RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND PHENOMENOLOGY

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Rosemarie Rizzo Parse's
Research Methodology

     As one of the leading Nursing Theorists of the 20th Century, Rosemarie Parse, in developing her Human Becoming theory presented a corresponding research methodology for future researchers in pursuit of studies about human experiences. Parse made this methodology much like the key to a keyhole in unlocking the enormous dimension that the Human Becoming Theory promises for the practice of Nursing. 

     The Focus of the Study Methodology is Universal Human Health Experience. Parse created it in such a way that makes uncovering the structure of lived experience of individuals or groups (who are able to articulate the meaning) the purpose of the study methodology. From this methodology the usual Findings are descriptions of lived experiences, intertwined into the theory and scientific language through extraction, synthesis and heuristic interpretation. 

     According to Rosemarie Parse, her research methodology is different from other qualitative methods (especially in nursing) in that there is a significant emphasis accorded to the way processes and experiences are lived Descriptions of the lived experience is not elicited from the participant in the usual way (such as interviews) but in a unique way of "becoming with". For Parse, it is not enough that we describe these experiences solely based on verbatim information provided by the person. Again, the way in which findings are taken to the more abstract theory level and interwoven with other concepts of Human Becoming Theory are through extraction-synthesis and heuristic interpretation. 

PHENOMENOLOGY

"The world shapes the self, the self shapes the world"

     It is accurate to infer that Parse's methodology is anchored on the sub-type of qualitative research known as Phenomenological Research. Phenomenology is both a philosophy and research method. In order to understand better, we must look into this branch of research. 

     A brief background on phenomenology reveals that it views the person as integrated with the environment (consistent with Parse's contention that humans are open beings co-creating with the universe).The basic premise being; a person is self-interpreting, ergo, the only reliable source of information is the person. Phenomena is a concept in phenomenology that is defined as the world of experiences. Phenomena occurs only upon a person's lived experience and this experience is unique to the individual. The two approaches of phenomenological research subdivided into descriptive (merely describes experiences as they are lived) and interpretative ( asks what are the meaning of these lived experiences)

     In the field of Nursing Research, Phenomenology is the philosophical basis of 3 known nursing theories, Parse's Human Becoming Theory, Paterson and Zderad's Theory of Humanistic Nursing and Watson's Theory of Caring. In essence, the approach for these nursing theories is the interpretative phenomenological research. 

DEFINITION OF TERMS
Qualitative Research
Systematic, subjective methodological approach used to describe life experiences and give them meaning.
Heuristic Relevance
Standard for evaluating a qualitative study for criteria of intuitive recognition, relationship to the existing body of knowledge, and applicability.