Phenomenological Focus Research Articles

The Resistance of the Given and its Demythologization in Husserl’s Phenomenology

The objective of this paper is to reconstruct Husserl’s two-pronged approach of sensory givenness. On the one hand, the phenomenological focus on intentional consciousness implies a virulent criticismof the positivistic myth of the sensory given. On the other hand, there is also a positive appeal to sensory givenness in phenomenology, without which phenomenology would not be worthy of its name and would, ultimately, be nothing other than a form of neo-Kantianism. In the context of transcendental genetic phenomenology, Husserl manages to rehabilitate sensory givenness in a reduced, viz. demythologized form. This reconstruction of Husserl’s ambivalent reference to the given can help phenomenology defend itself against some actual trends, which tend to reduce it to phenomenalismor to conceptualism.

On interference effects in top-philic decay chains

Sizeable exotic Higgs boson production through gluon fusion via top quark loops is correlated with large Higgs decay probabilities into top quark final states, if these are kinematically accessible. It is known that gg→S→tt¯ is particularly susceptible to signal-background interference effects that can significantly impact discovery sensitivities. In such an instance, identifying more robust signatures to enhance the discovery sensitivity becomes necessary, shifting phenomenological focus to final states that show a reduced destructive signal-background interference. In this work, we discuss the phenomenological relevance of signal-signal and signal-background interference effects for decay chains. In particular, we identify asymmetric cascade decays in models of scalar extensions of the SM Higgs sector as new promising candidates. In parallel, characteristic interference patterns can provide a formidable tool for indirect CP spectroscopy of BSM sectors if a discovery is made in the future. This motivates associated searches at present and future colliders as robust discovery modes of new physics, in addition to serving as a sensitive tool for the reconstruction of the underlying UV electroweak potential.

Taking Watsuji online: betweenness and expression in online spaces

In this paper, we introduce the Japanese philosopher Tetsurō Watsuji’s phenomenology of aidagara (“betweenness”) and use his analysis in the contemporary context of online space. We argue that Watsuji develops a prescient analysis anticipating modern technologically-mediated forms of expression and engagement. More precisely, we show that instead of adopting a traditional phenomenological focus on face-to-face interaction, Watsuji argues that communication technologies—which now include Internet-enabled technologies and spaces—are expressive vehicles enabling new forms of emotional expression, shared experiences, and modes of betweenness that would be otherwise inaccessible. Using Watsuji’s phenomenological analysis, we argue that the Internet is not simply a sophisticated form of communication technology that expresses our subjective spatiality (although it is), but that it actually gives rise to new forms of subjective spatiality itself. We conclude with an exploration of how certain aspects of our online interconnections are hidden from lay users in ways that have significant political and ethical implications.

Bereavement Needs of Critical Care Nurses: A Qualitative Study.

Bereavement and grief in critical care nurses remain an understudied phenomenon. As a way of self-protection, nurses may compartmentalize their own feelings and need assistance and support in processing feelings of bereavement. Nurses spend much of their time caring for patients and their family members, while guiding them through the dying process; however, they may not take adequate time to address their own bereavement needs. The aims of this study were to explore the bereavement needs of critical care nurses after experiencing the expected or unexpected death of a patient and, from their lived experiences, gain insight as to how nurses perceive, process, and cope with the death of a patient. A qualitative, phenomenological focus group was conducted with critical care nurses (N = 10) after gaining institutional review board approval. The group discussion was audio-recorded and transcribed. Content analysis was performed to identify common themes. Seven themes emerged: (a) emotional distress, leading to compassion fatigue, burnout, and moral distress, (b) empathy, (c) resurfacing personal loss leading to secondary traumatic stress in the workplace, (d) unrealistic expectations placed on the nurse, (e) detachment leading to compartmentalization, (f) lack of formal education, and (g) self-care and available resources. More education for nurses in undergraduate and continuing education programs is needed to assist nurses in the bereavement process. More interventional studies are needed to explore programs of nurses' self-care both in the workplace and in nurses' personal lives to more effectively support their emotional needs.

