Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research Research Articles

University lecturers’ lived experiences of teaching critical thinking in Australian university: a hermeneutic phenomenological research

AbstractThe study explores insights into the phenomenon of Australian lecturers’ lived experiences of teaching standalone critical thinking units within associate degree courses at one university in Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. The study makes an original contribution by focusing upon the experiences of teaching staff in Australian universities in relation to teaching critical thinking, particularly from a Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenological and Gadamerian hermeneutic theoretical and conceptual framework. At present, there are no unified methods, frameworks, or models of teaching critical thinking in Australian higher education. This problem for lecturers is an important aspect of a university education that is not well understood. This is a global educational issue and is a matter of teaching and learning concern worldwide in tertiary education (e.g. United States of America, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK). Although, several studies have been conducted on teaching critical thinking from the perspective of university lecturers. There is limited research that focus on teaching staff in Australian universities’ experience with teaching critical thinking that has used Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenology and Gadamer’s hermeneutic circle, interpretive approach in gathering data. Using interviews, data is conducted with three first-year undergraduate Australian university Ph.D. lecturers. During the analysis of the empirical data, three themes were significant in revealing the key findings: (a) Dwelling; (b) Sorge, and (c) Concern. The comprehensive understanding of the results was that the challenges university lecturers faced in developing students to thinking critically provided new pedagogical curriculum insights for the teaching and learning of a standalone critical thinking unit within the associate degree course.

The impact of socioeconomic inequality on access to health care for patients with advanced cancer: A qualitative study

ObjectiveIn Canada, populations experiencing socioeconomic inequality have lower rates of access to screening and diagnosis and higher mortality rates than people from higher-income areas. Limited evidence exists concerning their experiences when living with advanced cancer. We explored how socioeconomic inequality shapes the experiences of patients with advanced cancer. MethodsWe utilized a qualitative study design that combined tenets of hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry and critical theory. Four individuals with advanced cancer from low-income neighborhoods, three family members, and six cancer care providers were accrued through a tertiary cancer center in a western Canadian city. One-on-one interviews and brief notes were used for data collection. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. ResultsThree interrelated themes were identified: ‘Lack of access to socioeconomic supports,’ ‘Gaps in access to health care resources and services,’ and ‘Limited access to symptom relief.’ Patients experienced inadequate finances, housing, and transportation. Most patients lived alone and had limited family and social support. Patients reported lack of knowledge of available resources and health system navigation issues, including communication problems with providers and among levels of care. Cancer care providers and patients described issues achieving symptom relief as well as challenges associated with extensive disease. ConclusionsStudy findings suggest that socioeconomic inequality interferes with the ability of persons with advanced cancer to access health care and contributes to less optimal cancer outcomes. Socioeconomic inequality may increase symptom severity. Findings call for the development of tailored interventions for populations with advanced cancer and socioeconomic inequality.

청소년기 가출과정에서 겪은 성 경험에 관한 질적연구

This study is a study on the Essence of the sexual experiences experienced by female teenagers during the process of runaway in adolescence. Data collection, analysis, and writing were conducted by applying van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology research method, and women between the ages of 20 and 24 who could experience runaway at the age of 13 and 19 and recall their sexual experiences during the runaway process were selected as participants. The study resulted in four major subjects and 14 subtopics. The major subjects were categorized as ‘Continue to have sex that seems to have agreed, but has never agreed’, ‘To be the helpless object of sexual activity’, ‘To suffer in return for struggle for survival’, and ‘No one can believe but still looks for someone’. Female teenagers in runaway situations accepted that they agreed to sexual behavior under situational and psychological pressure while helplessly accepting the other person’s sexual behavior in a situation where they had no place to rely on. It was found that he suffered physical and psychological pain from prostitution chosen for his livelihood and repeated his attempts to establish a close relationship even though it was difficult to trust others. This study is meaningful in that it provided practical basic data for counseling intervention of adolescents who show maladjustment to sexual experience and sex education that meets the needs of adolescents by reflecting on the sexual experiences of early adult women and examining them from multiple perspectives.

Experience of Mindfulness Meditations Based on Stress Reduction among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Chitwan, Nepal.

