Phenomenological Methods

Phenomenological Methods

Phenomenological methods ‘aim to describe, understand and interpret the meanings of experiences of human life’ (Blur and Wood, 2011, pg.2) with focus on what it is like to experience a particular situation (Blur and Wood, 2011). For instance, in this case the relationship between body and water and how the senses are enhanced. Edmund Husserl, who is a key philosopher in phenomenology, developed the theory of ‘lifeworld which refers to the ‘everyday experiences that we live and which we reflect upon’ (Blur and Wood, 2011, pg. 4).

Through exploring, studying and reflecting upon experiences from a first person perspective (Lester, 1999), phenomenological research methods considered the individual’s perception, imagination and behaviours throughout the experience (Post, 2015). This allowed for a critical understanding of an individual’s experience within a pool environment as well as ‘emphasising the importance of personal perspective and interpretation’ (Lester, 1999) therefore, allowing for a valuable insight into one’s relationship with water and how this creates an experience with lasting benefits to health and wellbeing. This research methodology consisted of collecting data through informal interviews and narratives. These methods ‘are the key to producing a description of the experiences that were lived through’ (Blur and Wood, 2011, pg. 3). In addition, diaries and visual methods were also adopted as this enabled thoughts and experiences to be noted down and recorded at the time, therefore, enabling the research to be critically analysed and compared.

On Monday 17th February 2020 at 9:15am I observed participants and users of Newcastle City Baths from the foyer of the building. I noted down site observations, personal thoughts and experiences and as well as the use of photographs which enhanced the observation and considerations of how experiences are created within pool environments.

However, like other qualitative research methods, it has been suggested that phenomenological methods generalise the research collected given that researcher can interpret the results in different ways (Blur and Wood, 2011).

Methodology Interviews

In order to gain a better insight into the enhancement of the senses and how materials create an experience, informal interviews were conducted at Newcastle City Baths on Monday 17th February, once I had completed the participant observation.

I was interested in how individuals feel moving through water and what elements enhance this, therefore I chose to adopt an informal oral approach. Creating a relaxed, informal environment resulted in the responses emerging out of conversations. Three individuals were interviewed, once they had used the pool and baths, about how the water made them feel and how it affected their health and wellbeing. Their age ranges from 19 to 58, with the 2/3 being female. Interviews were conducted in the café/foyer of Newcastle City Baths, and lasted approximately five minutes. The answers were recorded by note taking in a sketchbook. Open questions were asked, to allow for the categorisation of key themes and identify patterns. Each theme was then analysed to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ perceptions and feelings.

The informal interviews provided an in-depth understanding of the participants’ perceptions, motivation and emotions.