Diverse Needs of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Qualitative Research in Malawi, South Korea, and the United States

Despite custodial grandparents’ significant contributions to their grandchildren’s healthy development, unique needs of older adults often remain unmet with a limited cultural understanding of intergenerational caregiving. Using a phenomenological approach, interviews and focus groups were conducted with 75 custodial grandparents in Malawi (n=29), South Korea (n=23), and the U.S. (n=23). Malawian grandparents presented financial and physical hardships; however, they experienced strong support from community. Korean grandparents reported similar needs as Malawian grandparents while additionally experiencing cultural biases toward grandparent-headed families (maternal grandparenting and adult child’s divorce). The U.S. grandparents disclosed increased needs for social support as well as family trauma with intergenerational impacts. The increase in custodial grandparent population across the world and findings from this comparative transnational research highlight the need for development of a model for culturally responsive practice with grandparent-headed families in a global context. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Grandparents as Caregivers Interest Group.

Analysis of dreams and feelings: Case study in a Municipal School of Imperatriz – MA

This article aimed to better understand the ways of thinking and dreaming of 4th and 5th grade students, from a Municipal School located in the rural area of Imperatriz – MA, who live under the conditionality of poverty. A brief analysis of poverty was made in Brazil and Maranhão, we noticed that many changes have been taking place in Brazilian public policy, in order to change the reality of many children and young people in poverty or extreme poverty. We cite Brazilian education as an important historical landmark. We highlight poverty in public schools and the possibility of these students learning and creating important knowledge for future life. Education and guarantees of citizenship of children and adolescents is seen as a form of collective construction. The research was developed in a qualitative approach, with phenomenological focus, and semi-structured interviews were used in data collection. For it was necessary to give the students the opportunity to express themselves freely about their dreams and desires for a future without poverty. We had contact with the reality of the students and their families, we know the school where the students study and a little about their dreams, desires and vision of a future without poverty. Given the relevance of the theoretical framework, we reviewed documents and authors dealing with the subject, such as: Arroyo (2015), Freire (2005), Leite (2017), Pinzani and Leão Rego (2015), Reis (2011), among others.

A Produção em Investigação Matemática no XII Encontro Nacional de Educação Matemática

Nesse texto[1] apresentamos um mapeamento da produção em Investigação Matemática no âmbito do XII Encontro Nacional de Educação Matemática – ENEM. Da abordagem qualitativa com enfoque fenomenológico, realizamos um estudo do tipo estado da arte em busca do que revelam os objetivos, as concepções e os resultados explicitados nas comunicações científicas que abordaram a Investigação Matemática e que compuseram os anais do evento. Afirmamos que os objetivos se centraram em torno de aspectos pedagógicos da Investigação Matemática. As concepções intuem para a Investigação Matemática como método de desenvolver habilidades, como metodologia de ensino e aprendizagem da matemática e como metodologia de formação de professores. Os resultados apontam avanços no processo de ensino e aprendizagem da matemática ao utilizar a Investigação Matemática em sala de aula.
 
 
 [1] A primeira versão deste texto foi publicada nos anais do VI Simpósio Nacional de Educação, 2018. Essa é uma versão revisada e ampliada.
 

"It's hard to speak up": Lessons learned from engaging U.S. white college men in conversations on racism.

Objective: This position paper draws on findings from the Straight White College Men Project, a qualitative study with heterosexual white college male participants across college campuses in the United States. The purpose of the larger project was to explore and understand how participants perceived institutional and community diversity issues; how they conceptualized their own privileges; and how they articulated their own responsibility to engage in social change. Thus, this paper delivers “lessons learned” from engaging white men in conversations on racism and to provide recommendations for medical educators in the U.S. and in Europe.Methods: Following purposeful sampling methods using expert nominators, data were collected in phenomenological focus groups at 10 U.S. 4-year universities. Focus groups included 3 to 8 participants and were 60 to 90 minutes in length. Analysis included open and axial coding and two themes emerged from a single question focusing on students’ potential dissent of racist family or peer comments. Results: Participants struggled articulating how and in what contexts they would challenge family members or friends on inappropriate language or behavior. Reasons for their reticence included struggling to confront parents, not wanting to ruin male friendships, or jeopardizing being ousted by the male peer group. Conclusion: Educators must find ways to help male university students explore their privileges and proclivity to engage in oppressive behaviors. Men also need to understand how their inactions perpetuate systemic oppression and create environments in which minoritized individuals cannot thrive. Recommendations for medical school educators are provided.

