IPA as a research methodology and potential innovations within it

For a recent coach development study, we employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as our research methodology. Given our experience of using IPA in the past and also the scholarly confident of our research group, ‘the becoming of a coach’, we followed an innovative approach from study design to data analysis. This helped us to develop a more interpretative account of participants experiences resulting a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. Our positive experience of methodological innovation motivated us to publish an open access, peer-reviewed article and communicate those innovations and their implications for research practice. We hope this paper helps you to develop scholarly confidence and avoid being too reliant on established methodological guidance which may hinder creativity and innovation.

The above paper was an extension from our previous work on IPA, for example a paper we published to introduce IPA for coaching research in 2020 and another paper that argues IPA’s suitability for entrepreneurship research in 2021. These papers may help you to develop your understanding of the philosophical positions of IPA and how to conduct an IPA study with more popular, traditional IPA study design.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information and clarity on how you could use IPA as a research methodology and innovate within it.