3.1 Research Design
A qualitative interview-based research design was employed. The research took a phenomenological approach (Moustaka, 1994) whereby an interpretative approach was employed, to gain innovative knowledge and insight, by allowing the researcher to hear the participants’ lived experiences and comprehend how they interpret meaning and make sense of these phenomena in their work with sex offenders and the world in which they live, “The basis of qualitative research lies in the interpretive approach to social reality” (Holloway, 1997, p.2). The participants’ experiences and interpretations of working with sex offenders were then explored and analysed for similarities or a common thread running throughout. It was also hoped that
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The semi-structured interview format comprised of a number of pre-determined open-ended questions (Appendix E) which were designed to elicit the participant’s perspectives, opinions and experiences in relation to the research objective of exploring and determining the impact on therapists both professionally and personally in their work with sex …show more content…
The participants were also given the option of reviewing the interview questions beforehand, but all three declined, stating they preferred to wait until the