Colleagues are invited to the CSHE Seminar taking place on Friday 12 October, from 14.00-15.00 in the UELT Seminar Room, Canterbury.

The seminar, on Phenomenography: A Much Misunderstood Research Approach, will be presented by Professor Gerlese Åkerlind, Professor Emerita, The Australian National University.

Since its inception, phenomenography has been frequently misunderstood. Initially, growth in attempts to use the approach outstripped the publication of descriptive literature, leading to extensive variation in practice. Then, the relatively small numbers of experienced phenomengraphers available to act as reviewers has meant that published papers have not necessarily been reviewed by someone well experienced in the approach, leading to errors in descriptions of phenomenography in the peer-reviewed literature.  In addition, developmental changes in the approach over time, with associated changes in theory and practice, have exacerbated misunderstandings.

This seminar will map substantive changes in phenomenography over time, addressing questions such as: Is phenomenography a theory, a method or both? What is ‘new phenomenography’?  What is the relationship between phenomenography and variation theory? What are the most common misunderstandings of phenomenography?

The article on Variation and commonality in phenomenographic research methods is available here.

Please confirm your attendance by completing the online booking form.