What Future for Phenomenographic Research? On Continuity and Development in the Phenomenography and Variation Theory Research Tradition

ABSTRACT

Volume 60(3) of the Scandanavian Journal of Educational Research is a special issue on current trends in the phenomenography and variation theory research tradition. In the introduction to the special issue, Rovio-Johansson and Ingerman look towards the potential theoretical and methodological future of phenomenography and pose two questions: “Is phenomenography complete and finalised with no further development necessary?” and “Is phenomenography relatively insignificant in the future development of the tradition as it has been transcended by variation theory?” The aim of this paper is to address these two questions, and in the process elaborate the relationship between phenomenography and variation theory in educational research.

KEYWORDS:

• Phenomenography
• variation theory
• educational research approach
• learning theory

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Airi Rovio-Johansson and Åke Ingerman for commenting on a pre-submission version of this paper.