Phenomenology can be considered both as a philosophy and a research methodological approach (Husserl, 1970). As a philosophy, phenomenology focuses on studying concrete and lived existence in the world (Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001; Van der Mescht, 2004). It claims that true knowledge of a phenomenon can be explored only through the lived experience of the participant’s voice (Van Manen, 1997). Based on this assertion, then, the main concern of phenomenology as a philosophy is to describe a phenomenon from the human lived experience point of view (Wilson & Washington, 2007; Husserl, 1970). The notion phenomenon is a central concept within phenomenology; and it refers to an object, a thing or a part of the world, as it presents itself to, or as it is experienced by, a subject (Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001). Specifically, the present phenomenon which is addressed is quality in teacher education.
As a methodological research approach, phenomenology is inductive and descriptive (Husserl, 1970; Giorgi, 1997; Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001). Embedded in its philosophy is the study of human experience from the first order perspective (Wilson & Washington, 2007). Direct experience taken at face to face value is emphasized and advocated in this approach. The phenomenological approach regards behavior as a phenomenon determined by experience rather than by any other external described reality (English & English, 1958; Van der Mescht, 2004). The primary objective in phenomenological studies is to attempt to gain a deeper understanding of a phenomenon from the point of view of those who have concrete lived experience of the phenomenon in question (Reiter, Stewart & Bruce, 2011).
In this study phenomenology is adopted to explore teacher educators’ experiences of quality enhancement in teacher education. While teacher educators are considered to have concrete lived experience of quality in teacher education, in turn their voice is assumed to be an appropriate source of true knowledge of quality enhancement in this context.
Phenomenological approach has been taken as a point of departure in investigating teacher educators’ experiences of quality enhancement in teacher education, as stated in research question 2. Its principles were adhered to during the whole process of empirical study of this research question. In the next
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discussion, detailed explanations are provided to illustrate how these principles are treated.
Interviews, which are usually a recommended technique for data collection in phenomenological inquiries (Reiter, Stewart & Bruce, 2011; Creswell, 2007; Van der Mescht, 2004) were employed. As compared to other techniques of data collection in phenomenological studies, such as observation and video, interviews were preferred because they adhere to descriptions of the participants’ responses rather than making open interpretations, which sometimes may not reflect reality (van der Mescht, 2004; Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001). In presentation of the empirical findings, I strive to describe the results relying on the respondents’ own descriptions of their experiences of quality enhancement than making my own interpretation. Although it is a challenge to draw a clear demarcation line between description and interpretation, the emphasis is that the phenomenological approach favors more the respondents’ description than the researcher’s interpretation (Van der Mescht, 2004; Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001).
It is important to note that “the description ought to be as precise and detailed as possible with a minimum number of generalizations or abstractions’’ (Giorgi, 1997, p. 243). This means the researcher has to avoid making greater reduction of the respondents’ responses during data interpretation; instead he has to allow each datum to speak for itself (Binde, 2010). Acting consciously, with a phenomenological approach perspective placed in focus, in presenting empirical data I attempted to describe the findings by adhering as much as possible to the original meaning provided by the respondents. To validate this claim, exhaustive excerpts from the respondents’ statements have been presented parallel to the descriptions to illustrate the abidance in the description to the respondents’ original meaning (See Chapter 5). Adhering to this principle of description has in consequence served the purpose of bracketing (Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001). Bracketing is an essential principle in qualitative research in general, but it is emphasized especially in the phenomenological approach (Wilson & Washington, 2007; Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001).
Bracketing is the attitude of the researcher in remaining neutral and avoiding establishing early judgment based on pre-conceptions (Creswell, 2005; Binde, 2010; Meena, 2009). It is a strategy to promote valid interpretation (Wilson & Washington, 2007). Thus, researchers are urged to restrain their pre-under- standing that otherwise would mislead understanding of the meaning of the phenomenon studied (Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström 2001). Pre-understanding can be manifested in the form of theories, assumptions, (Dahlberg, Drew & Nyström, 2001), values, beliefs and experiences (Wilson & Washington, 2007). To achieve bracketing, what is given should be presented as it is given. It is not the researcher who gives a phenomenon its meaning, but the meaning is disclosed in the researching act (Giorgi, 1977). As argued in the description, the researcher attempted to record, transcribe and describe the empirical data in
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adhering to the respondents’ views. Openness was aimed at throughout the process of inquiry.
Szklarski (2007) argues that in phenomenology the focus is on the ‘essence’ of the investigated experience. Essence in this context refers to the crucial core constituents of an experience (Van der Mescht, 2004; Spiegelberg, 1982). According to Van der Mescht (2004), every phenomenon or experience has two types of constituents, namely essential and existential constituents. The former are constituents which are crucial components of a certain phenomenon, and the latter are components that are occasional for the phenomenon (Van der Mescht, 2004). The researcher’s focus on analysis of the empirical data was based on exploring the essential constituents of teacher educators’ experiences of quality enhancement in teacher education.