Hi!

I hope you are doing well!

I am conducting a research in education by following van Manen's (1990) work about Phenomenology of Pedagogy.

I have been trying to find references about Phenomenology of Pedagogy but I havent found any helpful ones except his book 'Researching Lived Experience' (van Manen, 1990). I was wondering if you have any recommendations?

In addition, I have found more than enough informaiton about Sample Size in IPA but nothing about Phenomenology of Pedagogy. Any comments, recommendations?

Thank you in advance!

Can anyone help Petalouda?

No one up to now. I dont even find references about any other research projects that use the Phenomenology of Pedagogy. I thought that by quoting othe research projects that have a small number of participants as well, I will then be able to justify the small number of participants.

I advise you to read Marshall's (1996) article: Sampling for qualitative research. You can find there information about small size.

Are you doing research on Phenomenology of Pedagogy?If yes, it might be good if we exchange emails and talk about our work in more detail.

Plus, any of you out there who are conducting phenomenological research (particularly about Phenomenology of Pedagogy) we could perhaps form a group of us and exchange ideas, thoughts, references etc.

Happy to form a group but my phenomenology approach will be more of an adapted model based on Moustakas (and a form of case study approach). Sorry that I can't be of assistance with regard to research on Van Manen's approach.

My personal observations are that it uses pedagogy as a term of reference in a way that is a little different to how many educators understand it. It also seems to present a highly sensitive, respectful and creative way of working with participants or respondents but in doing so, it appears to be very difficult to report on results in any way other than a very individualistic perspective (which might be why the take up and research articles are not common). This doesn't mean it is a poor method-but perhaps one that is not always as productive for researchers who want their findings to appeal to a broader audience.

Just my opinion though...there will be other perspectives and who is to say that the findings that stem from using this approach are not highly valuable and interesting.
Best regards P.

Hi,

I am not sure how we could set up the forum as nobody has replied to this post. I dont think that the diverse of phenomenological approaches would be a problem. At least in this way we can learn more about all these approaches and be more prepared for the viva.

I am now very worried about the Phenomenology of Pedagogy. I think its quite late to change my approach but in somehow I should find my answers :). The viva is approaching (that is my vision :) ).

Do please let me know if you would like any articles/information/comments about phenomenology.

Petalouda, just looking at your comment about the small number of participants-it isn't only pedagogical phenomenology that uses a small number of participants. Other qualitative methods do as well. If you are looking at very rich data and really analysing this in an intensive way then it is justified keeping your number of participants to a manageable sum, as a greater number of participants may interfere with the depth and richness of the data.

For example, I plan to use between 9-12 participants only in my study. I am hoping to set up three separate research sites, all three have cultural and structural similarities but will also have some uniqueness as all three are somewhat isolated institutions in small regional centres. These sites will represent different cases to some extent. I hope to have between three to four participants from each site and given the rigorous nature of data analysis, couldn't imagine going completing all of the processes or methods of analysis if I had many more participants (well not in a doctoral study anyway). Thus far I have only one 'set up site' with participants. The other two are not terribly interested but I know I will be able to work with them if I really put in the hours. However, my plan is to work with the current site and participants (the institution and participants are relatively cooperative and welcoming) and then when I have finished collecting the data from this one, move on to the next one-and so on.

I'm planning on using phenomenology (after Moustakas) as a model for analysis and to provide me with a method but the set up is sort of like a multiple case study and I'm hoping to blend bits of both together. Not sure how but I just have the instinct that this is the way to go.

If you don't worry too much about having other back up journal articles to support the pedagogical focus, but go back to the philosophy (Heigegger) and to Van Manen himself, to Creswell as well, you should have ample evidence to justify your approach. Also type in 'phenomenology of practice' as that seems to bring up another line of Van Manen as well.
(Although you may already have found this).

I have my confirmation of candidature seminar next Friday and have to justify my own research design, etc at that, so I'll let you know how it goes down. I'm hoping it is alright. I prepared a presentation a couple of weekends ago but have not had a chance to do more as work has been so intense-so finger's crossed I survive unscathed!

Pjlu,

from what you have written in your last message I am more than positive that you will definitely do well in the candidature seminar. No worries at all.

I actually have a very similar research design to yours. I conducted my research in two countries from which after a postal survey I selected two schools in each country. then within these schools i anticipated that i could have between three to twelve participants. I eventually had nine.

In regards to justifying my sample size, sample strategy etc I did not only focus on van Manen's work but also to Patton's (2002) book (excellent resource), to IPA (in my opinion similar to phenomenonology of pedagogy), Creswell and others.

All the best!
Thank you for the support!

