PEER 1
General description of the design
- The aim of the Grounded Theory design is to find theoretical guidelines and principles about social
psychological structures and processes grounded in data. Founded by Barney G. Galser and Strauss, who
believed that theory could be founded from data inductively. They developed the constant comparative method
which is a tool used to compare all parts of data to explore similarities and differences in data (Tie, Birks, &
Francis, 2019). Grounded theory has since generated different genres of this method. A more evolved one is
the symbolic interactionism founded by Corbin and Clarke, which states that sociological perspective relies on
symbolic meaning people attribute to social interaction (BOOK). The next genre is constructivism, which
focuses on how subjects construct experiences and meanings in relation to the area in question. Just like most
qualitative methods, data collection is done by many venues including, but not limited too, focus groups,
interviews, surveys, questionnaires, transcripts, letters etc. (Tie, Birks, & Francis, 2019). As data emerges,
researchers code concepts that can be categorized. Each genre of Grounded Theory has its own coding system.
Advantages and limitations of the design
- Qualitative analysis can be a complicated system for many novice nurses. Though Grounded theory is said to
be inherently flexible, it can be just as complex. This research method requires rigorous data collection and
generation of concepts to maintain quality (Tie, Birks, & Francis, 2019). Despite these disadvantages,
Grounded theory is used because of its wide variety of methods to assist in collecting, coding, and organizing
data (Nelson, 2016).
Specific practice example from published research using that design (include citation)
- This method was used to a study developed to understand the complexity of working under pressure in
oncology nursing. Nurses were able to express what they felt under time pressure and how they felt with the
stress. It revealed that increased time pressure had a negative impact on how the nurses felt and on the quality
and safety of patient care (Vincks, Bossuyt, & Diercks de Casterle, 2018).
References
Nelson, J. (2016). Using conceptual depth criteria: Addressing the challenge of reaching saturation in
qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 17(5). doi:https://doi/org/10.1177/1468794116679873
Tie, Y. C., Birks, M., & Francis, K. (2019). Grounded theory research: A design framework for
novice researchers. SAGE Open Medicine, (7). doi:http://doi.org/10.1177/2050312118822927
Vinckx, M., Bossuytm I., Dierdcks de Casteele, B. (2018). Understanding the complexity of working under
time pressure in oncology nursing: A grounded theory study. International Journal of Nursing Studies,
40. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.07.010.
PEER 2
Phenomenology
Phenomenology is a philosophical research approach that seeks to understand the essence and meaning of
phenomena through the exploration of people’s personal life experiences. There are two types of
phenomenology – descriptive, which describes the nature of the phenomenon without bias, and interpretive
(hermeneutics), which interprets the meaning of the lived experience. Descriptive phenomenology uses four
steps: bracketing, intuiting, analyzing, and describing (Polit & Beck, 2021). Essentially, researchers are trying
to answer the what and how factors of the human experience (Neubauer et al., 2019).
In phenomenography, researchers explore two perspectives, the essence which makes the phenomenon what it
is, and how that phenomenon is perceived by individuals experiencing it. Phenomenography assumes that
although people’s life experiences and worldviews are all different, those differences can be shared and
understood (Polit & Beck, 2021). There are four aspects to the lived experience: lived space (spatiality), lived
body (corporeality), lived time (temporality), and lived human relation (relationality).
The research method is focused on in-depth conversations between researchers and participants. These studies
usually have a small sample size of fewer than 15 participants. This thorough exploration of the phenomenon
is enhanced by direct participation and observation by the researcher in the field. A successful
phenomenological study should help the reader to gain perspective and understanding of the phenomenon
being described through others’ subjective, first-hand experiences (Polit & Beck, 2021).
An advantage of this research methodology is the unique perspectives that provide deeper understanding of
phenomena and the human experience. Data collected from a significant sample can be rich (Regoli, 2017).
Limitations of this methodology approach include difficulty in understanding the complex philosophical
concepts and terminology, issues with accuracy, validity, and rigor due to the nature of the data collection,
possibility for researcher-induced bias, the potential for bias in choosing participants, and the sample size are
usually very small (Corben, 1999). Data analysis and interpretation can be difficult (Regoli, 2017).
An example of this research design is a phenomenological study by Parola et al. (2018) of nine nurses and their
lived experiences in palliative care. The aim was to describe, understand, and find meaning in the stressful
challenges experienced by these nurses who are routinely exposed to death and the suffering of others. Data
was collected through nonstructured interviews using open-ended questions, conducted in the palliative care
unit, and lasting about 44 minutes. The essence of this phenomenon is defined by five themes that were
discovered: experiences centered on relationships with the patient and family, experience centered on the
relationship with oneself, exhausting experience, rewarding experience, and the multidisciplinary team
described as a supportive pillar of the palliative care experience. The researchers believe the findings can help
to foster interventions to reduce the risk of burnout. This study also revealed how “the power of caring in
palliative care to transform the nurse as a human being” (Parola et al., 2018).
References
Corben, V. (1999). Misusing phenomenology in nursing research: Identifying the issues. Nurse Researcher,
6(3), 52-66. https://doi.org.10.7748/nr1999.04.6.3.52.c6087
Neubauer, B.E., Witkop, C.T., & Varpio, L. (2019). How phenomenology can help us learn from the
experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical Education, 8, 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-05092 (Links to an external site.)
Parola, V., Coelho, A., Sandgren, A., Fernandes, O., & Apostolo, J. (2018). Caring in palliative care: A
phenomenological study of nurses’ lived experiences. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 20(2), 180186. https://doi.org/10.1097/NHJ. 0000000000000428 (Links to an external site.)
Polit, D., & Beck, C. (2021). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing
practice. (11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Regoli, N. (2017, November 1). 8 advantages and disadvantages of phenomenological
research. https://connectusfund.org/8-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-phenomenological-research
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