{"id":300,"date":"2022-06-21T09:03:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T09:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postgradproofreader.co.uk\/blog\/?p=300"},"modified":"2022-06-21T09:03:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T09:03:20","slug":"how-to-use-the-new-ipa-terminology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/postgradproofreader.co.uk\/blog\/2022\/06\/21\/how-to-use-the-new-ipa-terminology\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use the new IPA terminology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you are new to Interpretative Phenomenological\nAnalysis (IPA) or have been using it for a while, you may have noticed some\ndifferences in the language associated with this qualitative approach to\nresearch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might seem confusing at first but don\u2019t worry; help is at hand! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Confused? PGPR are here to help

Photo by Dex Ezekiel<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The guidance and steps suggested to conduct\nyour analysis remain the same. So do the underlying principles. All that\u2019s changed\nis some of the terminology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terms like emergent theme <\/em>or superordinate theme, <\/em>which you will see in most IPA papers published pre-2022 and in the first edition of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research<\/a> <\/em>by Jonathan Smith, Paul Flowers and Michael Larkin (2009), have been updated, as explained in the table below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Old term<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n New term<\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Emergent Theme\n <\/td>\n Experiential Statement\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Superordinate Theme\n <\/td>\n Personal Experiential Theme (PET)\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Master Theme\n <\/td>\n Group Experiential Theme (GET)\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

Emergent Themes are now known as experiential statements, superordinate themes are now called personal experiential themes, and master themes are now referred to as group experiential themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This change in terminology can actually make things clearer as you work through your analysis. Experiential statements<\/strong> are just that, statements about the experiences captured in your data in terms of their meaning for the participant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let the new IPA terminology light your pathway through analysis

Photo by Diego PH<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the new book Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis <\/a><\/em>(Smith & Nizza, 2021), the authors provide an example analysis of a participant\u2019s holiday experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The example transcript includes the lines \u201cso I really had to put in the effort and judge people quite quickly as well. So, yeah, I just had to put stuff out there quite a lot\u201d. One of the experiential statements to arise from this analysis is \u2018Selectively and purposively bonding with strangers\u2019 (p. 41). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This statement is both concise and rich. It captures the participant\u2019s description of forging relationships with other travellers and<\/em> their sense of this being a deliberate, active process. A statement such as \u2018Meeting new people\u2019 or \u2018Social aspects of travel\u2019, although still reflective of the data, would not provide the same experiential detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The new IPA terminology is nearly as much fun as meeting new friends whilst travelling. Honest!

Photo by Kimson Doan<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Thinking in terms of experiential statements \u2013 rather than emergent themes \u2013 can help you orient yourself during the earlier analytic stages. An experiential statement involves summarising the meaning in a short portion of the text – perhaps just a few lines. At this stage, being too concerned with the bigger picture of \u2018themes\u2019 can distract you from looking carefully at each section of the transcript in a close, fine-grained fashion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal experiential themes<\/strong> or PETs<\/strong>, are themes developed through an analysis of a\nsingle case, meaning they are personal<\/em> to that individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Group experiential themes or GETs <\/strong>are developed by looking across individual cases for patterns of\nconvergence and divergence. They are themes which represent the group.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, the revised terminology makes finding your way through the analysis easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doing IPA can feel like tackling a maze. The new terminology can help you find your way.

Photo by Benjamin Elliott<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This new terminology, and guidance for each stage of the analysis, are included in the two new books mentioned. These are the 2nd edition of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research<\/a> <\/em>by Jonathan Smith, Paul Flowers, and Michael Larkin (2022), and the new APA Essentials Book Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis<\/a><\/em> <\/a>by Jonathan Smith and Isabella Nizza (2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new terminology is also used in the recent paper I wrote with Jonathan Smith: \u2018Making sense of an artwork: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of participants\u2019 accounts of viewing a well-known painting<\/a>\u2019 (Starr & Smith, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This blog was written by Rachel Starr, one of <\/em>PGPR’s IPA experts<\/em><\/a>. To book a video consultation with Rachel, contact us via the box below.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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