You'll find an article at http://ineducation.ca/ineducation/article/viewFile/88/463

that offers some suggestions.

Thank you, Hendrika.  This was very useful.

"The children may choose to tell the stories in the way they think the researcher wants, instead of describing their real experiences."

This quote represents my greatest concern: how do I actually get honest information out?  Are there any such examples of these studies with children being done, complete with data collecting questions?

You might look at Faces of intersubjectivity: A phenomenological analysis of the experience of security and contentment for latency aged children in shared-time parenting arrangements.

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15691624-12341283

By Sass, Louis; Pienkos, Elizabeth

Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, Vol 46(1), 2015, 1-32.

This study explored the lived experience of security and contentment, and their absence, for latency-aged children (aged 8-12) living in shared-time parenting arrangements following their parents’ separation. A descriptive phenomenological methodology was utilized (Giorgi, 1985, 2009; Giorgi & Giorgi, 2003, 2008). Sixteen children living in shared-time were interviewed about their experiences of two phenomena: “feeling secure and content living in shared-time” and “not feeling secure and content living in shared-time.” The eight richest protocols were selected for analysis. The two resultant general structures and their core constituents are presented, and individual variations discussed. Central to each phenomenon is the parent/s’ capacity, or incapacity, to create and sustain a physical and emotional space in which the child feels secure and held in the mind, feels the arrangements are responsive to their needs, feels free to access the “absent” parent, and experiences integration between the two parental homes. Implications for phenomenological human science research are considered, including the use of descriptive phenomenology with children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Being hospitalized with a newly diagnosed chronic illness—A phenomenological study of children’s lifeworld in the hospital.

By Ekra, Else Mari Ruberg; Gjengedal, Eva

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, Vol 7, Aug 17 , 2012, Article 18694.

The impact of a hospital environment on children has rarely been investigated. Recently, however, the perspective of hospitalized children has been taken into account. Being hospitalized and facing an illness represent a dramatic change in a child’s daily life, and the quality of the environment may influence the child’s experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of children being hospitalized with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and to obtain an increased understanding of the environmental influences on the children’s lifeworld. The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The design is a combination of observation of the participant, interviews, and photographs. Nine children, aged between 7 and 12 years, participated in the study. The data were collected between October 2008 and February 2010 and analysed in accordance with thematic analysis as described by van Manen. The children experienced change through recognition and adaptation. They perceived the environment as strange but still comfortable because of the "child-friendly" atmosphere, close contact with their relatives, and access to private space. The children were gradually able to adapt to their new life; they perceived their illness through bodily changes and developed practical skills and understanding. The findings underscored the necessity for an emphasis on the mutual relationship between the body and its environment. Bodily changes that occur during illness may lead to changes in one’s perception of the environment. Children seem to be particularly affected when the body appears alien and the hospital environment is unfamiliar. A well-adapted environment, active involvement, and the incorporation of new habits are significant elements of gradually returning to a more familiar life. However, the child’s new life requires alertness to the body’s signals and acclimation to a demanding diabetes treatment regime. All these factors remind children of their body’s needs and experiences and influence their lifeworld. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Children's lived experiences with reading: A phenomenological study.

By Coles, Linda

Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 73(2-A), 2012, 556.

This study used a phenomenological research method to examine the question, "What are children's lived experiences with reading?" This question was explored through the perceptions of eight Grade Three children attending a rural school in Newfoundland and Labrador, where traditional print reading is being challenged by children's increasing engagements with new forms of texts and new literacies that include, but are not limited to, visual, informational, cultural, media, and digital texts. The purpose of this study was to glean an understanding of children's lived experiences with reading, through their articulations of their perceptions of these experiences within the context of the provincial reading curriculum and policies. Individual interviews, focus group discussions, and observation were used to gain access to children's experiences and to delineate themes emerging from their representations of their reading experiences. A view of the reading world of children that emerged from their perceptions contributes to a broader understanding of how children are experiencing reading and provides insight to facilitate future developments in reading policy and pedagogy. The findings extend our understanding of how children are experiencing reading and call on educators to be sensitive to the pedagogical significance of engaging children's insights in matters that involve them. Despite a curriculum that advocates for reading engagement, this study, through the lens of children's perceptions, presents children's lived reading experiences as passionless and disengaging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Giving children space: A phenomenological exploration of student experiences in space science inquiry.

By Horne, Christopher R.

Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol 73(6-A), 2012, 2018.

This study explores the experiences of 4th grade students in an inquiry-based space science classroom. At the heart of the study lies the essential question: What is the lived experience of children engaged in the process of space science inquiry? Through the methodology of phenomenological inquiry, the author investigates the essence of the lived experience of twenty 4th grade students as well as the reflections of two high school students looking back on their 4th grade space science experience. To open the phenomenon more deeply, the concept of space is explored as an overarching theme throughout the text. The writings of several philosophers including Martin Heidegger and Hans-Georg Gadamer are opened up to understand the existential aspects of phenomenology and the act of experiencing the classroom as a lived human experience. The methodological structure for the study is based largely on the work of Max van Manen (2003) in his seminal work, Researching Lived Experience, which describes a structure of human science research. A narrative based on classroom experiences, individual conversations, written reflections, and group discussion provides insight into the students' experiences. Their stories and thoughts reveal the themes of activity , interactivity, and "inquiractivity," each emerging as an essential element of the lived experience in the inquiry-based space science classroom. The metaphor of light brings illumination to the themes. Activity in the classroom is associated with light's constant and rapid motion throughout the Milky Way and beyond. Interactivity is seen through students' interactions just as light's reflective nature is seen through the illumination of the planets. Finally, inquiractivity is connected to questioning, the principal aspect of the inquiry-based classroom just as the sun is the essential source of light in our solar system. As the era of No Child Left Behind fades, and the next generation of science standards emerge, the students' stories are viewed through the lens of the scientific practices found in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (The National Research Council, 2011). The critical challenge for elementary educators interacting with this text is to find the lived meaning of giving children space in an inquiry-based experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)