A Research Methods Case of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Using Consensus Workshops and Focus Groups in an Idiographic Methodology

Abstract

In the context of a study of how being a practitioner from the context of business and management affected and interacted with the concepts of student identity and experience, it was necessary to design a research protocol that could effectively explore how academic study affected practitioner identity and practice. This case study illustrates the complex decision-making processes and practicalities of how consensus workshops were embedded into a specific idiographic methodology in the context of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The challenges involved in designing a study that could effectively explore the experiences of interaction between practitioner and student identity were numerous, and it is hoped that by illuminating these challenges others might be encouraged to adopt these methods within their own research. This particular case study is illustrative of Helen Charlton’s research with part-time postgraduate Human Resource Management students who worked and studied in tandem. Challenges of design incorporated a consideration of how best to highlight the duality of working and studying in the lives of Human Resource Management students. Further research considerations identified that it would also be necessary to identify mechanisms by which experiences of dual working and studying affected Human Resource Management students at an individual level and in the context of their respective academic communities.