Exploration of the lived experiences of an Enabling Environment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the perceptions of staff and residents through the process of becoming an Enabling Environment.
IRAS ID
203337
Contact name
John Cordwell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Roehampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 29 days
Research summary
It is understood that the external environment, and the therapeutic environment / culture is fundamentally important in promoting engagement and participation in psychological therapies, as well as encouraging and maintaining a readiness and willingness to engage in treatment (Andrews & Bonta, 2003; Howells & Day, 2007; Ward, Day, Howells & Birgden, 2004).
The aim of this research is to explore the experiences of staff working at, and residents living within two National
Probation Service Approved Premises (community based residential premises) as they progress through implementation of a psychologically informed culture, i.e. an Enabling Environment (EE). It will use a mixed qualitative methodological design, using both a Q-sort methodology and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA allows for rigorous exploration of individual subjective experiences around a topic, and Q methodology (Stephenson, 1953) explores the subjectivity of people’s experience to attempt to explain, from the point of view of the participants what the shared perspectives are around a theme in focus (Watts & Stenner, 2003; Watts & Stenner, 2005).The research question asks; “Do staff change their views of the enabling environment as they progress through the
enabling environment process?” Using Q methodology, staff at each Approved Premise will be asked to rank a set of
statements using a card-sort technique at three separate time points through the EE process. These statements will
be developed from a rigorous and methodical study of psychologically informed cultures and consulting with experts in the subject. Q methodology uses a card-sort technique that will explore participant’s implicit perspectives towards what they find important within their EE. Both individual and group data will be analysed at each time point to explore how these perspectives and attitudes change over time, as the EE progresses. IPA will also be used with a number of residents in each of the Approved Premises using semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences of living within an environment that has been working towards an EE status.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0034
Date of REC Opinion
7 Feb 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion