Crumbley, Julie

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Citation: Crumbley, Julie (2009) A Realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle: the application of a dialectic  
process  in  text  interpretation  as  part  of  a  hermeneutic  phenomenological  study.  In:  Newcastle 
Business  School’s  Annual  Doctoral  Conference,  18-19  June  2009,  Newcastle  Business  School,  
Northumbria University, UK. 
URL: 
This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/9564/
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A Realisation of the Hermeneutic 
Circle 
Julie Crumbley 
DBA Student 
NBS PGR Doctoral Conference June 2009 
Definition of Hermeneutic 
Phenomenology 
• Hermeneutic phenomenology is a form of phenomenology 
in which research is oriented toward interpreting the ‘texts’ 
of life (hermeneutical) and lived experiences 
(phenomenology) (Cresswell 2007) 
• Drawn from the philosophies of Heidegger and Gadamer 
(Hermeneutics) and Husserl (Phenomenology) 
• ‘Description of experience mediated by interpretation’ 
Rapport 2005 p.131. 
• It is a research methodology aimed at producing rich 
textual descriptions of the experiencing of a phenomenon 
in the lifeworld of individuals (Ajjawi and Higgs 2007) 
• Lifeworld is the world of lived experience (the world as 
experienced)  (Van Manen 1997) 
 
 
Some key features and terms 
• Personal Prejudice: also called preunderstanding or foreknowledge; 
understanding others though language, history and tradition; the starting 
point for interpretation and understanding;  in order to understand or 
interpret a phenomenon the interpreter must both overcome the 
phenomenon’s strangeness and transform it into something familiar, thus 
uniting the horizon’s of the researcher and researched 
• Historicity: awareness of the cultural traditions and social context that 
govern our prejudices and provide the lens through which we interpret 
the texts 
• Horizon: range of vision; fusing of horizons is the melding of positions 
through a circular process of understanding, explication (clarification, 
revelation) and interpretation; the hermeneutic circle  is defined by our 
own personal horizon of understanding 
• Texts and interpretation are co-created, reflexive and  acknowledge the  
relationship between the researcher, subject of research and participants 
(McAuley 2006) 
 
• Based on Rapport 2005 p.131 
 
The Hermeneutic Circle 
• Also called spiral, or cycle 
(McAuley 2006). A spiral better 
describes the process as it is 
open at beginning as well as 
end – openness being indicative 
of the researchers mind as they 
interpret the text (Dahlberg, 
Dahlberg and Nyström 2008. 
• A dialectic process (Cohen, Kahn 
and Steeves 2000) 
• The circle is a metaphor for 
understanding and 
interpretation (Ajjawi and Higgs 
2007) 
• It is the movement between 
parts and whole, moving back 
and forth and emergent 
interpretation (McAuley 2006). 
 
Preunderstanding 
 
Understanding 
Part 
Whole 
Context of this study 
• What is the lived experience of transition for sojourning students 
from one educational culture to another? 
• Seek to interpret participants’ learning journeys/transition and 
experiences. This includes learning experiences, and events, people 
and situations that impact on how they have adapted how they 
study and learn.  
• Methodology drawn from work of educationalist Max Van Manen 
• Findings emerge from the interactions between the researcher and 
participants as the research progresses; subjectivity is valued as 
participants describe a reality constructed by subjective 
experiences (Ajjawi and Higgs, 2007) but researcher also brings 
intellectual preunderstanding (McAuley 2006) 
 
 
Context to the development of my 
Hermeneutic Circle 
• Systematic analysis, with built in researcher and participant 
reflexivity 
• Writing and member checking used to move researcher away 
from pre-judgements and towards a new understanding of 
the phenomenon through a  process of fusing of horizons 
• Movement between parts and whole occurs within texts, 
across texts, and between the stages of the research process 
so that the process of understanding is circular and iterative 
• My circle represents a spiral, starting off with a limited 
understanding (pre-judgments) building to a more inclusive 
understanding by fusing horizons. Some whole/part 
interpretation processes are represented as closed circles but 
this spiral represented movement and change to me, building 
understanding through each cycle of text creation and 
interpretation 
 
Stage 4: 
Final participant reflection 
on themes/essences 
 
Text Creation  
A realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle 
Understanding by Fusing Horizons 
Stage 3: 
Interviews and 
participant reflection on 
emerging  
themes/essences 
 
Stage 2: 
Interviews and 
participant 
reflection on 1st  
Stage themes 
 
Stage 1: 
Interviews 
 Pre -Understanding 
Text Interpretation Stage 4: 
Refining 
themes/essences of 
the lived experience  
of transition; apply 
themes to all texts 
 Stage 3: 
Develop 
interpretation 
further; whole 
text analysis; 
structural 
analysis (part);  
themes identified 
 
