Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to consider an apprication of phenomenological approach in nursing research. First, characteristics of phenomenological methodology are discussed. Secondly, this study shows the processe that the author has chosen phenomenological approach in her nursing researches and the processe that the author has developed a phenomenological analysis method.
The phenomenological method does not seek to reveal causal relationships, but rather to reveal the nature of phenomena as humanly experienced. The author studied focusing on lived experiences of nursing students, and patients and a nurse. The one was a study of the educational function of the intensive group experience in nursing education and the other was a study of the function of nurse counseling. A common theme in the two studies was to understand the individual meanings of their acts and experiences. Therefore, phenomenological method could be regarded as the most rightest method to explore the theme. First, the author developed a case analysis method to analyze free descriptions of nursing students, intensive group experiences and details of interviews to them. Secondly, the author developed a method of analysis for interpreting nurse counseling by modifying the case analysis method. They were founded on Giorgi's method of phenomenological analysis. The processe of the method of phenomenological analysis for interpreting nurse counseling were as follows: (1) obtain natural meaning units; (2) clarify or elaborate themes of natural meaning units: (3) transform themes into focal meanings; (4) synthesize and integrate the insights achieved into asituated structural description and a general structural description.
