Deconstructing deep and surface: Towards a critique of phenomenography

The notion of 'deep' and 'surface' approaches to learning is critiquedalong with phenomenography, the associated methodology and theory ofknowledge. A number of reasons are suggested to explain why the deep/surfacenotion has attained what is tantamount to foundational status within highereducation research, practice and development. These include its ability toboth cohere with the past while at the same time enabling a new generation ofresearchers to rise within the discourse; the contemporaneous growth ofeducational development centres and staff developers within higher educationinstitutions; the simplicity, universality and power of the metaphor.Some elements of a critique of phenomenography are suggested followingboth postmodern and philosophy of science objections regarding theobservational and interpretive neutrality of the researcher. These point tothe importance of the understandings of researchers in the construction ofresults. It is also suggested that the 'qualitative' nat ure of the researchis undeveloped and does not exhibit the hermeneutical values usuallyassociated with 'human' as opposed to positivist science.The idea of deconstruction is then introduced and the deep/surfacemetaphor discussed in terms of the post-structural critique of binaries.Finally, the question of power within the higher education developmentdiscourse is raised.     

Phenomenology and phenomenography in educational research: A critique

Abstract

The use of phenomenology and phenomenography as a method in the educational research literature has risen in popularity, particularly by researchers who are interested in understanding and generating knowledge about first-person events, or the lived experiences of students in certain educational contexts. With the rise of phenomenology and phenomenography as a method, some conceptual mistakes and associated confusion have also arisen; however, accounts examining both are limited. As a result, this paper will be concerned with the discussion of two issues: (1) for the sake of conceptual clarity, I provide a brief outline of phenomenology and phenomenography; and, (2) I then turn my attention to a critical discussion of phenomenography. In the latter case, I argue that when phenomenography departs from phenomenology it actually weakens its legitimacy as an approach to research. In order to overcome this problem, I argue that it makes sense to consolidate phenomenography within the broader research agenda of phenomenology which extends on the work of Husserl. Of course, the caveat to this idea is contingent upon a significant shift within phenomenography so it closely aligns itself with phenomenological principles and methods. As a way forward, I offer research direction to those who may be interested in the study of human experience by opening-up interdisciplinary dialogue about phenomenology, and at the same time I explore core methods used in phenomenology that extend on the continental tradition of phenomenology.     

The phenomenography tradition in the study of classroom teaching

ABSTRACT

Phenomenography is internationally well-known for its use in studying learning and teaching in educational settings. This paper begins with the discussion of two approaches reported in the literature to study classroom teaching in the phenomenography tradition. The paper goes on to put forward a third approach that is in essence to return to the original idea of phenomenography and use observation of teaching activities for identifying the qualitatively different ways of seeing the object of learning. Observational data are collected and analysed by categorizing the teaching activities according to the ways of seeing that emerge from the data. This approach has been developed from a number of our projects on learning to teach Chinese. In this paper, the focus of the discussion is on the differences in the methodological assumptions underlying the three approaches to study teaching in the phenomenography tradition.     

The adult heritage Spanish speaker in the foreign language classroom: a phenomenography

For heritage speakers, the Spanish classroom is not the first point of contact with their native language. Though such learners would benefit from an educational philosophy that affirms the heritage language as a springboard for learning and increased self‐awareness, there has been little support for non‐dominant language research in the USA. This inattention breeds negative consequences not only for heritage speakers themselves, but also for national economic concerns as well. This study takes a phenomenographic approach to reveal the experiences of adult heritage Spanish speakers in programs designed for monolingual English speakers. The data gleaned from this research sheds light on the educational, social, and individual challenges faced by the adult heritage speaker in their quest to improve literacy skills in their native language.     

Utopian totalism versus utopian realism: a reply to Darren Webb

Debate continues about the relationship between schools divided on ethno-religious lines and their implications for social cohesion. One argument against the existence of separate schools is that they limit opportunities for children from different groups to engage with each other, promoting intergroup suspicion and sectarianism. Using intergroup contact theory we examine the impact on outgroup attitudes of pupils attending mixed and separate post-primary schools in Northern Ireland. Data were collected through a survey of more than 3,500 pupils and analyses show that, irrespective of school type, intergroup contact at school is strongly associated with more positive orientations to the ethno-religious outgroup. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

On bandwagons and the education of the severely and profoundly retarded: A response to Reger

The authors take issue with Reger's (1978) response to their position on alternatives for the education of the severely and profoundly retarded. Their position continues to be that only through seeking alternatives other than the dispersal of this population in the public schools can an appropriate education be provided.     

Using phenomenography to build an understanding of how university people conceptualise their community-engaged activities

Higher education institutions are seeking greater community engagement through academic, social and civic activity. In response, researcher attention has turned to impacts on students’ education, and benefits to both university and community partners. This phenomenographic study examines how a diverse group of teachers, researchers and administrators at one New Zealand university conceptualised their involvement in community-engaged learning and teaching. We identified an outcome space where university people conceived their community engagement in three ways: within an expert/novice discourse, as advocacy, and in the most complex conception, as reciprocal learning. When working with and within communities, we suggest that university people should be supported to approach community engagement as reciprocal learning rather than adopting approaches that render community partners in passive roles.     