Stage 2: 
Develop  
interpretation of 
emerging themes/ 
essences of 
experience of 
transition on all 
 texts 
 Stage 1: 
Naïve 
Interpretation; 
Thematic analysis 
 
Text Creation Process:  
•Semi-structured 
interviews 
•Co-creation of text 
•Built in participant 
reflexivity on emerging 
interpretations  
 
 Text Interpretation 
Process: 
•Hermeneutic circle 
defined by our personal 
horizon of understanding  
•Whole and part (within 
and across texts) 
•Pre-understanding and 
understanding 
•Fusing horizons 
 
Pa
rt
ic
ip
an
t’s
 H
or
izo
n Researcher Horizon 
References 
Ajjawi, R. and Higgs, J. (2007) ‘Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology to Investigate How 
Experienced Practitioners Learn to Communicate Clinical Reasoning’, The Qualitative Report, 
12 (4), pp. 612-638. 
Alvesson, M. and Skoldberg, K. (2001) Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas for Qualitative 
Research. London: Sage Publications.  
Cohen, M.Z., Kahn, D.L. and Steeves, R.H. (2000) Hermeneutical Phenomenological Research: A 
Practical Guide for Nurse Researchers. London: Sage. 
Creswell, J.W. (2007) Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 
2nd edn. London: Sage. 
Dahlberg, K., Dahlberg, H. and Nyström, M. (2008) Reflective Lifeworld Research. 2nd edn. 
Hungary: Studentlitteratur.  
Langridge, D. (2007) Phenomenological Psychology: Theory, Research and Method. 
Harlow:Pearson 
McAuley, J. (2006) ‘Hermeneutic Understanding‘ in Cassell, C. and Symon, G. Essential Guide to 
Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London: Sage, pp. 192-202. 
Rapport, F. (2005) ‘Hermeneutic Phenomenology: the science of interpretation of texts’ in 
Holloway, I. (ed.) Qualitative Research in Health Care. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 
pp.125-146. 
Van Manen, M. (1997) Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive 
Pedagogy. 2nd edn. Ontario:The Althouse Press.  
 


A Realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle: the application of a dialectic process in text interpretation as part of a hermeneutic phenomenological study