Undergraduate nursing students are frequently vulnerable to stress during their education with a high rate of attrition. Mindfulness Mediations based on Stress Reductions have been found to promote psychological well-being and mental health among nursing students. Therefore, the objective of the study was to explore the experiences of Mindfulness among undergraduate nursing students. Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenology research design was adopted. Data were collected from under graduate nursing students from Chitwan Medical College, Institute of Medicine who had been practicing Mindfulness Meditation for 6 weeks. The duration of data collection was January to June 2022. Data were collected after obtaining ethical approval from Nepal Health Research Council. Focused Group Discussions were conducted to collect data by the researcher using the Focused Group Discussion guide in Nepali language. A total of three Focused Group Discussions was carried out among 12 participants in each Focused Group Discussion with a total of 36 participants. Data were analyzed by thematic analysis technique based on Giorgi's qualitative data analysis technique. Five developed themes were stress managed well in daily life and during examination time, present moment awareness and positivity, self-realization of inner peace and more self-acceptance, and feeling of developed future role for advocating mindfulness meditations. Mindfulness-based mediations have been found effective strategies among undergraduate nursing for the management of stress during daily living and during examinations, development of self-realization, increase inner peace, self-acceptance and developed skills for future role for advocating mindfulness meditations.

Scientific Empathy and the 12 Principles for Evaluating Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research

Scientific Empathy and the 12 Principles for Evaluating Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research

Lived Experiences of Faculty with Disabilities in Higher Education: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Method

The number of faculty members with disabilities has increased nowadays in the university because of the inclusive recruitment policy. The faculties with disabilities still struggle with the disable-unfriendly environments in universities, and they are excluded from the research fields in Nepal although there are some research done on school children with disabilities and people with disabilities in family and society. University faculty members with disabilities need to be studied in order to truly address the real-life problems. This study explores the lived experiences of faculty members with disabilities perceived at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. A hermeneutic phenomenological research method within qualitative approach was exploited. Purposive sampling technique was used to select five teachers with disabilities in the study. Disability studies theory was used as a theoretical tool. The major findings are that the disabled faculty encountered mainly infrastructure/physical structure barriers, university policy and practice barriers, the university executives’ (un)conscious/ (un)intentional ignorance and attitude barriers in the campuses. The teachers with vision impairment and motor impairment endured through difficulty of disable-unfriendly physical structures, university policy and practices. The findings mean the university environments were unfriendly, hostile and adverse to the disabled faculty. This study may motivate the executives to modify the policy, practices and attitudes to the disabled ones at the university which may impact the quality of the university.

Aging and Caring: Exploring Older Adults' Motivation for Informal Caregiving to Other Aging Individuals in Nigeria.

Because of the global population aging, more informal carers become older adults. In Nigeria, the African country with the largest population of adults aged 60 years and older, self-construal rooted in the African collectivist philosophy generally shapes informal caregiving for older adults. However, there is a general paucity of studies on older adults' informal caregiving roles, particularly about their motivations for caregiving. This study explored older adults' motives for informal caregiving to their care recipients in urban Southeast Nigeria. This study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological research design. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 purposively selected older adults aged 54-88 who were the primary carers of other older adults in the family and community. The collected data were analyzed using van Manen's thematic analysis method, using QSR NVivo 12 software. A total of 4 main themes emerged from the participants' responses: reciprocity of kindness, altruism, a sense of moral responsibility, and eagerness for peaceful longevity. The findings generally showed that religion and culture were the latent factors ingrained in these motivations for informal caregiving. Although the African philosophy emphasizes altruism, reciprocity seems more prominent in specific traditional African communities, as observed in Southeast Nigeria. It serves as a means to prioritize family members' needs. The findings indicate the need for the government to establish sustainable programs and policies that support older people in their caregiving role. Doing so will enable carers to derive psychosocial gains from informal caregiving and sustain the caregiving culture of Nigeria.

English Language Teachers’ Experiences of Using ICT in ELT

While technologies have penetrated all regions and states in Nepal – a developing country with challenging terrains – teacher educators’ practices, especially those in remote areas, are still unexplored. Integrating innovative technologies into English language education, in this context, has become essential as their aff ordances help to enhance teaching and learning. This hermeneutic phenomenological research paper, hence, explores the perspectives and experiences of using ICT in English language teaching by four English language teacher educators in Darchula, a remote district located in the Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed thematically. The fi ndings indicate positive attitudes among English language teacher educators towards incorporating ICT in ELT, as it enhances learning and teaching experiences, fosters student engagement, improves access to learning resources, and establishes dynamic and interactive learning environments. This study emphasises the importance of effectively integrating ICT in English language teaching while addressing technical obstacles and striking a balance between online resources to maximise benefi ts and mitigate drawbacks.

