Interpretative phenomenological analysis for LIS research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) for the library and information science (LIS) community, as this method has only recently been used for exploring experiences of various phenomena related to LIS. Design/met...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of documentation 2015-03, Vol.71 (2), p.338-357
Main Authors: VanScoy, Amy, Evenstad, Solveig Beyza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Burnout
Community Relations
Consciousness
Document management
Exegesis & hermeneutics
Grounded Theory
Health psychology
Hermeneutics
Humanities and Social Sciences
Information literacy
Information Seeking
Library & information science
Library and information science
Library and information sciences
Metaphor
Methods
Phenomenological research
Phenomenology
Philosophy
Psychological Studies
Qualitative research
Records management & preservation
Research methodology
Research Problems
Researchers
Resistance (Psychology)
School Libraries
Studies
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Summary:Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) for the library and information science (LIS) community, as this method has only recently been used for exploring experiences of various phenomena related to LIS. Design/methodology/approach – IPA is discussed within the phenomenological tradition. Two examples of recent IPA studies are examined in parallel to show application of the IPA method. Issues and challenges of applying IPA to LIS research questions are discussed. Findings – IPA is an alternative phenomenological method, adding to the repertoire of qualitative methods used for LIS research. It was an effective method for exploring experience among information professionals: it was equally suitable for studying reference and information service work for academic library professionals and burnout experience for information and communication technology workers. Originality/value – Only a few LIS studies have used IPA and no discussion or evaluation of the method has been published for this field. This paper provides a discussion of the method for LIS researchers interested in this emerging phenomenological method.
ISSN:0022-0418
1758-7379
DOI:10.1108/JD-09-2013-0118