Northumbria University Research Portal

Citation: Crumbley, Julie (2009) A Realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle: the application of a dialectic process in text interpretation as part of a hermeneutic phenomenological study. In: Newcastle  Business School’s  Annual  Doctoral  Conference,  18-19 June 2009,  Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, UK. URL: This  version  was  downloaded  from  Northumbria  Research  Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/9564/Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners.  Single copies of full items can be reproduced,  displayed or  performed,  and given to  third parties in  any format  or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well  as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must  not  be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without  formal  permission  of  the  copyright  holder.   The  full  policy  is  available  online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.htmlThis document may differ from the final, published version of the research and has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies. To read and/or cite from the published version of the research, please visit the publisher’s website (a subscription may be required.)A Realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle Julie Crumbley DBA Student NBS PGR Doctoral Conference June 2009 Definition of Hermeneutic Phenomenology • Hermeneutic phenomenology is a form of phenomenology in which research is oriented toward interpreting the ‘texts’ of life (hermeneutical) and lived experiences (phenomenology) (Cresswell 2007) • Drawn from the philosophies of Heidegger and Gadamer (Hermeneutics) and Husserl (Phenomenology) • ‘Description of experience mediated by interpretation’ Rapport 2005 p.131. • It is a research methodology aimed at producing rich textual descriptions of the experiencing of a phenomenon in the lifeworld of individuals (Ajjawi and Higgs 2007) • Lifeworld is the world of lived experience (the world as experienced)  (Van Manen 1997)   Some key features and terms • Personal Prejudice: also called preunderstanding or foreknowledge; understanding others though language, history and tradition; the starting point for interpretation and understanding;  in order to understand or interpret a phenomenon the interpreter must both overcome the phenomenon’s strangeness and transform it into something familiar, thus uniting the horizon’s of the researcher and researched • Historicity: awareness of the cultural traditions and social context that govern our prejudices and provide the lens through which we interpret the texts • Horizon: range of vision; fusing of horizons is the melding of positions through a circular process of understanding, explication (clarification, revelation) and interpretation; the hermeneutic circle  is defined by our own personal horizon of understanding • Texts and interpretation are co-created, reflexive and  acknowledge the  relationship between the researcher, subject of research and participants (McAuley 2006)  • Based on Rapport 2005 p.131  The Hermeneutic Circle • Also called spiral, or cycle (McAuley 2006). A spiral better describes the process as it is open at beginning as well as end – openness being indicative of the researchers mind as they interpret the text (Dahlberg, Dahlberg and Nyström 2008. • A dialectic process (Cohen, Kahn and Steeves 2000) • The circle is a metaphor for understanding and interpretation (Ajjawi and Higgs 2007) • It is the movement between parts and whole, moving back and forth and emergent interpretation (McAuley 2006).  Preunderstanding  Understanding Part Whole Context of this study • What is the lived experience of transition for sojourning students from one educational culture to another? • Seek to interpret participants’ learning journeys/transition and experiences. This includes learning experiences, and events, people and situations that impact on how they have adapted how they study and learn.  • Methodology drawn from work of educationalist Max Van Manen • Findings emerge from the interactions between the researcher and participants as the research progresses; subjectivity is valued as participants describe a reality constructed by subjective experiences (Ajjawi and Higgs, 2007) but researcher also brings intellectual preunderstanding (McAuley 2006)   Context to the development of my Hermeneutic Circle • Systematic analysis, with built in researcher and participant reflexivity • Writing and member checking used to move researcher away from pre-judgements and towards a new understanding of the phenomenon through a  process of fusing of horizons • Movement between parts and whole occurs within texts, across texts, and between the stages of the research process so that the process of understanding is circular and iterative • My circle represents a spiral, starting off with a limited understanding (pre-judgments) building to a more inclusive understanding by fusing horizons. Some whole/part interpretation processes are represented as closed circles but this spiral represented movement and change to me, building understanding through each cycle of text creation and interpretation  Stage 4: Final participant reflection on themes/essences  Text Creation  A realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle Understanding by Fusing Horizons Stage 3: Interviews and participant reflection on emerging  themes/essences  Stage 2: Interviews and participant reflection on 1st  Stage themes  Stage 1: Interviews  Pre -Understanding Text Interpretation Stage 4: Refining themes/essences of the lived experience  of transition; apply themes to all texts  Stage 3: Develop interpretation further; whole text analysis; structural analysis (part);  themes identified  Stage 2: Develop  interpretation of emerging themes/ essences of experience of transition on all  texts  Stage 1: Naïve Interpretation; Thematic analysis  Text Creation Process:  •Semi-structured interviews •Co-creation of text •Built in participant reflexivity on emerging interpretations    Text Interpretation Process: •Hermeneutic circle defined by our personal horizon of understanding  •Whole and part (within and across texts) •Pre-understanding and understanding •Fusing horizons  Participant’s Horizon Researcher Horizon References Ajjawi, R. and Higgs, J. (2007) ‘Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology to Investigate How Experienced Practitioners Learn to Communicate Clinical Reasoning’, The Qualitative Report, 12 (4), pp. 612-638. Alvesson, M. and Skoldberg, K. (2001) Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas for Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications.  Cohen, M.Z., Kahn, D.L. and Steeves, R.H. (2000) Hermeneutical Phenomenological Research: A Practical Guide for Nurse Researchers. London: Sage. Creswell, J.W. (2007) Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 2nd edn. London: Sage. Dahlberg, K., Dahlberg, H. and Nyström, M. (2008) Reflective Lifeworld Research. 2nd edn. Hungary: Studentlitteratur.  Langridge, D. (2007) Phenomenological Psychology: Theory, Research and Method. Harlow:Pearson McAuley, J. (2006) ‘Hermeneutic Understanding‘ in Cassell, C. and Symon, G. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London: Sage, pp. 192-202. Rapport, F. (2005) ‘Hermeneutic Phenomenology: the science of interpretation of texts’ in Holloway, I. (ed.) Qualitative Research in Health Care. Maidenhead: Open University Press, pp.125-146. Van Manen, M. (1997) Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy. 2nd edn. Ontario:The Althouse Press.   

Hermeneutic Phenomenology: the science of interpretation of texts’

Hermeneutic Understanding‘ in

Hermeneutical Phenomenological Research: A Practical Guide for Nurse Researchers.

Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 2nd edn.

Reflective Lifeworld Research. 2nd edn.

Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas for Qualitative Research.

Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy. 2nd edn.

Using Hermeneutic Phenomenology to Investigate How Experienced Practitioners Learn to Communicate Clinical Reasoning’,

http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/9564/1/crumbley.pdf

A Realisation of the Hermeneutic Circle: the application of a dialectic process in text interpretation as part of a hermeneutic phenomenological study

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