Instructors’ Conceptions of the Efficacy and Motives for Online Instruction in Open and Distance Learning Mode

This paper employs the Community of Inquiry Theoretical Framework to examine the instructors’ conceptions of training efficacy and motives for online instruction in open and distance learning mode at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). Using a hermeneutic phenomenology research design, data were collected from 25 instructors at the Open University of Tanzania through in-depth interviews, which were corroborated with questionnaires. Findings from the study indicated that, generally, continuous professional development significantly impacts how instructors teach in the online environment. Although most participants rated training as an effective strategy for online instruction, the programmes lacked regularity and fell short of more relevant training programmes. More specifically, findings indicated that the training package missed some essential contents required by instructors. A wide range of motives for conducting online training is elaborated. This paper recommends that institutions invest in relevant regular training programs for online instructors and ensure comprehensive training packages. Keywords: distance learning, online instruction, online learning, open and distance learning, open learning

How has COVID-19 affected the work environment of delivery workers?: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a rapid worldwide increase in the utilization of delivery services. This study delves into the experiences of delivery workers as one of the activley developed industries during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and sheds light on the effects of the pandemic on their working conditions. Through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean delivery workers, data analysis employed the hermeneutic phenomenology research method developed by Van Manen. The findings indicate a substantial rise in income levels and a positive societal perception of delivery labor post-COVID-19. The pandemic also attracted many new workers to the industry due to low entry barriers and work flexibility. However, challenges persisted as delivery workers grappled with an uncertain legal status and sometimes jeopardized their safety to boost earnings in shorter time frames. The pivotal role played by delivery workers in enhancing communal quality of life and connectivity during the pandemic cannot be overlooked. As we step into a post-COVID-19 era, comprehensive efforts are needed to enhance the working environment for delivery workers globally. Notably, clarifying the relationship between delivery workers and companies within the novel digital labor landscape is essential, alongside establishing institutional frameworks to safeguard workers' basic rights, including health and safety provisions.

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry: Risk and Protective Factors for the Left-Behind Children in Shaanxi Province, China, With Gender Comparison

ABSTRACT This research presents the lived experience of left-behind children living in Shaanxi province of China through the lens of resilience theory. A hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry is employed to identify inner and outer risk factors faced by left-behind children at the primary school level and explore their protective factors (internal assets and external resources). This study attempts to determine how these protective factors can moderate or reduce the repercussions of risk exposure on the children’s development. Unstructured observations, including on-site observations of the classroom, life, and interpersonal relationships, were conducted in 2018 and remote classroom observations were completed in 2020 due to the pandemic. There were 51 students (including 28 left-behind children) observed in total. Fourteen 9- to 13-year-old left-behind children, eight guardians, and six teachers participated in interviews. Remote pre-interview activities were specifically employed in 2020. The findings indicate this group’s internalized and externalized problems, and the internal assets and external resources. This study would potentially identify viable targets for interventions and socially inclusive education. Resilience-based interventions in policies and practices are recommended to intervene in the trajectory from risk exposure to associated negative effects.

Knowing Me, Knowing Them: Using Penned Illustrations with Known Participants

In practice-based studies, participants are often known to the researcher as part of their professional realm. This can result in the researcher bringing preconceptions of the participants to the study, which may influence the findings. In this paper, we demonstrate how researchers can utilise reflexivity and imaginative curiosity to expose often unconsidered presuppositions about such participants using penned illustrations. We suggest that penned illustrations of known participants should be undertaken to unpack preconceptions of the known participants creatively and imaginatively. This paper provides an applied demonstration of how penned illustrations can be used in a hermeneutic phenomenological study, along with the philosophical foundations supporting this method. The paper guides the reader through why penned illustrations can be helpful in qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological research when the insider-researcher needs to recognise, manage, and ethically work with the duality of their overlapping researcher and professional roles.

The ecomap: a tool for extending understanding in hermeneutic phenomenological research.

