The philosophical framework for phenomenological qualitative study is grounded on descriptive or interpretative phenomenology. I need to understand the roles of other theories such as Maslow's theory of motivation etc. in the Interpretative phenomenological study. Can we use theory for the interpretation of the findings.
Yes, a theoretical framework can be used in an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study, but it requires a very nuanced and careful approach to maintain the core principles of IPA. IPA is fundamentally an inductive methodology, meaning its primary aim is to explore and understand participants' lived experiences "in their own terms," allowing themes to emerge directly from the data rather than being imposed by pre-existing theoretical constructs.
However, IPA also acknowledges the researcher's interpretive role, a concept often referred to as the "double hermeneutic" (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009, p. 3). This means the researcher is making sense of the participant's sense-making, and their own background, including theoretical knowledge, inevitably influences this interpretation.
How to Use a Theoretical Framework in IPA:
The key is to use the theoretical framework as a sensitizing concept or as a tool for post-analysis interpretation, rather than as a rigid, deductive structure.
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