A master's thesis uses Husserlian phenomenology as its method. In the research report, the student has mentioned the method by name and has adhered to all of the tenets of that method

Question

The thesis advisor requires the student to include in the thesis a two- to five-page summary of the philosophy of Husserlian phenomenology. Why does the thesis advisor require this? (Select all that apply.)
a. The thesis advisor is not familiar with the method and cannot evaluate the thesis without this information.
b. It is important that the thesis makes clear what Husserlian phenomenology implies, relative to the researcher's part in data collection and data analysis.
c. Several assumptions of the thesis may emanate from Husserlian phenomenology, and they should be consistent with its philosophy.
d. The reader of the thesis, and publications emanating from it, may not be clear as to what Husserlian phenomenology is. An explanation is in order.
e. The reader can follow the analysis better when the method is better understood.
f. The philosophy that underlies qualitative research is, in essence, the study's theoretical framework. A framework should include a summary of its main points.

Answer 1

ANS: B, C, D, E, F
The philosophical perspective of the researcher guides the questions asked and the methods selected for conducting a specific study. Both quantitative and qualitative researchers have philosophical perspectives. Qualitative studies are based on a wide range of philosophies, such as phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, constructivism, and hermeneutics, each of which espouses slightly different approaches to gaining new knowledge. Most qualitative researchers do not identify specific theoretical frameworks during the design of their studies, as is expected for quantitative studies. Instead, the philosophical basis provides "theoretical grounding" for qualitative studies without predisposing the data analysis to a single interpretation—this is another way to say that the philosophy is the study's theoretical framework. As such, it deserves a few pages of exposition, to aid the reader's understanding.