Qualitative Study Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Analysis

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Chapter 3: MethodologyThe research question guiding this study is: How do individuals living in rural Africa use informal institutions to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic? A qualitative research approach using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design will by employed. Using IPA, the researcher will explore the lived experience of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic through the use of informal institutions among individual living in rural Africa. This chapter begins with a description of the research paradigm, approach, and tradition. Next, the participant recruitment procedures and data collection methods will be described, followed by the data analysis plan and strategies to enhance trustworthiness.Research ParadigmCreswell and Creswell (2018) define a paradigm as a basic set of interrelated assumptions that guide a researcher’s inquiries. A paradigm is also a representation and reflection of the beliefs and values of the researcher regarding the world (Kamal, 2019). This implies that a paradigm is a philosophical way of thinking that shapes how researchers conduct their inquiries (Kivunja & Kuyini, 2017). Therefore, the research paradigm influences the way researchers think about issues and how they frame their research topics. The research paradigm is an essential part of the determination of a research issue and its exploration as it shapes the researcher’s world.The proposed study will follow the constructivist-interpretivist research paradigm based on the idea that reality is developed and subjective to each person (Ponterotto, 2005). The researcher believes that every individual creates their own reality instead of the existence of a single objective reality. The creation and subjectivity of reality based on each individual is critical as it shapes the lived experience of people concerning a particular phenomenon. Because this study seeks to explore individuals\' lived experiences coping with COVID-19, the researcher needs to understand reality as it is constructed by the participants. A constructivist-interpretivist paradigm provides a suitable framework for the researcher to examine and understand the individual realities of the study participants. Additionally, the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm is appropriate for the proposed research because individuals create adaptable and multiple subjective meanings of their lived experiences (Ponterotto, 2005).The adoption of a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm implies that the research embraces a hermeneutical approach, which involves reappraisal and reinterpretation concerning cultural contexts (McCaffrey et al., 2012). This approach incorporates various factors such as intuition, subjectivity, creativity, and corporeality in theoretical reflection. The use of a hermeneutical approach as part of the research paradigm provides a framework for the interpretative and reciprocal procedure of understanding the experiences of each individual. Based on this approach, the researcher will engage with the participants to explore, interpret, and understand their lived experiences through dialogue using semi-structured interviews.

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Semi-structured interviews will be used as the means to elicit in-depth descriptions regarding personal experiences on the issue and highlight emerging patterns across these individual cases. The researcher will then reflect upon insights obtained from the participants as part of his interpretive role in understanding their lived experiences.Research ApproachA qualitative research approach will be used in the proposed study as the researcher seeks to explore and understand the lived experience of coping with the COVID-19 pandemic using informal institutions at the individual level. This approach is deemed suitable for the study as it will enable the researcher to make sense of and ascribe meaning to the lived experiences of individuals living in rural Africa in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Creswell and Creswell (2018), qualitative research approaches are appropriate for studies that are exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. Using a qualitative research approach, the researcher explores the phenomenon in a manner that enhances the understanding of relationships, individual experiences, and variations in observations (Creswell…

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…because such studies use a small sample in comparison to quantitative or mixed-methods researches. Lincoln & Guba (1985) suggests that the researcher should ensure that adequate contextual information regarding the fieldwork sites is provided to enhance transferability.Transferability is qualitative studies can be enhanced using thick descriptions, which is a means of achieving external validity. It entails describing a phenomenon in detail so that a reader can start to assess the extent to which its conclusions are transferable to other settings, people, situations, and time. Using this strategy, the researcher intends to provide detailed descriptions of the study participants, setting, and context. During this process, the researcher will make explicit patterns of social and cultural relationships in the context of the research process and its findings. When developing the research report for the proposed study, the researcher intends to provide rich, detailed descriptions of the emergent themes so that readers can transfer study findings to other contexts (Creswell, 2014). The proposed study will incorporate thick descriptions to report themes and their associated results to enhance the transferability of findings. Through this, the researcher will avoid providing thin, superficial accounts of participants’ experiences......

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