Investigating Our Experience in the World: A Primer on Qualitative Inquiry

Chapter 6: Writing the Research Report

Chapter 6 Writing the Research Report Themes and thematic structure constitute the key findings in every existential-hermeneutic-phenomenological research report. The primary investigator is obliged to describe his or her results so that they are accessible to the target audience and, if more than one audience is targeted, different versions of the report may be written. Other than this, the researcher has a significant degree of freedom in choosing how to organize and present the research report. To help a research report gain acceptance by a publisher or journal, gear it to the journal’s concerns , vocabulary, readers, and format. The reference section of this book contains a sampling of peer-reviewed journals with an interest in publishing empirical, qualitative research. Alternatively, researchers may gather topically related reports written by multiple authors into an edited volume. This option may be maximized when one researcher takes the lead in re-writing the individual reports as chapters so that the book speaks with a single voice and flows smoothly. Edited volumes of this nature can be especially interesting because they allow for discussion of meta-themes, which emerge across the different research studies presented. Weaving together meta-themes and their implications in the book’s conclusion can enhance the reader’s understanding of a phenomenon or field of interest. Despite the freedom afforded by existential-hermeneutic-phenomenological research methods in writing the final report, such reports contain several common elements, which may be presented in various ways. The goal is to utilize them as a means of inviting readers along on the research as a process of discovery. Literature Review Scholarly literature is reviewed to frame the phenomenon of interest in light of previous understanding. Because different disciplines offer alternative perspectives on such understanding, it is important 48 Chapter 6 that the literature review is not limited to the researcher’s home discipline alone. When to conduct a literature review, however, is a matter of choice. The researcher may let the relevant context emerge through his or her study and undertake the literature review in preparation for writing the research report or the researcher may tentatively situate the study from the beginning of the project within a particular context. It is also feasible to do enough of a literature survey at the beginning of a project to know how other scholars will likely situate new findings. Such a literature review will also allow the researcher to appreciate what other scholars will use to ground subsequent work. Adopting this approach requires the researcher to be prepared to set aside that context if the emergent data suggest that a different context is more relevant. One implication of reviewing other literatures is that although phenomenology is empirical and does not require reference to any theoretical framework, investigators need to familiarize themselves with theoretical treatments previous researchers have employed because theoretical issues, too, may shape understanding of the present work. Description of the Method and Procedures Applied Every research report describes the methods and procedures used in the study. Audiences unfamiliar with existential-hermeneuticphenomenology specifically or phenomenology more generally may be expected to have many basic questions about this approach, and researchers need to be sensitive to such concerns by addressing fundamental principles and by writing in as straightforward a manner as possible . In every presentation of findings, the researcher needs to present enough detail to demonstrate rigor, appropriateness, plausibility, and illumination without overwhelming the reader by dwelling excessively on particulars. Readers naturally expect to be told the number of participants , some contextual information about them, and how they were selected. A description of the data collection process is always included and may report average interview or text length as a description of the properties of the interview. Readers also deserve to be given some indication of bracketing issues, although too much (personal) information on this point is unnecessary and can be distracting. Writing the Research Report 49 It is also appropriate to discuss the limitations of this type of research . For example, results depend on participant skill in reflecting on experience and in communicating that experience effectively. In turn, interpretation relies on the primary investigator’s interviewing skills and on the research team’s ability to comprehend participant meanings . Finally, the ability to promote understanding across a wider audience of readers is shaped by the researcher’s writing and organizational skills. Study-specific limitations should be included as well. Results Section The...