Horizonalization

Horizonalization stems from the idea that the researcher should be receptive to and place equal value on every statement or piece of data. Being universally receptive allows the researcher initially to grant equal value to each statement uttered by the participant and thus promotes a rhythmic flow between the researcher and the study participant—an interaction that motivates full disclosure of the experience. The metaphor of a horizon is utilized when discussing horizonalization. A horizon can be thought of as a perspective, or way of seeing the world. Thus, a horizon refers to that which comes into a person's conscious experience and acts as a foundation or condition of the phenomenon. Horizons are believed to be unlimited because humans can never entirely use up their experiences of things regardless of how many times they are reassessed. Although no horizon lasts indefinitely, whenever one horizon diminishes, a new horizon emerges.

Phenomenologists believe that we experience phenomena that exist in the world via self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-reflection. The horizontal (i.e., lived experiences) brings to the forefront the experiences of individuals and forms perceptions of experiences that [Page 401]will always prevail even though the elements of conscious life appear and disappear. Thus, horizonalization helps the mind to discover its own essence.

Horizonalization is a method for understanding data through a phenomenological reduction by reducing the number of words and replacing the vocabulary with similar terms in which the researcher places equal value on each statement or piece of data. As such, horizonalization is a continuous process, and even though a person may reach a termination point in which a perception of something is discontinued, the potential for discovery always remains—thereby making a complete reduction impossible. When utilizing horizonalization, the researcher is trying to consider each horizon in the data that enable him or her to understand an experience.

After engaging in horizonalization, the researcher can ignore or delete statements that are irrelevant or repetitive in the data. By eliminating redundant and immaterial statements, only the horizons, or the unique aspects of the participants' perspectives, are left. As the researcher considers each horizon and its textural qualities through self-awareness and reflection, an understanding of the experience emerges. At this point, significant statements are identified that provide information about the experiences of the participants. The researcher carefully examines the identified significant statements, and then clusters these statements into themes or meaning units. Examples of researchers engaging in horizonalization occur in many interviews. When the researcher is nondirective and open to the participant disclosing information, the researcher is utilizing horizonalization techniques. Using statements and questions that are reflective, nonjudgmental, and inquisitive can reveal multiple horizons in the participants' perspectives.

The process of horizonalization assists the researcher by reducing potential researcher bias. When giving each statement equal value, the researcher cannot hone in on one aspect of the participants' perspective; instead, the whole perspective is considered. In other words, each statement is taken individually as an indicator of truth. By engaging in horizonalization, the researcher moves from seeing the raw data as representing empirical information and thus can begin to identify the underlying meanings and essences in the data.

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