Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The brief, practical texts in the Essentials of Qualitative Methods series introduce social science and psychology researchers to key approaches to to qualitative methods, offering exciting opportunities to gather in-depth qualitative data and to develop rich and useful findings. 

Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is a step-by-step guide to a research method that investigates how people make sense of their lived experience in the context of their personal and social worlds. It is especially well-suited to exploring experiences perceived as highly significant, such as major life and relationship changes, health challenges, and other emotion-laden events. IPA studies highlight convergence and divergence across participants, showing both the experiential themes that the participants share and the unique way each theme is manifested for the individual.

About the Essentials of Qualitative Methods book series: Even for experienced researchers, selecting and correctly applying the right method can be challenging. In this groundbreaking series, leading experts in qualitative methods provide clear, crisp, and comprehensive descriptions of their approach, including its methodological integrity, and its benefits and limitations. Each book includes numerous examples to enable readers to quickly and thoroughly grasp how to leverage these valuable methods.

Jonathan A. Smith, DPhil, is a professor of psychology at Birkbeck University of London, United Kingdom, where he leads the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) Research Group and teaches qualitative methods at all levels. Previously, he held academic positions at the Universities of Keele and Sheffield after completing his doctorate at the University of Oxford. He developed IPA as a particular experiential qualitative approach in psychology, and he has applied it to a wide range of research questions, many in health and illness. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2020.

Isabella E. Nizza is a qualitative researcher who specializes in researching the lived experience of chronic health conditions using IPA. For many years a corporate trainer and consultant, she is now part of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Research Group within the Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London, where she also teaches qualitative methods. At the moment, she is working on a randomized controlled trial testing a psychological support intervention for young people with epilepsy, using IPA to assess the intervention’s psychological outcomes and process.

Series Foreword—Clara E. Hill and Sarah Knox

Chapter 1: What Is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis?
   A Note on Terminology
   Theoretical Underpinnings of IPA

Chapter 2: Designing an IPA Study
   Choosing a Topic and a Research Question
   Determining What Type of Data to Collect
   Sampling and Recruiting Participants
   Practical and Ethical Considerations

Chapter 3: Collecting Data
   Rationale for an Interview Guide
   How to Design an Interview Guide
   Conducting the Interview
   Transcription

Chapter 4: Analyzing the Data: Starting With the First Case
   Step 1. Reading and Exploratory Notes
   Step 2. Formulating Experiential Statements
   Step 3. Finding Connections and Clustering Experiential Statements
   Step 4. Compiling the Table of Person Experiential Themes
   Some More Thoughts on Clustering and Compiling
   One Case or More Than One Case?

Chapter 5: Cross-Case Analysis

Chapter 6: Writing Up the Study
   Results Section
   Other Sections of an IPA Manuscript

Chapter 7: Variations on the Method and More Complex Designs

Chapter 8: Methodological Integrity

Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions
   Deciding Whether IPA Is the Right Methodology for You
   Concluding Words

Appendix: Exemplar Studies
References
Index
About the Authors
About the Series Editors