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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
This is a qualitative research which focuses on meaning of students’ lived experience. This research uses hermeneutics phenomenology as it facilitates the
researcher to seek meaning. This chapter presents some information about important things included in methodology such as hermeneutics phenomenology,
data gathering instruments and data analysis. It also presents ways about how information in theoretical review is possible to be gathered. The methodology in
this study enables the research questions to be answered. It is because the nature of the data or the answers to the research questions is about the meaning and it can
be discovered by employing hermeneutics phenomenology research. It also provides information about the setting and participants of this study. It also
explains the research instruments utilized in this study and the reason why those instruments are chosen. Finally, it presents research procedure as the description
about how this study is conducted to ensure that the empirical truth is the empirical truth of the logical truth.
A. RESEARCH METHOD
In this part the theories of the research method is presented and elaborated. The reasons why a certain research method is employed is also presented and how
it is suitable with this research. It would be explained in relation with the goals of this study and the nature of the data which have become the answers to the
research questions. The detailed research procedures and also data analysis steps
are also presented in order to obtain overview of how this study is conducted from the beginning. It also describes how the analysis is like.
As this study deals with meaning, it relates with the term hermeneutics. This part starts with some definitions of hermeneutics phenomenology, the
method that is employed in this research, which are proposed by some experts. Manen 1990: p. 4 states, “…hermeneutics describes how one interprets the
‘texts’ of life.” The texts are participants’ lived experience. In order to interpret it I have to go deeper into the participants’ story about their lived experience
because it allows me to obtain rich texts about a certain phenomenon they have experienced. The lived experience are the focus of phenomenology as it
“describes how one orients to lived experience.” Manen, 1990: p.4 It is a type of research which focuses on persons as this study is interested in studying human.
Gadamer as quoted in Byrne 2008 mentions that “Hermeneutics must start from the position that a person seeking to understand something has a bond to the
subject matter that comes into language….” Thus, this study started from participants’ lived experience which was useful in the process of achieving
understanding. The lived experience in this study was students’ lived experience in vocabulary learning using interactive PowerPoint.
Another definition of hermeneutics phenomenology is found in Kafle 2011. Wilson Hutchinson 1991 as quoted in Kafle 2011 mention, “The
focus is toward illuminating details and seemingly trivial aspects within experience that may be taken for granted in our lives, with a goal of creating
meaning and achieving a sense of understanding.” Something may be considered as unimportant thing, but it can be a much bigger, meaningful thing than what
people think. Borg, Gall Gall 2007: p.520 state that the term hermeneutics refers to “the study of the process by which individuals arrive at the meaning of
any text.” They also define what is meant by text. It is “…a document e.g. a curriculum guide, but it can also refer to social customs, cultural myths, and
anything else containing a message that can be ‘read’.” Borg, Gall Gall, 2007: p.520. Allen 1995 as quoted in Byrne 1998, mentions, “Hermeneutics pertains
to the process of exposing hidden meanings.” Hidden meaning is specific in this study. It refers to empirical and transcendent meaning. The meaning is there, in
the language spoken by the participants. In short, hermeneutics phenomenology can be defined as an interpretation system functioning to interpret a phenomenon
which has become the texts of life of the person who have experienced it. These texts of life have helped the participants construct meaning in their life and it is
only accessible when a person sees this phenomenon through the eyes of the participants.
B. RESEARCH DESIGN
The data source includes the information about where and who are the participants of this study. The nature of data obtained from the participants is also
elaborated as well. It is in line with the methodology of this study, so it does not present data which is not suitable with and beyond what hermeneutics
phenomenology is able to provide.
1. Nature of Data
The data in a form of texts was obtained by interviewing those who were involved in it. The participants were asked to tell their experience. Thus, the
nature of data in this research was not numerical data but texts about students’ lived experience obtained from three kinds of data gathering techniques. The texts
were commonly known with the term ‘anecdotes’. Manen 1990: p.115 defined it as ‘something depicted in narrative form’. Manen also mentioned some functions
of anecdotes one of which really fitted this study; ‘to lead us to reflect’ Manen, 1990: p. 121. Those were their lived experience that they obtain after learning
using IPALL which were retold and composed in a form of stories. The stories written based on participants’ lived experience were rich sources from which I
was able to discover meaning from their points of view. Their point of view was hoped to make others reflect from their experience.
The texts which presented was deep and rich texts about participants’ lived experienced which meaning was constructed around some themes. No percentage
or numerical data was presented. The data about students’ scores was mainly discussed in another study which was still under one umbrella with this study. The
study used survey as the methodology and was conducted by Hanardi 2015. Meanwhile, this study focused on what Manen 1990 stated that “writing
constantly seeks to make external what somehow is internal.” The texts revealed things what was usually unspoken, but what was actually there, taking parts in
meaning construction in students’ life.
2. Data Collection Methods
As this research aims to answer questions about empirical and transcendent meaning using hermeneutics phenomenology, the data is in a form of
texts. Therefore, it is called text collection methods. There are three methods
employed in this research. Those methods are observation, document collection, and interviews. These three methods are utilized as it is able to provide complete
text about meaning of vocabulary learning using IPALL as well as guarantee the trustworthiness of this research. It is in line with what Patton 2002: p.4 states
that, “Qualitative findings grow out of three data collection: 1 in-depth, open- ended interviews, 2 direct observation; and 3 written documents.”
a. Observation
In the observation, I took a role as a pure observer. It was done in order to be able to really focus on what was happening and took necessary notes. It was
also like what Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh 2002: p.27 mention that “...the investigator seeks to make entirely unobstrusive observations of a setting without altering the
situation in any way.” I did not alter any situation. I sat down, observed what teachers and students did, and took some notes about what happened in the
classroom. Observation allowed me as the researcher to jot down any actions or behaviour which occurred in the classroom. Patton 2002 stated that observations
would result in “fieldwork descriptions of activities, behaviours, actions, conversations, interpersonal interactions, organizational or community processes,
or any other aspect of observable human experience.” I conducted observations twice in each class. It was done in order to really
understand everything that teachers and students did and how they reacted to vocabulary learning using IPALL. In other words, the observations were
conducted twice so that there would be a better understanding about everything which happened in the classrooms. It also enabled me to have a better description
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