Using a lens of awareness in phenomenographic research: an example from early mathematics education research
Using a lens of awareness in phenomenographic research: an example from early mathematics education research
This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of methodological practice for phenomenographic research by introducing the notion of a lens of awareness, as a device that can enable researchers to zoom into the detail of the research process (the parts of the whole) and out again to the related context of a phenomenographic study (the whole). The lens enables researchers to embrace a reflexive stance to bracket prior assumptions, allowing critical inspection of the whole research process and a thorough retrospective and transparent account of the approaches used. We use a lens of awareness to communicate the component parts of a study that examined preschool children’s understandings of the use of numerals in everyday environments. Through an analytical documentation of processes and decisions, we examine challenges, the powerful affordances and application of a phenomenographic approach to research with young children. We discuss four strands of researcher awareness that we argue are important in the application of phenomenography: the nature of the phenomenon; the operationalization of phenomenographic theoretical notions; the researcher’s versus the participant’s experience of the phenomenon and the applied research processes. The paper closes with explorative strategies that may enhance transparency and trustworthiness in phenomenographic research.
educational research, methodological discussion, Phenomenography, qualitative research, research design, research trustworthiness
Stott, Debbie
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Voutsina, Chronoula
bd9934e7-f8e0-4b82-a664-a1fe48850082
Stott, Debbie
b0aa8219-0350-4fdb-9102-61ce78e78400
Voutsina, Chronoula
bd9934e7-f8e0-4b82-a664-a1fe48850082
Stott, Debbie and Voutsina, Chronoula
(2023)
Using a lens of awareness in phenomenographic research: an example from early mathematics education research.
International Journal of Research and Method in Education.
(doi:10.1080/1743727X.2023.2290191).
Abstract
This paper aims to contribute to the advancement of methodological practice for phenomenographic research by introducing the notion of a lens of awareness, as a device that can enable researchers to zoom into the detail of the research process (the parts of the whole) and out again to the related context of a phenomenographic study (the whole). The lens enables researchers to embrace a reflexive stance to bracket prior assumptions, allowing critical inspection of the whole research process and a thorough retrospective and transparent account of the approaches used. We use a lens of awareness to communicate the component parts of a study that examined preschool children’s understandings of the use of numerals in everyday environments. Through an analytical documentation of processes and decisions, we examine challenges, the powerful affordances and application of a phenomenographic approach to research with young children. We discuss four strands of researcher awareness that we argue are important in the application of phenomenography: the nature of the phenomenon; the operationalization of phenomenographic theoretical notions; the researcher’s versus the participant’s experience of the phenomenon and the applied research processes. The paper closes with explorative strategies that may enhance transparency and trustworthiness in phenomenographic research.
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Using a lens of awareness in phenomenographic research an example from early mathematics education research
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Accepted/In Press date: 31 October 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 December 2023
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Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Keywords:
educational research, methodological discussion, Phenomenography, qualitative research, research design, research trustworthiness
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 483823
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/483823
ISSN: 1743-727X
PURE UUID: 6d5b7e48-c221-4bed-a5d2-dc37afffe58d
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Date deposited: 06 Nov 2023 18:18
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:01
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