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phenomenology as “an approach to understand the hidden meanings and the essences of an
experience together” Kafle, 183. Kafle defines it as a method “that has the potential to penetrate deep to the human experience and trace the
essence of a phenomenon and explicate it in its original form as experienced by the
individuals” Kafle, 183. van Manen 1990 has attempted to show how phenomenological approach can
serve pedagogical research. According to him phenomenology is the most appropriate method to explore phenomena of pedagogy Kafle, 2011. van Manen
defines phenomenology as “the study of lived experience”, the experience we
have before we reflect on it van Manen, 9. It is “a response to how one orients to
lived experience and questions the way one e xperiences the world” Kafle, 183.
It is further defined as the study of experience essences van Manen. It thus attempts to describeinterpret meanings, “to a certain degree of depth and
richness”, of the way one lives hisher world van, Manen, 11. It is also defined as “the human scientific study of phenomena” van Manen, 11. It digs structure
of meaning of human experience scientifically systematically, self-critically, with intersubjectivity van Manen. According to van Manen, phenomenology can
only be unders tood by “actively doing it” 8. When doing it, one needs to have
retrospective reflection reflection on already passedlived-through experience, “attentive practice of thoughtfulness” “a heedful, mindful wondering about the
project of life, of living, of what it means to live a li fe”, to conduct a poetizing
activity “thinking on original experience and is thus speaking in a more primal sense” and to conduct a “search for what it means to be human” van Manen, 10-
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Those definitions of phenomenology brings me to a conclusion that phenomenology is a scientific study of the natureessencemeaning of phenomena
as lived experiences to help one to be closer to humanity. Phenomenology can be understood when one experiences it by questioning and reflecting on lived
experiences, then expressing herhis findings.
c. Narrative and Hermeneutic Phenomenology
Phenomenology can be divided into several more specific studies, two of which are narrative phenomenology and hermeneutic phenomenology. Husserl
followers will likely support narrative phenomenology more than the latter since according to them “phenomenological research is pure description and that
interpretation hermeneutics falls outside the bounds of phenomenological re
search” van Manen, 1990, 25. According to them, “hermeneutics or interpretation already implies the acknowledgment of a distortion, of an
incomplete intuiting” van Manen, 26. Different from narrative phenomenology, hermeneutic phenomenology demanded interpretation van Manen. This study
will likely be supported by Heidegger followers. Heidegger moves “away from a
philosophical discipline which focuses on consciousness and essences of phenomena towards elaborating existential and hermeneutic interpretive
dimensions” Finlay, 2009 as paraphrased by Kafle, 2011, 181. Narrative phenomenology thus describes lived-experience van Manen, 1990.
Meanwhile, hermeneutic phenomenology describes the
meaning
of lived- experience van Manen. In order to describe meaning, interpretation must be
present. Narrative phenomenology provides “immediate description of lifeworld”
while hermeneutic phenomenology presents “intermediate or a mediated PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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description of the lifeworld as expressed in symbolic form” van Manen, 1990, 25.
d. Important Concepts in Phenomenology
The following elaboration was definitions of several important concepts in phenomenology. It includes the definition of consciousness, act, perception,
intentional experience, intersubjective validity, reduction, lived experience, meaning, empathy, reflection, and theme.
1 Consciousness
Consciousness refers to intentionality through inner perception, which is different from external perceptionphysical phenomena directed toward objects
Brentano, 1973, as paraphrased by Moustakas, 1994. Brentano argues that the object must first exist before it is innerly percepted Moustakas. Thus both the
object and the perception and the object must exist in the consciousness Brentano, 1973, as paraphrased by Moustakas.
Different from Brentano, Husserl argues that the object does not have to exist and can “emerge in our consciousness in an empty manner” Moustakas, 1994,
50. „We‟ fill the object until it reaches the sense of wholeness meaning through experience and reflective process of looking consider and looking again
reconsider Moustakas.
2 Act
Husserl 1970 uses the word „act‟ to refer to experience of meaning Moustakas, 1994. According to Husserl, it has two sides. They are quality and
matter. Quality is judgment, perception, and memory while matter is direction to the object, features and properties of an object.
