A framework for negotiating positionality in phenomenological research

Abstract

This Guide was written as an aid to those who are considering phenomenology as a methodology in their education research. Phenomenology allows us to understand and appreciate educational issues by exploring the unique experiences and perspectives of individuals involved in the process. There are certain core tenets to all phenomenological research, such as a focus on exploring experience and adopting a phenomenological stance. However, because phenomenology has emerged from the work of a number of related but distinct philosophers, phenomenologists do not adhere to a single approach. To help phenomenological researchers position themselves and their work with regard to the various approaches, we offer the "3 + 1" framework. This framework articulates three dimensions on which phenomenological researchers vary: (1) focusing primarily on the general or the particular; (2) managing "pre-understandings" using primarily reduction or reflexivity; and (3) engaging with participants' stories using primarily description or interpretation. We suggest that a researcher need not adhere to a single position with regard to these dimensions, but rather should intentionally and reflectively shift across the various positions depending on purpose and context. The fourth aspect of the framework, writing, overlays these three dimensions, and is central to the reflective enactment of the phenomenological process.