Welcome to the course

Welcome to this course focusing on how to integrate phenomenology and qualitative research. We are delighted that you have decided to join us, and that you are interested in finding out more about how to put phenomenology into use in qualitative research.

In this course you will explore some of the main concepts of phenomenology, central aspects to be aware of in qualitative research and some methodological challenges associated with integrating phenomenology and qualitative research. Throughout the course you will also look at concrete examples of how specific research questions and cases can be dealt with. Hopefully, by the end of this course you will have realised the benefits of combining phenomenology with qualitative research methods.

We suggest that you keep a project portfolio specifically for this course. This will help you gather and organise your thoughts on your research ideas, keep track of the new terminology and concepts that you will learn, and reflect on new insights or concepts. You will learn more about this in Step 1.5.

In Week 1, you will meet qualitative researchers who have used phenomenology for their studies in different fields and philosophers who have engaged in qualitative research. You will also discuss your own interest in using phenomenology for your research. Guided by world-leading phenomenologists, you will begin to explore some fundamental concepts in philosophical phenomenology and their relevance for your research questions. In Week 2 we will touch specifically on what qualitative research is, and in Weeks 3 and 4 we will focus on how these two research traditions can be combined, dealing with some of the specific challenges you will meet when aiming at doing so.

Let’s meet the team:

Susanne Ravn (left) is Professor at The University of South Denmark (SDU). Maria Luisa Perez Cavana (right) is Senior Lecturer in Languages at The Open University.

Discussion

Now take a moment to introduce yourself to other learners.

Please tell us why you are interested in phenomenology and what you’re hoping to gain from this course. We’ll talk more about your reasons for wanting to use phenomenology in your work in the next few steps.

Join the discussion below to share your thoughts.