Publisher Description

The brief, practical texts in the Essentials of Qualitative Methods series introduce social science and psychology researchers to key approaches to to qualitative methods, offering exciting opportunities to gather in-depth qualitative data and to develop rich and useful findings. 

Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is a step-by-step guide to a research method that investigates how people make sense of their lived experience in the context of their personal and social worlds. It is especially well-suited to exploring experiences perceived as highly significant, such as major life and relationship changes, health challenges, and other emotion-laden events. IPA studies highlight convergence and divergence across participants, showing both the experiential themes that the participants share and the unique way each theme is manifested for the individual.

About the Essentials of Qualitative Methods book series: Even for experienced researchers, selecting and correctly applying the right method can be challenging. In this groundbreaking series, leading experts in qualitative methods provide clear, crisp, and comprehensive descriptions of their approach, including its methodological integrity, and its benefits and limitations. Each book includes numerous examples to enable readers to quickly and thoroughly grasp how to leverage these valuable methods.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword-Clara E. Hill and Sarah Knox

Chapter : What Is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis?
   A Note on Terminology
   Theoretical Underpinnings of IPA

Chapter 2: Designing an IPA Study
   Choosing a Topic and a Research Question
   Determining What Type of Data to Collect
   Sampling and Recruiting Participants
   Practical and Ethical Considerations

Chapter 3: Collecting Data
   Rationale for an Interview Guide
   How to Design an Interview Guide
   Conducting the Interview
   Transcription

Chapter 4: Analyzing the Data: Starting With the First Case
   Step . Reading and Exploratory Notes
   Step 2. Formulating Experiential Statements
   Step 3. Finding Connections and Clustering Experiential Statements
   Step 4. Compiling the Table of Person Experiential Themes
   Some More Thoughts on Clustering and Compiling
   One Case or More Than One Case?

Chapter 5: Cross-Case Analysis

Chapter : Writing Up the Study
   Results Section
   Other Sections of an IPA Manuscript

Chapter 7: Variations on the Method and More Complex Designs

Chapter 8: Methodological Integrity

Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions
   Deciding Whether IPA Is the Right Methodology for You
   Concluding Words

Appendix: Exemplar Studies
References
Index
About the Authors
About the Series Editors
 

Review

This is an excellent guide to the theory and practice of interpretative phenomenological analysis it is well written, carefully organized, engaging, and accessible. The authors have a remarkable knack for anticipating and effectively answering the questions that are typically raised by novice researchers as well as guiding them through the intricacies of qualitative research. - Steen Halling, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, Seattle University, Seattle, WA, United States From setting the background context to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) through to offering exemplar studies, this book gives a thorough introduction to the steps a novice researcher will need to follow to conduct their first study using this method. The clear and concise summary also serves as an excellent refresher for anyone returning to IPA as an analytic method after some time away. An excellent addition to qualitative methodology bookshelves. - Jane Montague, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom

Long Description

The brief, practical texts in the Essentials of Qualitative Methods series introduce social science and psychology researchers to key approaches to to qualitative methods, offering exciting opportunities to gather in-depth qualitative data and to develop rich and useful findings. Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is a step-by-step guide to a research method that investigates how people make sense of their lived experience in the context of their personal and social worlds. It is especially well-suited to exploring experiences perceived as highly significant, such as major life and relationship changes, health challenges, and other emotion-laden events. IPA studies highlight convergence and divergence across participants, showing both the experiential themes that the participants share and the unique way each theme is manifested for the individual. About the Essentials of Qualitative Methods book series: Even for experienced researchers, selecting and correctly applying the right method can be challenging. In this groundbreaking series, leading experts in qualitative methods provide clear, crisp, and comprehensive descriptions of their approach, including its methodological integrity, and its benefits and limitations. Each book includes numerous examples to enable readers to quickly and thoroughly grasp how to leverage these valuable methods.

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