Senior sexual and gender minorities’ perception of healthcare services: A phenomenological approach

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to explore the sexual and gender minority seniors’ experience and perception of healthcare services. A phenomenological focus group study was conducted by interviewing members of a local LGBT seniors’ organization in the Northeastern USA. The results of the exploratory research study are threefold. First, the participants were not particularly concerned about the everyday interaction with their healthcare providers, finding their gender and sexuality irrelevant to their daily healthcare visits. Second, they were worried about their financial stability and future on account of covering healthcare costs. This is partly because they have less income and family support compared to the general population. Third, the most important shared concern was whether the long-term healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes, would be culturally competent. The findings of current research also highlight that participants were not aware of any particular facility that is inclusive of all gender and sexual identities. In conclusion, long-term healthcare facilities (e.g. nursing homes, assisted-living facilities) should invest in the inclusiveness training of their employees. Also, healthcare facilities could benefit from emphasizing the inclusiveness of their facility in their communications to this profile. Theoretical and managerial implications, and future research opportunities are also discussed.

(Cultural) Taxation Without Representation?: How Educational Developers Can Broker Discourse on Black Faculty Lives in the #BlackLivesMatter Era

Predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in creative class cities offer contradictory experiences for Black faculty, who engage in invisible additional labor in response to racial aggressions, termed cultural taxation (CT). With an understanding that equity minded faculty development is an essential space in which to respond to this reality, our study employed a phenomenological focus group design to investigate how Black faculty at a research-intensive PWI located in a creative class city buffeted by racial tensions navigated their service and community experiences. While finding their work meaningful, the participants shared experiences of the multifaceted nature of CT, their stress from teaching about race, and the burdens of providing extra support to the next generation of scholars of color. Participants viewed the campus and community as interconnected, and CT as a wage they were willing to pay. At the same time, participants regretted the lack of recognition for this work in the academy. We proffer recommendations for developers and centers for teaching and learning that endeavor to support Black faculty and faculty from other marginalized identities.

Lived Experiences of Graduating Nursing Students: A Phenomenological Focus Group Study

Student nurses enter nursing as a novice with limited understanding of the profession; they learn skills in their four years. For all of them nursing education is a life transforming. The researchers were keen to understand the experiences associated with this transformation. Phenomenological focus group techniques with audio- and video-taped interviews were used to collect the data. The early counselling and guidance, constant mentoring by the same teachers in theory and practical learning and constant positive motivation, a generous amount of exposure to extra-curricular activities and strict student status have contributed to their positive outlook for future professional nursing. This study provides insights in understanding the experiences of student nurses and helps the nursing institutes to enhance positive experiences in their students.

Treating mental health crises at home: Patient satisfaction with home nursing care.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Most studies have focused on whether hospital admissions have been reduced by the introduction of crisis services, rather than focusing on how these services are employed. Research has also shown that home assistance decreases costs and increases the level of patient satisfaction, thereby being more efficient in terms of the cost/effectiveness ratio than is traditional hospital care. Patient satisfaction with nursing care has long been identified as a key element of quality of care; however, satisfaction with nursing care among patients and families receiving crisis resolution at home has not been studied yet. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: There is limited research on patient satisfaction with CRHTTs. This study provides new insights and data including that on relationships between patient satisfaction and the teams' attention to person-centred mental health care. The difference between this study and other studies on patient satisfaction with crisis resolution home treatment teams is that this study focused on patients' and families' satisfaction with the nursing care provided by crisis resolution home treatment teams rather than with the general service provided. This study is the first of its kind with such a focus. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: This research has both academic and clinical implications. Patients' and their families' satisfaction with nursing care is an integral aspect for evaluating mental health services, and this is especially important regarding services provided by crisis resolution home treatment teams because such teams are currently being introduced in countries such as Spain. Closely examining patients and families' satisfaction with nursing care can also foster improvements in current practices. Nurses in crisis teams might need to focus on equalizing power relations, which the data gathered in this study suggests is most important to patient satisfaction. ABSTRACT: Introduction Crisis resolution home treatment teams (CRHTT) provide short-term, intensive home treatment to people experiencing mental health crises. Patient satisfaction has long been identified as a key element of quality of care; however, satisfaction with nursing care as part of this service has not been studied yet. Aim To assess patients' and their families' satisfaction with the nursing care provided through a home care program offered by a hospital in Catalonia which administers person-centred care. Method A mixed methods research design was conducted. A cross-sectional study including quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data with a phenomenological focus was conducted. Results Twenty interviews were conducted. Patients and relatives reported high satisfaction that seems to be related to the person-centred nature of the care. Discussion The findings provide new insights, including how home treatment tends to equalize power relations between nurses and patients/the patient's family members, and how nurses increase sensitivity when focusing on service users' needs and priorities, leading to high patient and family satisfaction. Implications for practice This research has both academic and clinical implications. It highlights what mental health patients and their families value most about home care and interactions with nurses, and also drives improvements in current practices.

