Faculty Research Grant 2022-2023

Shannon Trecartin (Social Work).

A Phenomenological study of older adults’ religiosity and spirituality during the COVID-19 crisis.

Abstract: This phenomenological study seeks to describe the experiences of Seventh-day Adventist older adults in a religious community, during the COVID-19 crisis. The focus is on describing their religiosity and spirituality during this time, using a semi-structured interview protocol. The aim is to provide clarity on what it is like to live as an older adult, in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) faith community, and still practice one’s faith during COVID-19. This qualitative study uses an emergent design following a phenomenological approach allowing the researchers to explore the essence of participants’ experiences, during the COVID -19 pandemic. Specifically, the Moustakas’s (1994) tradition of transcendental phenomenology will be followed, focusing primarily on the responses of the participants, and using the practice of bracketing to assist the researchers in setting aside their personal experiences, beliefs, and expectations of respondents. This study uses a purposive and snowball sampling approach. We are seeking to enrich our data pool by adding rich descriptions of the experience.