Ecomaps are tools used in nursing practice to assess families' social support systems. Ecomaps have been used effectively in qualitative research but little attention has been given to their use as a tool in the methodological approach of hermeneutic phenomenology. To demonstrate that the use of ecomaps is congruent with the Heideggerian philosophical foundations of hermeneutic phenomenology. This article reflects on a study in which the researchers used ecomaps to explore how parents of children with cancer are supported with decision-making about their children's care. Exploration of the Heideggerian concepts of 'being in the world', 'being with' and 'temporality' prompted reflections about how constructing ecomaps furthers understanding of participants' unique contexts. Using an ecomap in an in-depth interview enabled interviewees to return to their experiences of being supported with decision-making; it also further developed the researcher's understanding of how each participant's experience was situated in their evolving relationships with others. Constructing ecomaps in hermeneutic phenomenology is in tune with Heideggerian philosophical concepts. Ecomaps can open a door to participants' experiences, deepen the researcher's understanding and find further meaning in those experiences. Ecomaps are a useful way of shining a light on participants' experiences in hermeneutic phenomenological research. The article provides practical tips to optimise their use in future research.

Real-Life Experiences of Students with Disability in Tribhuvan University: Hermeneutic Phenomenological Method

The number of students with disabilities has been increasing nowadays for higher education. Students with disabilities in universities are excluded from the research fields in Nepal although there are some researches done on school children with disabilities and people with disabilities in the family and society: college students with disabilities need to be studied. This study focuses on the lived experiences of students with disabilities while pursuing their studies at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. A hermeneutic phenomenological research method within qualitative approach was applied. A purposive sampling technique was used to select five students with disabilities in this study. The major findings are that the disabled students encountered mainly infrastructure/physical structure barriers, university policy and practice barriers, the university executives’ (un)conscious/ (un)intentional ignorance and attitude barriers while pursuing studies. The students with vision impairment and motor impairment underwent the difficulty with disable-unfriendly physical structures, university policy and practices. The hearing impaired students expressed that the usual class was not for them, and nobody was in the campus for interaction with them. The findings mean the university environments were unfriendly, hostile and adverse to the disabled students. This study may motivate the executives to modify the policy, practices and attitudes toward the disabled.

The amalgamation of eastern and western philosophies within Idokan Karate

Every school of the Japanese martial art of karate possesses special values and norms unique to its practice. Unsurprisingly, the philosophy of Idokan karate is therefore similar to other schools while remaining distinct in the myriad of martial art practices. Idokan karate possesses a practical philosophy (i.e., applicable to everyday life) influenced by Eastern and Western belief systems that are internalized and utilized by its practitioners as forms of today’s civilian warrior path. This single case study examines the prominent Idokan ethics, values, and rules as well as details its specific and symbolic content. It makes use of the hermeneutic phenomenology research method to present a content analysis of literature on Idokan within the wider discourse of martial arts studies. A broad discourse analysis of these topics in both scientific studies and popular publications was conducted. In doing so, this study’s practical implications are that it not only provides a glimpse into the uniqueness of Idokan karate philosophy but also into that of the vastness of the great martial arts menagerie. Idokan karate philosophy is derived distinctively from its founders’ understandings of Chinese and Japanese martial arts, Taoism, and Christianity and dictates practitioners a unique morality. Such teleology comes from special values, rules, and aims embedded in Idokan teachings. In normative ethics, the Decalogue and nobility of spirit (the Homo Creator Nobilis) are most important. Tao in Idokan is understood as God’s Word, the principle of love, and the way of (Christian) heaven.

전환의 시대, ‘교육2030’의 변혁적 역량과 행위성의 의미 분석

In 2018, the OECD created the ‘Education2030’ project, which emphasized developing Transformative Competencies and Agency to prepare students for challenges in the era of transformation. The purpose of this paper analyzed the contents and meaning from agential realism perspective, as suggested by Karen Barad, feminist new materialism, arguing that ‘Education 2030’ need to be studied from various perspectives. Therefore, the meaning of the core goals, competencies, and achievements of ‘Education 2030’ was analyzed by applying the Hermeneutic Phenomenological research method. As the results of this study, Transformational Competencies required the ability to create new values, control conflicts, and take the responsibility to respond to global crises. In addition, student agency and co-agency referred to growing and developing jointly by forming entangled relationships. Forward, we must make efforts to establish a educational ecosystem conducive to building Transformative Competencies and Agency. Agential realism is expected to be a useful perspective for breaking away from the dichotomous conceptual frame that distinguishes knowledge and competence in the curricula.