Hi Petalouda, thanks for your kind wishes. My seminar presentation went really well and gave me the momentum to get through the last two hell weeks at work, so that I can spend an uninterrupted 9 days on my study during the break.

I have two weeks off-gave myself a complete weekend break-am just clocking the last of three days of work for my paid employment-catch up from admin I could not complete during term time and tomorrow will go onto the study and some final confirmation tasks before all of that is finalised. Got to polish a major piece of writing (my lit review), prepare a poster for a graduate research semimar and prepare for the formal interview. 9 days -can I do it? I think so...but they might be very long days.

The feedback I received from academics who attended the seminar was that they liked my rigorous approaach to the methodology-and to really examining the theory behind my selection and matching it to the sort of questions I was researching. The quantitative academic who really finds qualitative stuff 'fuzzy'-was happy with my methods to some extent but wanted me to extend my survey so that the study really was a mixed methods study-and I think I am going to take his advice. Getting people to do the survey is like pulling teeth! So I might just have to put it out there to a much broader group-just have to amend my ethics submission.

They were less interested in specific stuff regarding phenomenological methods-more interested in number of participants (but happy with my justifications) and types of questions-why was I doing observations -but happy that I was-and also that I should go back for second interviews-something I thought of myself as well. Finally they liked that my understanding of definitions was that they were really 'grey' and believed that I needed to make sure that I was absolutely clear about what shades of 'grey' I was going to look at.

But it was a good experience and what I took from it was not to be afraid about not following a specific outlined methodology to the letter but following the data and the story of the data and being very true to that-adapting my methods along the way, but understanding and knowing why I had to adapt them, so that I could defend this approach.

Hope all has gone well with you since the last post as well.

Dear Pjlu,

congratulations! These are great news! Now its the time to push yourself and work really hard. I am sure you can do everything in 9 days - maybe not perfectly done but still completed. I suppose this is one of the things we learn in the process of the PhD - an important skill (to complete our tasks) in academia. Most of my friends have completed their PhDs and are now working in universitites and they all have this 'pressure of time'. And a boss of course :). I am one of those people who lost focus in the way (got married, had a son, had different jobs) and I am now trying to get back to the momentum.

Thank you also for sharing with me your examiners' feedback. I am hoping to submit my PhD some time next year so any feedback on vivas is more than wellcome! I did use survey as well so I am happy that you have commented about this. I linked the need of doing survey with the fact that there was a lack of literature in my topic. For this reason I also used the findings from the survey in order to form the topics in my aide-memoire. I havent done yet the data analysis of my interviews so I am not sure how I could link the findings from the survey with the data analysis of the interviews. So you can justify the survey in a number of different ways.

I am quite worried about phenomenology as a philosophy. I havent written much in my PhD about this aspect of phenomenology as my supervisor repeatedly reminds me that the Methodology Chapter is about what I did and why and not a literature review about Phenomenology. Any comments about this?

Once again congratulations! :)

Hi Petalouda-I need to clarify-this seminar just presented, plus poster presentation, interview and major piece of writing submission is not my viva.

It is for the one year confirmation of candidature process (due 11 months after full time phd and 22 months for a part-time). I am a part-time student who has a very full-time and demanding job, so my phd will take around 6 years rather than 3-4.

I would be over the moon if it was my viva. Presently though I am in data collection mode and will be for the next 18 months before going into formal write-up, so my real viva will not be until around 2016.

Thanks very much for your support though. I posted the information just because I know how worrying the whole qualitative methods thing can be and thought the process might be helpful. I was very pleased with the response to my confirmation of candidature seminar from the audience of academics and some RA's but it wasn't my viva.

Thanks though for your very generous and positive reply. Good luck with your own process and viva, which I believe is much closer than mine?

Hi!

I was aware that this was your upgrade viva - perhaps it was my mistake. It is such an important point in the phd as it is one of the few times that you get feedback from other academics.

I am part-time as well. I started in 2007 and I am aiming to submit my thesis next year. It is not an easy job when you are working but if you are persistent and focused then all can be done!

Oh, it is one of those language things...difference between UK and Australia perhaps. Or maybe just my own university. You must be so happy to be almost through...well done for all of your hardwork, talent, persistence and drive. Bet you can't wait for the final moment of submission :)

Thank you for your kind words :). I cant really say that I am happy but I should actually start shifting my way of viewing things :). I am more anxious about whether I am going to pass but all my friends had exacly the same worries before the viva so i suppose it must be one of those feelings that all phd students go through. By the way, I have sent you a private message through this forum with my email contact as I cant post my email in the public messages. I think it is much easier in this way to share articles etc. Have you received anything?