An overview of a theoretical framework of phenomenography in qualitative education research: An example from physics education research

There are certain benefits to using the results of phenomenographic study in education research. Phenomenographic studies in education probe how students experience understanding and constructing of new knowledge. In universities or institutes of higher education, students are usually encouraged to develop conceptual understanding (Entwistle, 1997). The goal of teachers or instructors is to assist their students in developing conceptions that are consistent with those of experts in different areas, such as physics. However, in general, students have multiple, different and alternate conceptions for a phenomenon which may not be consistent with experts’ conceptions. Marton (1986) claims “a careful account of the different ways that people think about phenomena may help uncover conditions that ease the transition from one-way of thinking to a qualitatively better view of reality” (p. 33). Therefore, “phenomenographic information about the different conceptions that students hold for a particular phenomenon may be useful to teachers who are developing ways of helping their students experience or understand a phenomenon from a given perspective” (Orgill, 2002).

Another possible advantage of phenomenographical research is that “students may become aware of contradictions in their own reasoning and become more open to alternative ideas as they reflect on their views and understandings of their world experiences” (Marton, 1986).

As a result, educators can benefit from these studies designed to improve or develop their teaching strategies or their curriculum by understanding students’ conceptions and thoughts about the course.