INFORME PRELIMINAR DE SUELOS (SITUACIÓN)

Within phenomenology, analysis has traditionally not had a set of procedures or techniques. There is a philosophical aversion to providing rules which may prematurely foreclose possible ways of understanding (Langdridge 2007, Smith et al 2009). The emphasis is on creative engagement with the text ‘‘to transform lived experience into a textual expression of its essence’’ through artistic endeavour (Van Manen 1992 p36). In practice, the task was to

produce a coherent text which captures the structures and meaning of the experience of the ESPs.

In the research process, there is phenomenological reflection that aims to clarify and make explicit the structure of meaning within the lived experience. This meaning is multi-dimensional

79

and multi-layered which can only be communicated textually by well organised narrative prose (Van Manen 1992). The narrative had to emphasis, within the prose, the “meaning units” or

themes to provided clarity of the nature of the lived experience to the reader. These themes had to have certain qualities within the experience that could put into words something to be reflected upon (Gill 2014). This was the aim of the analysis.

The taped interviews were transcribed and formatted with large margins and numbered lines so that notes could be made alongside the text (Appendix 7). The line numbers facilitated referencing parts of documents. Each transcript was read in its entirety with no notes being taken to gain an overview of the conversation. On at least two occasions the taped conversation and the text of each interview were read and listened to together. Any additional nuances from the tape, such as laughter or strength of feeling in the voice, were referenced within the written text. This was then cross referenced to post interview reflective notes. On subsequent readings notes were made in the margins as themes, statements or ideas emerged.

The format followed the suggestions of van Manen (1992). Focussing on one participant’s data at a time, analysis moved from the descriptive to the interpretative by capturing initial thoughts, generating tentative themes, and then refining these themes through writing. This required multiple sessions of revision and crafting. The aim was to create a balance between the parts and whole of the texts orientated towards the participants` experiences.

In practice, themes were transferred to sticky notes and grouped into clusters based on similitude supported by statements of the participants. These ideas were reviewed across the whole cohort of participants and the first draft of themes, was committed to paper. The analysis of the texts followed the spirit of Van Manen`s notion of an “inventive thoughtful attitude” (p47)

in which the data was written down, critically looked at, re formatted and looked at again until the themes and the sub themes could describe the experience as disclosed by the participants.

80

This was a time consuming and challenging task. After several months of distilling the texts into possible themes there appeared to be a degree of incongruence between the segments and the whole. The analysis seemed to focus on a process; how the roles came into existence and how they developed. While this was an important experience of the participants what seemed to be missing were the personalities, the enthusiasm and the drive of the individuals. My thoughts had a linear, almost self-imposed rational framework which seemed to simplify the conversation and miss the connective experiences.

What also became clear during this process was that the language used to describe an experience plays important parts in the construction of the meaning to that experience. Language has a constructive dimension and categories and labels used during the research process shape findings (Willig 2006). Assigning labels too early to a theme influenced the interaction with the text and the search for alternative understanding. My initial analysis seemed to miss the sum of all the parts in understanding the participants` experiences. There was a realisation, which was forewarned in previous background reading, that the analysis of qualitative data requires powerful inductive skills and creativity to discern patterns and to weave them together into a unified whole in an insightful way (Polit and Beck 2010). Or as Smith et al (2009 p40) describe it, “successful analyses require the systemic application of

ideas, and methodical rigour; but they also require imagination, playfulness, and a combination of reflective, critical and conceptual thinking”

A second critical issue became the time needed to analyse the data. There was a need to create uninterrupted periods of time when I could become completely focused on the research oblivious to the routines and pressures of daily life. The actual length of time varied but more important was the quality of time and capturing the moment when thoughts became clearer or new ideas developed. The nature of part time and independent study also became a factor during the analysis. Productivity and motivation varied and constraints of time impacted on the quality of the insight. Like Dean et al (2006), in part time doctoral study, there were periods when momentum and enthusiasm waned. Perhaps, more critically, the analysis needed a

81

more creative and visual impact so that data and ideas could be picked up at different times in the process and the memory refreshed. It was this creative visual overview of the whole which was needed to make sense of the detail. Post it notes on work tops did not seem to work and so at this point several months into the analysis I took a break.

The analysis of the data therefore occurs in two different time frames. The first stage began in February 2012 and ended in August 2012. From September 2012 until September 2013 there was a break in the study as I decided to retrain as a teacher and not return to the NHS. This break allowed me time to carefully consider whether to continue with the research. In reflecting on this decision, I concluded that I was still interested in the subject and believed that it provided an important insight into changing roles. So, in October 2013 I started again with a fresh mind and renewed vigour.

With the need for a more creative relationship with the written word I went back to all the transcripts and with blank sheets of paper in landscape form reread them and created a mind map of each of the participants` experiences (Appendix 7). This was completed over two consecutive days and allowed total immersion in the data and the experiences of the participants. This was a departure from what was originally envisaged but is consistent with the philosophical argument of the methodology advocating a non-prescribed structure in analysing the data and the notion of insightful inventiveness. It provided comparison between the spoken word, the text and a more pictorial representation of each. In doing so it allowed the texts to be compared.

Buzan (1995), who is credited by some as creating the process, has formalized the concept of mind mapping by creating a series of guidelines including the use of colours, the thickness of lines but he also concedes that part of the process is to let your own map develop through interaction with the subject. By analysing the text in a drawing form, it allows new links to be established between themes which include rather than exclude the irrational and non-linear. Eppler (2006) argues that mind map can be a tool to support cognitive processes such as thinking, idea generation representation, vocabulary explanation and visualization. Or as

82

Peneder (2008) found, a mix of creativity and organisation can help to clarify thoughts. He et al (2015) found that mind maps also provide a link between different levels of a topic. In using the concept, it provided a link and relationships between different sub themes and themes.

Examples of the mind maps are included in the appendix 8. Each is different in terms of the amount of writing, the interconnections and the colours used. This represents the individuality of the participants, their conversation and text. The process of producing the mind maps and the outcome provided a fresh reflection on the experiences of the participants and the commonality they all had in undertaking these roles. It gave a fresh impetus for writing a narrative. This process stayed true to the Van Manen (1992) argument that by committing one's thinking to paper it stares back and provides the opportunity to reflect. Comparing the narratives to the mind maps allowed further refinements of the themes and provided greater clarity. Both seemed to complement each other. There were recurrent themes within the experience for all the participants. The intensity, or strength, of the themes varied between participants but they could be identified both in the narrative and mind maps. The nature of these themes was committed to paper and discussed at length in supervision.

These have been remodelled and refined through reflection and critically reviewed in supervision during an eighteen-month period until they could be woven together, using the participants` voices, to articulate their experiences. The themes occurred throughout all the participants` descriptions and more importantly throughout their careers as ESPs. Each theme had a different impact on experience at certain points during the participants` career journeys and these themes were still relevant as they discussed their current roles in a changing NHS. In following the methodology, it was only after the themes were committed to paper that an understanding was sought. This led in the direction of institutional work.

The combination of rich data and literature on institutional work are used to provide an interpretation and understanding of the participants` experiences and an insight into the mechanisms and implications of their changing roles. The following chapter considers each theme and its parts in turn.

83

Chapter Six: Description and Interpretation of