The Absence of Self: An Existential Phenomenological View of The Anatman Experience

This paper focuses on the Anatman experience as described by Guatma(6th century BCE). Many Buddhist philosophers consider the absence of self as a foundational experience of Buddhism. This paper elaborates the Buddhist Absence of Self from the View of Existential Phenomenology. The paper articulates the phenomenological difference between the Ontic-Ontological absence of Self in early Buddhism and the Ontic-Ontological presence of Self in Contemporary Existential Phenomenology. Throughout the paper there is an Existential Phenomenological focus on the intertwining of our Sense of Self and our Sense of Being. The sense of self in early Buddhism is being-less, baseless and empty. Empty of What? Empty of Being! There is no presence of Being and no Being of presence. There is no experience of Being. There is no source of Being. There is no source of Being for our mind. The mind is absent of Being. There is no source of Being for us as person. In early Buddhism the absence of self is the absence of Being-ness.

Educational use and motivational elements of simulation games for mining engineering students: a phenomenological study

ABSTRACT This phenomenological study investigates mining engineering students’ game playing experiences for educational purposes and seeks to understand the essence of their experiences. In this study, three non-gamer and three-gamer mining engineering students were selected through a criterion sampling method, and then data were collected through in-depth phenomenological interviews and focus group interviews. The study showed that visualisation, learning by doing and motivation were the common themes for the benefits of the use of games in education, whereas addiction, underestimation and time management emerged as the possible problems. Motivational elements were found to be challenge, curiosity, control, information seeking, observation, assessment, hypothesis building and decision making that shaped the participants’ experiences. However, games’ effect changed based on the personal characteristics and interests of the students. It can be claimed that the findings of this study indicate promising results in the use of games in mining engineering education.

Burned out or “just” depressed? An existential phenomenological exploration of burnout

An increasing number of patients are on sick leave from work due to fatigue- and pain-related symptoms that could indicate burnout. The aetiology is unknown, and recently, it has been considered whether burnout should be a distinct medical diagnosis or "just" a form of depression. Little attention has been given to these individuals' experiences. Therefore, we conducted a phenomenological study to explore burnout from a first person perspective. The aim of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of burnout as phenomenon. We are inspired by Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological approach and gestalt theory. The phenomenological focus is to attend to the embodied consciousness of the lived experience of being human. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen to uncover how the interviewees made meaning of their situation. Six individuals who had been on sick leave at 50% to 100% for at least 3 months due to fatigue- and pain-related symptoms were interviewed. Four narrative phases mirroring burnout as a temporal sequence stood out: achievement, pressure, psychosomatic collapse, and personal meaning and reorientation. We identified several interruptions to contact, which seemed to boost the interviewees' ability to continue striving beyond their limits. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of how complex factors might influence individual vulnerability and lead to a fatigue reaction. The findings indicate that lack of recognition of the interviewees' illness may have affected the healing process. When understanding burnout as an intersubjective, lived, contextual, and temporal experience, it is important to take the implications of such factors into consideration for both medical theory and clinical practice. On the basis of our findings, we argue that reducing burnout to a form of depression will neither solve the problem of its unknown aetiology nor provide for meaningful individual health care.

Food mental construction in older adults on different stages of their lifespan.

The study was to explore elder’s feeding process mind construction in different stages of life. Through a qualitative study with a phenomenological focus and using semi-structured interviews and discussion groups, it has been deepened into the perception of the childhood, adulthood and current experience towards the feeding process. As data sources, 28 elders that accomplished with the selection criterions of the investigation participated in it. Their answers were coded through the program NVivo 10 and for the conclusions it was used the content analysis through research triangulation. For childhood, the feeding process is understood as healthy, associated to the availability of natural products and limited access to manufactured products. Adulthood was not considered as important in their feeding attention, situation that is opposed in their current life cycle, because it is perceived the necessity of a healthy feeding, though related to their health care. It is presented the meaning construction in elder people related to their feeding in key stages of their life, like in the childhood, adulthood and current experience as elder. Childhood and elderly stages are perceived as positive for a healthy feeding process.

Latido de vida: vivencias del paciente con enfermedad cardiovascular en una unidad de cuidado intensivo.