IDENTIFYING ESSENTIAL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS FOR NEW GRADUATE TEACHERS: SCHOOL EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES

Skills necessary for attaining and maintaining a good job are called employability skills. It is argued, however, that new graduates from education departments lack market-oriented employability skills, which leads to their unemployment. This hermeneutic phenomenological research examines employers’ views on new graduate teachers’ job market readiness. This qualitative research interviewed twelve secondary school administrators in Lahore. The interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that employers encounter several obstacles when dealing with new graduate teachers, including a gap between academic comprehension and practical performance, a lack of transferrable and communication skills, and increased expectations from fresh graduates. Employers offer three ways to improve new graduate teachers’ employability skills: expanding students’ exposure, modifying and updating the curriculum, and encouraging pro-activity. The findings enrich the literature on teacher education and employability skills by understanding employers’ viewpoints. Keywords: Employability Skills, New Graduate Teachers, Teacher Education, Qualitative Research.

Barriers to Social Inclusion among Older Adults with Disabilities in Imo State, Nigeria: A Descriptive Phenomenological Inquiry

Discourses on successful aging in modern times have emphasized older people’s active participation in community life as essential to their independence and sense of fulfillment. However, in some country contexts, the goal of inclusion for older adults with disabilities is not feasible. The aim of this research is to explore the barriers to social inclusion faced by older persons with disabilities in Imo State, Nigeria. We adopted Heidegger’s hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry and non-probability sampling methods. We utilized snowballing and criterion-based purposive sampling techniques to recruit 19 study participants aged 60 years and older, using face-to-face in-depth interviews for data collection. In accordance with the hermeneutic phenomenological research criteria of reflection, immersion, and categorization, data were analyzed thematically. Our findings show a lack of social inclusion and participation among older adults with disabilities, citing personal (negative self-concept and self-isolation), social (negative perceptions and attitude towards disability), and structural (poor access to buildings, transportation, and technology) factors as barriers. Strategies to leverage these factors to facilitate inclusive participation of older persons with disabilities in Nigeria are recommended.

The Research Question in Hermeneutic Phenomenology and Grounded Theory Research

Formulating the research question is a key but complex task in qualitative studies. The question should be framed consistently with the approach chosen; in other words, question and approach are interdependent. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of the nature of the research question; to this end, we address its meaning by presenting two qualitative approaches: applied hermeneutic phenomenology and grounded theory. Although both approaches draw from the experience of the participants in research, they are vastly different and comparing them provides an exemplar of the important decision-making required for crafting research questions epistemologically aligned with their designs. From this starting point, in this paper we discuss the specific nature of the research question in two qualitative approaches: applied hermeneutic phenomenology and grounded theory. In hermeneutic phenomenology, the question is related to the phenomena of lived experience, with the goal to describe its disclosed/apprehended essence, in the meaning structures of the studied experience. In grounded theory, the question is driven by the purpose of developing theory in a specific field, either to grant exhaustive knowledge in the exploration of hitherto little-known situations or to further our understanding of human behavior. Taking the research question as our central theme, we divide this article into three parts. First, we specify the main characteristics of each of the two approaches. Second, we discuss the formulation of the research question in each. Third, we offer an example of a research question for each of the approaches.

Music Integration for Effective Delivery of Instruction: A Phenomenological Study

The objective of this study was to determine the teachers’ perspectives, experiences, problems, challenges, and intervention procedures used in integrating music into their classroom instruction. The study participants were delimited to elementary school teachers teaching in a private school in Imus Cavite, Philippines for the school year 2021-2022. The qualitative research strategy based on hermeneutic phenomenological research was used. A guided interview was used to collect data. Data collection and qualitative data analysis are usually done at the same time. The study came out with the following findings: The teachers need music workshops, training, and seminars to help them effectively employ music integration in their classroom for effective delivery of instruction, the teachers’ lack of supportive leadership from the school head, and the lack of resources to be used for teachers to integrate music. This conclusion points to the importance of providing workshops, training, and seminars to teachers, a need for a supportive school head and principal to motivate them to integrate music into their subject matter, and a provision of desired access to resources that would fill the needs of the teachers. Based on the above findings, the following conclusions are presented: The participants’ “lack of music training and ability” is the main reason behind the lack of an even more tremendous amount of implementation in the classroom. The participants do not have enough resources, materials, or a broad grasp of strategies and methods used for music integration. The following recommendations were drawn from the findings of this study: The school should provide desired access to resources and a source that would fill the needs of the participants. Also, the school should provide workshops, training, and seminars to the participants on integrating music in their classroom instructions in all subjects. Furthermore, Policy formulation on the adoption of integrating music into instruction may be formulated.