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Emancipatory Learning of a Hermeneutic Phenomenology Methodology Course
Susan Crowther1, Gill Thomson2
1Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.
Qualitative Health Research
|May 28, 2025
Summary
This study explored postgraduate students' experiences with hermeneutic phenomenology methodology courses. Findings reveal "emancipatory learning" through reflexive pedagogy, fostering dialogue, participation, and collaboration for effective research skill development.
Area of Science:
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Pedagogical Approaches in Higher Education
- Phenomenology and Hermeneutics
Background:
- Limited understanding of effective pedagogical approaches for postgraduate research.
- Hermeneutic phenomenology is a complex and evolving research methodology.
- Need to explore lived experiences of learning this methodology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To capture participants' lived experiences and meanings of attending a hermeneutic phenomenology methodology course.
- To identify key qualities of an effective learning experience in this field.
- To understand the phenomenon of 'emancipatory learning' in postgraduate research education.
Main Methods:
- Hermeneutic phenomenology study design.
- Data collection via crafted narratives (text, poems, artwork, photos) and interviews.
- Collaborative data analysis using philosophical notions and wider theories.
Main Results:
- Identified four experiential qualities: Attuning to a learning space, Learning-with-others, Revealing new ways of knowing, and Transformation in thinking.
- These qualities coalesced into the phenomenon of 'emancipatory learning'.
- Participants experienced shifts in self-perception and understanding through new insights.
Conclusions:
- Emancipatory learning is significant in postgraduate research.
- A reflexive and immersive pedagogy is crucial for learning hermeneutic phenomenology.
- Dialogue, participation, reflexivity, and collaboration enhance learning 'how to learn' research skills.
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