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to “relive in their minds the experiences they have had” (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2008, p. 429) about
an experience. A researcher often takes a phenomenological approach to interviewing when they
seek a deep understanding of how another person experiences a phenomenon (Saldaña, 2011;
Seidman, 2013).
In phenomenological studies, participants can construct their subjective
interpretations of their own experiences and their own meanings to those lived experiences
(Creswell, 2007; Ritchie et al., 2014; Seidman, 2013). In phenomenological studies, the
researcher gains “a deep understanding of a phenomenon” (Creswell, 2007, p. 62) from those
who have experienced it. Because I wanted to gain a deep understanding of the
experiences of
the participants as students in HyFlex learning environments and how they interpreted their
experiences in this type of learning environment, I determined phenomenology was the best
suited study design for this investigation.
The basic purpose of phenomenology is to reduce an individual’s “grasp of the very
nature of the thing” (Creswell & Poth, 2018, p. 75). The nature of the thing is the
essence
researchers seek to study regarding human nature and common experiences lived by people
(Creswell & Poth, 2018). The phenomenological approach seemed to be a logical choice to learn
about the different phenomena that affect the experiences of minoritized students in HyFlex
courses. One of my aims for this research was to gain an understanding
of the ways the HyFlex
model of teaching and learning can help practitioners increase student equity in postsecondary
undergraduate courses. My plan was to arrive at those understandings through examining the
experiences of minoritized students who had participated in HyFlex
courses or programs at
colleges and universities in the United States to inform higher education practitioners about
students’ experiences and expectations in HyFlex learning environments.