Using phenomenography to investigate the enacted object of learning in teaching activities: the case of teaching Chinese characters in Hong Kong preschools

This study set out to use phenomenography as a theoretical framework to investigate teaching in classrooms, focusing on how the same content is enacted differently in different teaching activities. We observed teaching activities intended to teach children to recognize Chinese characters in preschools and collected data about the delivery of the teaching activities. A total of 3 categories of teaching activities were identified from the data, which correspondingly reflected 3 ways of seeing the recognition of characters: (A) recognition as matching items, (B) recognition as imitating behaviors, and (C) recognition as constructing meanings. Our results were useful for fostering the professional learning of teachers in practical ways as well as holding the potential to further advance the methodology of phenomenography.     

论卡尔·马克思与马克斯·韦伯的社会发展思想及当代意义

卡尔·马克思认为资本主义的产生和发展是社会生产力不断发展和资本追逐利润共同作用的结果。在此过程中,人的异化是不可避免的。资本主义私有制和生产社会化的矛盾是资本主义社会本身固有的根本矛盾。而马克斯·韦伯认为资本主义的产生和发展是一个合理化或理性化的过程,是资本主义精神促成的结果,人樊自身无法克服理性化所带来的苦果。二人提供了两种截然不同的社会变迁的理论,并引发人们在理论和现实层面对现代文明的批判和反思。     

On the duty of educating respect: a response to Robin Barrow

The notion of the common good has been cited as a key constituent of citizenship education in England, within which the development of a concern for the common good represents a key disposition. The term has, however, received little critical attention to date within the discourse of the subject, either in terms of its theoretical basis or its educational function and form. For this reason to develop the common good represents an ill‐defined aim of the citizenship education in schools. This article seeks to redress this by critically engaging with different formulations of the common good within recent civic republican political theory. More specifically, it attempts to delineate between notions of the common good that are essentially moral and notions that emphasise political understandings of the term, and which, in so doing, minimise the moral. On the basis of this exploration a number of issues are raised for citizenship education in England and it is suggested that to fail to view the common good as a moral enterprise is inherently problematic.     

三角恋爱故事中的文化冲突和警世预言——评格雷厄姆·格林的越战小说《文静的美国人》

《文静的美国人》在引人入胜的三角恋情冲突中形象地再现了50年代初新旧大陆在越南的文化冲突,并精辟地预言了10多年后美国对越南发动的那场荒谬战争和战争的最终失败。透过情杀小说的外表,《文静的美国人》给了世界这样一个启示:把一个民族的价值观强加于另一个民族是危险的,这不仅损害了其他民族的利益,也必然招致自己的毁灭。在美国政客们仍热衷于向外输出自己的价值观念的今天,格林在这部小说中的警示,尤其值得引起人们的深思。     

格雷厄姆·格林小说的"修辞学"——格林小说艺术风格分析

格林创作的总体风格是寓深刻于浅显、融抽象与具象.他向侦探小说和电影借鉴了许多表现手法,形成了自己非常独特的艺术风格.文章通过详细的文本分析,对之进行概括总结,并初步评价其得与失.     

Minds and more: Extending the scholarship of Graham Nuthall

Graham Nuthall described research findings from his recent classroom studies as educationally transformative, analogous to the shift to a Copernican universe. In honouring this assertion, we focus on two aspects of Graham's work: the role of theory in his scholarship, and the relationship between his scholarship and the pursuit of educational equity. In each case, we speak to why these aspects of his work are important and how each facet of his work is poised to advance the enterprise of education. Finally, we address some of the transformative implications of these two aspects of Graham's work for educational research and teacher education.     

Crossing divides: The legacy of Graham Nuthall

Graham Nuthall's work cuts across methodological and conceptual divides that have worked against the development of a theory of learning and teaching that is at once predictive and practical. The micro-genetic approach to research on learning in classrooms that he developed with Adrienne Alton-Lee successfully transcends the unhelpful dichotomy between qualitative and quantitative methods. Crossing the borders between the individual focus of cognitive psychology and the central role of social activity of sociocultural theory, he has suggested a synthesis that is both grounded in social context and predictive of individual learning. His theoretical contribution can become still more useful by extending it to the larger realities of students’ lives outside of the classroom by relating it to dynamic notions of culture and identity.     

生命科技发展与法律的回应

生命科技发展对法律观念、法律制度与法律的稳定性都产生了影响,对此,法律能否做出回应是当代法律面临的实际挑战。通过对法律回应性的探讨,法律对生命科技回应实践及其机制的研究,法律回应生命科技发展应遵循三项基本原则,即尊重人的生命与尊严的原则,保障生命科学研究自由的原则和生命科技、人类与环境协调发展的原则。