Phenomenology and education
pp. 591-608
in: Paul Smeyers (ed), International handbook of philosophy of education, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
This chapter provides a historical and thematic overview of the most important contributions to phenomenology in German- and English-language educational studies. In this context, phenomenology is important both as a theoretical tradition and a research method, in both cases directing attention to the experiential, relational, and intersubjective dimensions of pedagogy, teaching, and learning. In Germany, phenomenology as a method and as a philosophy has aimed at redefining traditional theories of education and Bildung (personal formation) in terms both empirical and theoretical. In the English-speaking world, phenomenology has been used primarily as a methodological approach to illuminate lived experience particularly in the caring professions including education; it has also occasionally provided possibilities for articulating theories of teaching and learning in close relation with concrete practice.