Er=Wpa + Ipi : The summation of panoramic wisdom and piercing insight.
Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye.
The first few publications and presentations discussing Quantitative Phenomenology largely defined and described its procedures according to the practical actions involved in utilizing multiple software programs. With the development of Raven’s Eye, we no longer need to focus on the practicalities arising from multiple technological idiosyncrasies. Therefore, the labels now used to describe the procedures involved in conducting a Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye integrate both conceptual and practical information.
Our procedural labels are, furthermore, designed so that they largely coincide with the procedures described in Amedeo Giorgi’s method for descriptive phenomenology in psychology. We model after Giorgi’s terms because they: (a) are widely known; (b) provide apt descriptors of the activities comprising each step or stage in a phenomenology; (c) allow for methodological accommodations specific to the topic at-hand; and (d) as Giorgi (2012) notes, can be readily utilized in, “any human or social science” (p. 11), so long as the researcher maintains an applicable attitude. We distill the phenomenology Giorgi (2012) describes into six steps1:
Our procedural labels are, furthermore, designed so that they largely coincide with the procedures described in Amedeo Giorgi’s method for descriptive phenomenology in psychology. We model after Giorgi’s terms because they: (a) are widely known; (b) provide apt descriptors of the activities comprising each step or stage in a phenomenology; (c) allow for methodological accommodations specific to the topic at-hand; and (d) as Giorgi (2012) notes, can be readily utilized in, “any human or social science” (p. 11), so long as the researcher maintains an applicable attitude. We distill the phenomenology Giorgi (2012) describes into six steps1:
1. Assume the correct attitude.
2. Get a sense of the whole.
3. Constitute parts by identifying meaning units.
4. Transform data into revelatory themes through free imagination and explication.
5. Identify essential structure via free imaginative review of themes, and selection of those that are most direct and psychologically, "sensitive."
6. Utilize essential structure to clarify and interpret the raw data.
2. Get a sense of the whole.
3. Constitute parts by identifying meaning units.
4. Transform data into revelatory themes through free imagination and explication.
5. Identify essential structure via free imaginative review of themes, and selection of those that are most direct and psychologically, "sensitive."
6. Utilize essential structure to clarify and interpret the raw data.
The remainder of this subsection describes how we incorporate and operationalize these steps, in order to conduct a Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye2.
This section discusses the first general step in conducting a Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye.
In this section, we describe the second step in conducting a Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye. Included is discussion on identifying important gists and influential geists.
In this section, we discuss procedures for identifying and partitioning meaning units to aid in more elaborate and contextual analysis.
In this section, we discuss how to transform your natural language data into statements that reveal fundamental aspects of the meanings within it.
In this section, we detail the process of grouping revelatory statements into themes, and identifying their essential components and relations.
In this final section, we discuss the last step in conducting a Quantitative Phenomenology with Raven’s Eye. By discussing how to describe the horizon and context of your results, this step enables greater practical and conceptual understanding of your natural language data.
Notes.
1Giorgi (2012) describes the first step generally, then specifically enumerates the last five steps.
2We incorporate and operationalize Giorgi (2012) fluidly in the steps that follow. This incorporation is uniquely ours. For further comparison, we recommend that users examine the presentation of Giorgi’s steps in the referenced and related publications.
2We incorporate and operationalize Giorgi (2012) fluidly in the steps that follow. This incorporation is uniquely ours. For further comparison, we recommend that users examine the presentation of Giorgi’s steps in the referenced and related publications.
Reference.
Giorgi, A. (2012). The descriptive phenomenological psychological method. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 43, 3-12. doi: 10.1163/156916212X632934
