Phenomenography

DE LA PHENOMENOLOGIE VERS LA PHENOMENOGRAPHIE « UNE THESE CONCERNANT LES POSSIBILITES DE CONDITIONS DE L’ECRITURE »

by Enis Memisoglu

Unpublished (and unedited) paper (2009)

The Understandings of Global Warming and Learning Styles: A Phenomenographic Analysis of Prospective Primary School Teachers

by Halil Eksi

Hilmi DEMİRKAYA
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
8 (1) • January 2008 • 51-58

In this study, statements by prospective primary school teachers such as “I think the
word global warming …” or... more In this study, statements by prospective primary school teachers such as “I think the
word global warming …” or “I think the term global warming means …” were analyzed
by using qualitative phenomenographic research methods. 142 female (48.3 %)
and 152 male (51.7 %) pimary school teacher candidates (n=294) participated in the
study. Moreover, the relationship between learning styles and perceptions was investigated.
In the study, seven different conceptions of global warming were determined
at the end of the phenomenographic analysis. Conceptions of global warming
from the least sophisticated to the most inclusive and expansive are (1) Global warming
is the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth. (2) Global warming is
the gradual enhancement of the hole in the ozone layer. (3) Global warming is the
deterioration of ecological balance. (4) Global warming is the change of climates and
seasons. (5) Global warming is the deterioration of mutual relation between the people
and ecological balance. (6) The cause of global warming is people and they are
responsible for its prevention. (7) Global warming is the portent of vanishing process
of living things and people. Implications of these findings were discussed and evaluated
in terms of environmental education.

A phenomenographic study on students’ experiences of dimension

by Nicole Panorkou

Panorkou, N (2011) A phenomenographic study on students’ experiences of dimension. Proceedings of the International symposium Elementary Mathematics Teaching. Prague: SEMT’ 11.

The paper presents a phenomenographic study of children’s experiences of geometric dimension. 401 meanings were... more The paper presents a phenomenographic study of children’s experiences of geometric dimension. 401 meanings were generated through activity with twenty-four 10-year-old students during four situations designed. Dimensional experience was characterised in four categories of description namely, Dimension as Action, Dimension as Material, Dimension as Vector and Dimension as Capacity. Finally, similarities and relationships between these categories were noted, illustrating in that way the space of learning dimension.

Using Google SketchUp to research children’s experience of dimension

by Nicole Panorkou

Panorkou, N & Pratt, D (2011) Using Google SketchUp to research children’s experience of dimension. In B. Ubuz (Eds) Proceedings of the 35th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 3, pp. 337-344. Ankara, Turkey: PME.

Following on from a phenomenographic study of how dimension is experienced, the study reported here explored how the... more Following on from a phenomenographic study of how dimension is experienced, the study reported here explored how the software Google SketchUp and the use of its dimensional tools can facilitate further experiences. Clinical interviews based around carefully designed tasks were conducted. This paper reports evidence from one pair of students on how the dimensional tools prompted the construction of ideas about dimension that could be regarded as situated abstractions of the powerful mathematical notions of vector and vector space.

Work In Progress-Future Engineering Professors' Conceptions of Learning and Teaching Engineering

by Ana Torres-Ayala

Conceptual understanding of engineering courses: cognitive and didactic aspects (1987)

by Michael May

Paper presented at EARLI’97, The 7th European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction, Athens August 26-30 1997.

Blended University Teaching using Virtual Learning Environments: Conceptions and Approaches

by Petros Lameras

Petros Lameras, Philippa Levy, Iraklis Paraskakis, Published Journal Paper, Instructional Science

This paper reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into blended university teaching using virtual... more This paper reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into blended university teaching using virtual learning environments (VLEs). Interviews with 25 Computer Science teachers in Greek universities illuminated a spectrum of teachers’ conceptions and approaches from ‘teacher-focused and content-oriented’, through ‘student-focused and content-oriented’, to ‘student-focused and process-oriented’. Using VLEs was described as a means of supporting: A—information transfer; B—application and clarification of concepts; C—exchange and development of ideas, and resource exploration and sharing; D—collaborative knowledge-creation, and development of process awareness and skills. The study suggests that pedagogical beliefs and circumstances underpinning face-to-face teaching are more influential in shaping approaches to blended VLE use than VLE system features. The authors propose that the findings could be used to inform educational enhancement initiatives and that there is a need for further discipline-focused research on blended teaching.

A phenomenographic analysis of course design in the academy

by Donna Ziegenfuss

Ziegenfuss, D. H. (2007). A phenomenographic analysis of course design in the academy. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research, 2, 70-79.

A lack of research exists about how faculty in higher education design and develop the courses they teach. In... more A lack of research exists about how faculty in higher education design and develop the courses they teach. In response, the present phenomenographic study ensued. Twenty-three faculty members were interviewed about their approaches to course design. Although each participant stated unique approaches, data analyses condensed the responses into five different methods. Discussion presented in this article describes how personal experiences, priorities, and academic culture are the forces behind these five methods. Furthermore, the article explains how a faculty member’s subject matter (e.g., biology) may not influence the five methods. Additional discussion and reflections about the use of a phenomenographic research design and implications for additional research are presented.

Kılınç, A, & Aydın, A (2011). Turkish Student Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Sustainable Development: A phenomenography, International Journal of Science Education, DOI:10.1080/09500693.2011.574822

by Ahmet Kilinc

In creating a society whose citizens have sustainable lifestyles, education for sustainable development (ESD) plays a... more In creating a society whose citizens have sustainable lifestyles, education for sustainable development (ESD) plays a key role. However, the concept of sustainable development (SD) has developed independently from the input of educators; therefore, ESD presents current teachers with many challenges. At this point, understanding how stakeholders in the education sector(school students, student teachers, and teachers) view SD is of great importance. We selected a sample of 113 Turkish student science teachers from this body of stakeholders and distributed a questionnaire to them that included two separate sections. In the first section, questions regarding personal information such as gender, age, and year group were asked, whereas the meaning of SD was the focus of the second part. A phenomenographic approach was used to analyse student teachers’ descriptions of SD. The results showed that student teachers had a variety of ideas about SD that could be collected under headings such as environment, technology, society, economy, politics, energy, and education. In addition, we thought that gender, context-based issues, and informal experiences might be responsible for the variety of the responses.

The curriculum? That's just a unit outline, isn't it?

by Agnes Bosanquet

Co-authored with Sharon Fraser

The term curriculum is familiar in school education, but more ambiguous in its usage in a higher education context.... more The term curriculum is familiar in school education, but more ambiguous in its usage in a higher education context. Although it is frequently used in academic staff discussions, policy and planning documents, and to describe advisory bodies, its usage is inconsistent and multifarious. This article reports a phenomenographic study of the ways in which academics conceive of the curriculum in higher education. It examines the variation in perceptions of curriculum, which is critiqued through the work of school curriculum theorists, who utilise Habermas’s theory of knowledge‐constitutive interests. The intention of this article is to explore the epistemologies and assumptions that underpin these conceptions, in order to promote an inclusive and shared vocabulary as a basis for curriculum development.

Phenomenography: a Conceptual Framework for Information Literacy Education The Authors

by Susie Andretta