Why is bracketing important in qualitative research?

Bracketing is a method used in qualitative research to mitigate the potentially deleterious effects of preconceptions that may taint the research process. However, the processes through which bracketing takes place are poorly understood, in part as a result of a shift away from its phenomenological origins.

What is bracketing in qualitative research?

How does bracketing relate to phenomenological reduction?

According to the Husserl’s Ideas on a Pure Phenomenology webpage, “Husserl explains that phenomenological reduction is the process of defining the pure essence of a psychological phenomenon”. By bracketing this data from investigation, one is able to get at the “pure” phenomena from the users point of view.

How is bracketing used in a phenomenological study?

Although bracketing is a method of demonstrating the validity of the da ta collection and analysis process in most phenomenological studies, how the researchers use them in practice is rarely demonstrated explicitly. We collected data through our experiences in preparing a phenomenological research study.

Why is bracketing an important part of research?

Bracketing is a key part of some qualitative research philosophies, especially phenomenology and other approaches requiring interviews and observations, such as ethnography.

What are the historical and philosophical roots of bracketing?

The current article examines the historical and philosophical roots of bracketing, and analyzes the tensions that have arisen since the inception of bracketing in terms of its definition, who brackets, methods of bracketing, and its timing in the research process.

Do you record bracketing in a research interview?

Researchers typically record interviews, and you may find it helpful to record the bracketing pre-interview. If you do so, your participant (s) may find the setting to be more formal and less conversational, so undertake the recording with sensitivity and, of course, with your participants’ consent.