PHENOMENOGRAPHY Exploring the perceptual worlds of information and technology users Professor Christine Bruce a qualitative research methodology, within the interpretivist paradigm, that investigates the qualitatively different ways in which people experience something or think about something (Marton and Booth, 1997).
PROGRAM 9.00Introduction to each other and the day (30 mins) 9.30 ‘Pre test’, followed by Q&A (30 minutes) Discussion of Pre reading (One hour) Brief lecture on phenomenography (One hour) 1.00 LUNCH 1.45 If you were to use the phenomenographic approach (design) 2.30 If you were to use the phenomenographic approach continued (try out an interview)
While you are waiting Talk To your neighbours about their research and what you are looking forward to about today Think About what you hope to gain from this seminar Write One things you are looking forward to The most important thing you hope to leave with at the end of today
What we can do today Look at sample studies and discuss what they contribute to the field Experience some aspects of phenomenographic research – eg a p’graphic interview Talk/debate with students who have been using the method Get into details, theoretical constructs etc
What have we studied using this method? How students learn to search the internet The experience of learning to program The significance and value of IT research IT researchers’ views of their territory IT students’ views of their research territory Ways of thinking about thesaurii IT professionals’ experience of IT ethics Ways of thinking about internetworking Teachers’ views of teaching and learning
Pretest Write a short paragraph explaining to a fellow research student a) what is phenomenography? and b) what type of investigations can it be used for?
Briefly compare phenomenography with one other method of your choice
Choose one research article that you read and respond to the following: What was the article about? What did you think about the article? Eg what did you find interesting/ unusual/? What questions do you have about the article?
Discussion of Pre Reading For your article(s) of choice: What were the research questions being asked? What investigative techniques were applied?
What outcomes were obtained, and what were the characteristics/features of those outcomes? How might the outcomes be used?
What questions do you have about any of the above?
Short lecture on Phenomenography See separate slides
An example from Learning to Program See separate slides Or we could look at some other study you are interested in
Note your questions here
Designing your own study We will spend some time now imagining that you are going to do a phenomenographic study and creating aspects of such a study
What are the phenomena you are interested in? Your general area of interest Processes, concepts, etc associated with the field The phenomenon you are most interested in is…….
The aim of your study Write your phenomenon here Write the aim of your study here
Data gathering Who would you gather data from?
What questions would you ask? Open questions only, no closed questions! Will the participants understand the questions? Abstract questions about the phenomenon Concrete questions about their experience
How could the results be used?
Practice a phenomenographic interview Use your questions, or the questions from an existing study, to interview a partner in the class. Remember you are trying to understand how they experience the phenomenon, and the different ways they might understand it
Talk with a phenomenographer
The presenter Prof Christine Bruce has Regularly published in A+ journals Supervised and examined multiple phenomenographic theses Her students have published books and articles in A+ journals Her students have won or are recommended for outstanding theses awards