Giving voice to teachers through interpretative phenomenological research: a methodological consideration

Abstract

Purpose

This conceptual article aims to examine the application of interpretative phenomenology to research on teacher experience. It covers methodological theory and practical interpretative approaches that are pertinent for generating useful insights into an educational issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on an illustrative research on secondary teachers' disciplinary and pedagogical reasoning and classroom practices in Ghana, this article explores the author's musings and introspection around carrying out an interpretative phenomenological research and demonstrates how the approach helped to amplify teachers' voices.

Findings

The article demonstrates that the canons of interpretative phenomenology and qualitative research in general, while translatable to practice, need to be regarded as a series of emergent decisions and actions rather than prescriptive set of principles. The article explains that educational researchers must recognise interpretation as the lifeblood of the approach and move beyond the description of essences and explicate participants' experiences of phenomena using workable frames of interpretation.

Originality/value

The article extends the current methodological knowledge base by contributing to international discussions on qualitative research and to an understanding of the applicability of interpretative phenomenological research design to research on teacher reasoning and practice. It also serves as a useful methodological resource for novice researchers.

Citation

Boadu, G. (2021), "Giving voice to teachers through interpretative phenomenological research: a methodological consideration", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 408-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-08-2020-0090