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A. Empirical Phenomenology
CHAPTER III
PHENOMENOLOGY AS A METHOD IN FINDING MEANINGS
refers to knowledge in which knowledge is seen as awareness/conscious- ness, or a scientific knowledge which tries to illustrate what is actually experienced or acquired, felt, and known by an individual in consciousness and experience at the time something (the phenomenon) is happening.
Because what arises based on consciousness is the phenomenon itself or factuality.207
The word phenomenon originates from the Greek word phaenethai, i.e. to to shine, to show, to be manifest or manifest itself. Phenomenology is formed from the word phaino. Hence phenomenon means bringing to light (appear), to place into the light (clear), to show itself within itself (its consciousness), and or to show entire events which happened in the now. In other words, phenomenology is knowing or reflecting something to the things themselves. In broad sense, everything which is visible contains or has reasons for its own appearing experience and it could also bring about new knowledge. Phenomenon forms or develops scientific knowledge on man and it is also the basis of all knowledge. Every phenomenon can provide a starting point to conduct research or examination. What we see and think about something is merely limited to what is visible, not what it actually is. That thing in itself is not empty or void of meaning or essence.
On the contrary, the thing has provided a significant beginning to know- ledge, i.e. to seek valid formulation that is ready to be tested by anyone.208
In phenomenology, the reality that is considered important is what people imagine it to be.209 Phenomenology perspective is the basic concept of qualitative methodology.210 Because qualitative method allows us to
207Clark Moustakas, Phenomenological Research Methods (California: Sage Publication, 1994), 26.
208Ibid.
209Robert Bogdan and Steven J.Taylor, Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: a Phenomenological Approach to the Social Sciences (New York, London, Sydney and Toronto: a Wikey-Intercience Publication, 1975), 2.
210Ibid., 13.
understand a person’s standing and to see how that person develops his/her own definition of his/her own world. Therefore, it is as if we are expe- riencing his/her daily struggle in facing his/her social life.211
Intentionality, noema, and noesis are main concepts in pheno- menology. Noema is what is experienced, and noesis is how something is experienced or background and the entirety of facts experienced. These two concepts form the meaning of apparent things. The combination of noema and noesis is the intentionality of consciousness. In this case, noema and noesis are inseparable, because in every noema there is always noesis, and in every noesis there is noema. Therefore, the meaning and essence of one’s experience can be known if we are able to capture intentionality or noema and nesis from that apparent experience.212
There are 2 models of phenomenological approach, namely herme- neutic phenomenology and empirical, transcendental or psychological phe- nomenology. Regarding hermeneutic phenomenology, Van Manen explain- ed that research on a phenomenon id focussed on life experiences and sub- sequently interpreted as a life text. In other words, phenomenology is not only an illustration or explanation on experience but also a process of inter- pretation in which the researcher is the interpreter in order to mediate bet- ween several meanings of different life experience within a phenomenon.213
As for empirical, transcendental, or psychological phenomenology initiated by Clark Moustakas, it does not prioritize the researcher’s interpretation –as hermeneutic phenomenology do- but prioritizes illustra- tion efforts on individual experiences as formerly formulated by Husserl in hi phenomenological concept through the concept of epoche. Epoche is a stage in which a researcher must strive to block any personal experiences in
211Ibid., 4-5.
212 Moustakas, Phenomenological., 30.
213 John W. Creswell, “Qualitative Research Designs: Selection and Implementaton” inThe Counseling Psychology,Vol. 35 No.2, March 2007, 253.
order to attain a new perspective of a phenomenon through research.
Furthermore, the term transcendental itself has the meaning of viewing something (phenomenon) right now the same way or how the phenomenon occurred at the time. Although according to Moustakas, to be able to per- fectly observe the phenomenon right now exactly the same as when it happened in the past is very difficult to do.214
For that reason, Moustakas formulated several stages which should be undertaken in order to conduct approach using empirical pheno- menology. Some of those stages are as follow:215
1. Identify the phenomenon that will be studied or analysed.
2. Set aside or keep personal experiences away so that it does not influence the researcher’s perspective in order to observe a pheno- menon as how it was practiced or experienced.
3. Collect data from several people who truly experienced the pheno- menon. In other words, phenomenon is seen as an object of experience.
4. Analyse the data collected by reducing the data to find several significant statements or quotes.
5. Arrange those significant statements into the research theme.
6. Compose textural description of several experiences from several people (informants or research subjects), as well as structural descrip- tion of several experiences covering conditions, situations, or context in which the informant experienced the phenomenon.
7. Finally, create a statement or formulation which consists of textural and structural illustration to attain meaning and essence from the experience.
214Moustakas, Phenomenological., 34.
215Ibid., 33-36.
For this research, I chose to use Clark Moustakas empirical pheno- menology because his approach concept has systematic steps in conducting analysis and it also indicates how to compose textural and structural description. The phenomenological approach is used in this research because the goal of this research is to find the meaning and essence of talaq divorce by reason of economic strain, which can only be achieved by ob- taining data directly from the wives, so the researcher will not be involved in determining its meaning and essence. Essence and meaning, all are formulated based on the experience and understanding of the wives towards the object or the talaq divorce phenomenon.