Empirical Phenomenology: A Qualitative Research Approach (The Cologne Seminars)

Abstract

This paper introduces the philosophical foundation and practical application of empirical phenomenology in social research. The approach of empirical phenomenology builds upon the phenomenology of the philosophers Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger and the sociologist Alfred Schütz, but considers how their more philosophical and theoretical insights can be used in empirical research. It aims at being practically useful for anyone doing qualitative studies and concerned about safeguarding the perspective of those studied. The main idea of empirical phenomenology is that scientific explanation must be grounded in the first-order construction of the actors; that is, in their own meanings. These constructions are then related to the secondorder constructions of the scientist. In this paper, empirical phenomenology is considered in the light of phenomenological philosophy. The paper includes an explication of the approach, which is summarized in seven steps through which the researcher is guided, and considers its implications for qualitative methods such as interviewing and participant observation.

Case Report: Implications of Doing Research on Socially Assistive Robots in Real Homes

“…On the first visit, we explained that the purpose of the project was to understand how older people use a robot in their home in terms of attitude, perceived safety, utility, flexibility, self-efficacy and emotional attachment. The interviews were modelled after ethnographic interviewing [2] and followed predetermined topics such their expectations of the robot, biography of the individual (social, cultural and historical context), experience of ageing, important people in their lives, experience of ill health and emergencies, and of other technologies. The subsequent two interviews, during the time each participant had the robot at home, were also modelled after ethnographic interviewing [2] and followed predetermined topics such as their perceived usage and usefulness of the robot, their views on how the robot and other robots could be used and could support independent living in the future, other interests and activities related to everyday practices and the robot, other technology usage and healthcare issues.…”

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“…In a nutshell, this approach postulates the idea of scientific explanations being "grounded in the first-order construction of the actors, […] and then related to the second-order constructions of the scientist" [6]. It entails seven steps which guide the researcher to formulate her assumptions in such way that the readers would be able to see the philosophical roots of the scientific explanation derived from the first-order constructs [7].…”

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“…It does not claim to solve all problems encountered in the research, but rather provided an effective way of assessing the feasibility of the planned research protocol while contending with the realities faced within the field (Aspers, 2009;Kim, 2010). The pilot study provided an insightful learning experience.…”