andrews despite my statistical approach to problem solving.
This time around, I was much more relaxed and prepared during my thesis defense, and even joked a few times with the committee members. All this (and more) is thankfully due to the mentoring and trust placed on me by the versatile Dr. Andrews.

Writing a PhD Document – Take Help from Professionals

Writing a PhD Document – Take Help from Professionals

I always value knowledge and guidance when it comes to a PhD. Apart from the smart work and dedication, experience and guidance is essential for candidates to successfully accomplish their PhD. During my PhD course I realized that sometimes the help from a guide or a fellow researchers isn’t enough to improve the quality of any PhD document.  Professional writers are the only helping hand in such scenarios.

Now, you must be wondering how a professional academic writer will improve the quality of any doctoral document.

Let me tell you how they can help you in scoring a straight A+:

Getting Started:

  • Formulating important and relevant research question:
    With years of experience and expertise in academic writing, the professional writers help in formulating the relevant research question to support your thesis or dissertation.
  • Finding and reviewing research for your topic:
    The academic writers understand how important it is to go for a background research related to your topic and they help in finding and reviewing the research associated with your topic and plan.

Organization:

  • Structuring the Idea:
    If you have the content but you’re unable to structure your idea then professional writers are the only help you should look up to. They will provide you with a detailed structure or plan to carry out your research flawlessly with ease.
  • Composing the narrative:
    I understand how difficult it becomes for the candidates who have completed their research but need help composing the narrative. In such scenarios, taking profession writers’ help will definitely get you through the deep sea of problems.

Clarity:

  • Struggling with English?
    Is English your second language and you are struggling to write your PhD document for an English-speaking university, then you should take guidance from native-academic English writers who have the strong command over language.
  • Fine-tune the language
    The expert writers will help you to improve the quality of PhD document while fine-tuning the language of your dissertation or thesis. They help in improving the quality of your expression.

Statistics and Data Analysis:

  • Selection of appropriate statistical tool:
    The qualified statistician will help you in selecting the statistical tools to test the hypothesis of your research. It will help in carry out the research with ease.
  • Help with handling the data:
    The experts will offer the help for handling the bulk of data to get the expected outcome for your research and they do it pretty well.
  • Interpreting the statistical output and formulating the conclusion:
    As it is difficult for some researchers to interpret or understand the statistical outcome, the academic experts will help you in interpreting the outcome and formulating the conclusion of your research.
  • Designing a survey or questionnaire:
    The expected result of a research will only be achieved by developing a survey or questionnaire in the right direction. The professional help will help you in designing a survey or questionnaire that will produce the desired outcome.
  • Help for SAS, SPSS, Statistica and Excel:
    Candidates feel clumsy when they need to perform the statistical test using tools like SPSS, SAS, Excel and many more. But, you don’t need to worry about it anymore, expert statistician will always be there to guide your way.

Jumping over Hurdles:

  • Facing the Rejection:
    Was your thesis or dissertation rejected? Worry not, the professional academic writers have got your back to serve you with the quality of research writing.
  • Interpreting and Implementing the comment:
    If you are in need of interpreting and implementing the comment you received from your guide, the expert writers are the only helping hand should look up to.
  • Prepare for defense:
    Experts will help you in preparing your thesis defense and help in securing good grade.

I hope from the above mentioned points it would be clear to you that taking help from professional makes wonder to your thesis. For more info regarding the same, post your queries in the comment box below!

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