ABSTRACT
"In heuristic research the investigator must have had a direct, personal encounter with the phenomenon being investigated. There must have been actual autobiographical connections". According to Moustakas the first stage of inquiry, "initial engagement," is the discovery of "an intense interest, a passionate concern that calls out to the researcher, one that holds important social meanings and personal, compelling implication". Moustakas writes that during the immersion phase, "The research question is lived in waking, sleeping and even dream states. This requires alertness, concentration and self-searching. Moustakas writes that incubation "involves a retreat from the intense, concentrated focus, allowing the expansion of knowledge to take place at a more subtle level, enabling the inner tacit dimension and intuition to clarify and extend understanding. These phases involve "opening a door to new awareness, a modification of an old understanding, a synthesis of fragmented knowledge, or new discovery".
