A Postmodernist Qualitative Research Approach: Choosing Between Descriptive and Interpretive Phenomenology

Phenomenology is essential for researchers exploring human experience. To apply it rigorously, an understanding of its philosophical foundations is needed. This discussion outlines the key distinctions between interpretive and descriptive phenomenology to illustrate philosophical and methodological implications. Nursing researchers seeking to either uncover universal essences or interpret deeper, contextually situated meanings in lived experiences may find this discussion instructive.