Objetivo: Conocer las vivencias del paciente con enfermedad cardiovascular durante su estancia en la unidad coronaria de cuidados intensivos, en una clínica de cuarto nivel del Norte de Santander, en el año 2017. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio cualitativo con enfoque fenomenológico; se usó la entrevista directa a profundidad para la recolección de datos. Los casos estudiados fueron seis pacientes que presentaron una enfermedad cardiovascular y que tuvieron una estancia mayor o igual a tres días en la unidad coronaria, quienes participaron de manera voluntaria y con residencia en la ciudad de Cúcuta. Resultados: Las vivencias al sufrir una enfermedad cardiovascular y su hospitalización en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, se dilucidó a través del tema central: Estancia en UCI como experiencia renovadora. Emergieron seis categorías: atención con calidad humana; incertidumbre ante la enfermedad; impacto ante una situación inesperada; Fe en Dios; familia, como pilar fundamental; y pérdida de la autonomía considerada como factor estresante. Conclusiones: Para el paciente con enfermedad cardiovascular, la hospitalización en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos es una vivencia muy estresante y dolorosa. Dicha experiencia se caracteriza por el temor, la ansiedad y la incertidumbre en relación con los efectos de la enfermedad, los equipos utilizados en el tratamiento, los procedimientos terapéuticos y los cuidados de bienestar y confort. Estas vivencias están matizadas por aspectos positivos derivados de la atención con calidad humana del personal de salud y del apoyo familiar, factores que fortalecen al paciente; así como de la fe en Dios que le da trascendencia a esta experiencia de vida.

The experiences of inpatient nursing staff caring for young people with early psychosis.

Early intervention services aim to improve outcomes for people with first episode psychosis and, where possible, to prevent psychiatric hospital admission. When hospitalisation does occur, inpatient staff are required to support patients and families who may be less familiar with services, uncertain about possible outcomes, and may be experiencing a psychiatric hospital for the first time. Our study aimed to understand the process of hospitalisation in early psychosis, from the perspective of inpatient nursing staff. We were particularly interested in their experiences of working with younger people in the context of adult psychiatric wards. Nine inpatient nursing staff took part in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Five themes are outlined: 'it's all new and it's all learning'; the threatening, unpredictable environment; care and conflict within the intergenerational relationship; motivation and hope; and coping and self-preservation. The phenomenological focus of our approach throws the relational component of psychiatric nursing into sharp relief. We reflect on the implications for organisations, staff, families and young people. We suggest that the conventional mode of delivering acute psychiatric inpatient care is not likely to support the best relational and therapeutic outcomes.

Researching Trauma: Some Methodological Considerations for the Humanities

Since at least the mid-1990s trauma has come to form a more staple theme of research in the humanities, across and between the fields of history, literature, anthropology, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, memory studies, and of course psychoanalysis. More recently, there has been a concerted effort to “decolonize” trauma studies, outlining how the variegated field remains subservient to European and North American teleological and epistemological repertoires. And while accompanying critiques of trauma studies as a discourse—as an institutionally located reproductive mechanism of power and knowledge maintaining relational conduits of subject and object formations—have served to draw attention to the constitutive implications of research paradigms, this has taken place almost exclusively within the bounds of theory. In this essay, I take as my point of departure the idea that in the humanities there has been an excessive amount of trauma theory, all the while neglecting to develop discussions around methodology. In proposing a consideration of methodology, I want to shift the debate from its overdetermined theoretical concerns to the more worldly, fleshy, and physical contours of a materialist phenomenology focusing on modalities of encountering, inhabiting, and embodying specific livelihoods— livelihoods of people, of places, of things, of objects—including research subjects and research materials themselves. While discussing these themes I draw on some of my encounters with subjects of my research in Lebanon.

Increasing Citizen Engagement and Participation through eGovernment in Jordan

Supporters of e-Government believe that this technology will be a panacea for enhancing the engagement and participation of citizens in politics and government. However, there is little empirical support for this assertion. Due to the rapid proliferation of e-Government in Jordan there is an impetus to determine how e-Government impacts citizen participation and engagement in politics and government within the country. Using qualitative phenomenological focus group interviews with 40 citizens who utilize e-Government, an effort was made to understand how this technology influences outcomes with regard to participation and engagement with government. The results indicate that those using e-Government were politically active before using the technology and have extensive experience with technology use. E-Government for the politically active serves to extend participation in the process. For individuals that lack technological savvy and/or are not politically active, e-Government alone may not be enough to increase citizen engagement and participation in politics and government.