Abstract
This article is a review of relevant literature on the use of phenomenology as a research methodology in education research, with a focus on music education research. The review is organized as follows: (a) general education, (b) music research, (c) music education research, (d) dissertations, (e) important figures, (f) themes, and (g) the future. The article concludes with a synthesis of the existing research that attempts to provide suggestions for applying the results to current research practice. The purpose of this literature review is to examine recent scholarship that uses phenomenology and to make recommendations for which areas of the teaching and learning of music might benefit most from this methodology in the future.
Keywords methodology, phenomenology, qualitative, research, review of literature
|
Bailey, B. A., Davidson, J. W. (2005). Effects of group singing and performance for marginalized and middle-class singers. Psychology of Music, 33, 269–303. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Barone, T. (2000). Aesthetics, politics, and educational inquiry: Essays and examples. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Google Scholar | |
|
Barrett, M., Stauffer, S. (2009). Narrative inquiry in music education: Troubling certainty. New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Bartel, L. R., Radocy, R. E. (2002). Trends in data acquisition and knowledge development. In Creswell, R., Richardson, C. (Eds), The new handbook of research on music teaching and learning (pp. 1108–1128). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Berger, H. M. (1997). The practice of perception: Multi- functionality and time in the musical experiences of a heavy metal drummer. Ethnomusicology, 41, 464–488. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Blair, D. V. (2008). Mentoring novice teachers: Developing a community of practice. Research Studies in Music Education, 30(2), 99–117. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bordere, T. C. (2008). To look at death another way: Black teenage males’ perspectives on second-lines and funerals in New Orleans. Omega—The Journal of Death and Dying, December, 213–220. Google Scholar | |
|
Bower, D. N. (2008). Constructivism in music education technology: Creating an environment for choral composition in the fourth and fifth grades. Dissertation Abstracts International, 69(10). (UMI No. AAT 3332498). Google Scholar | |
|
Bowman, W. (1998). Music as experienced, In Bowman, W. (Ed.), Philosophical perspectives on music (pp. 254–267). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Bresler, L. (1995). Ethnography, phenomenology and action research in music education. Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning, 6(3), 4–16. Google Scholar | |
|
Bresler, L. (1996). Basic and applied qualitative research in music education. Research Studies in Music Education, 6(2), 5–17. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bresler, L. (2006). Embodied narrative inquiry: A methodology of connection. Research Studies in Music Education, 27(2), 21–43. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Bresler, L. (2009). Research education shaped by musical sensibilities. British Journal of Music Education, 26, 7–25. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Burnard, P. (2000). Examining experiential differences between composition and improvisation in children’s music-making. British Journal of Music Education, 17, 227–245. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Burnard, P. (2006). The individual and social worlds of children’s musical creativity. In McPherson, G. (Ed.), The child as musician: A handbook of musical development (pp. 353–374). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Butler, M. L. (2005). Songs of Pentecost: Experiencing music, transcendence, and identity in Jamaica and Haiti. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database (UMI No. AAT 3170807). Google Scholar | |
|
Byrne, C., Sheridan, M. (1998). Music: A source of deep imaginative satisfaction? British Journal of Music Education, 15, 295–301. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Carlisle, J. K. (2008). A study of social-emotional climate within secondary school music classroom settings. Dissertation Abstracts International, 69(6) (UMI No. AAT NR39887). Google Scholar | |
|
Carr, D. (2009). Narrative and emotion in music: Seeking wisdom and truth in music education. Research Studies in Music Education, 31(1), 90–95. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Carter, S. (2009). Old lamps for new: Mnemonic techniques and the thesis. Arts & Humanities in Higher Education, 8, 56–68. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Cilesiz, S. (2009). Educational computer use in leisure contexts: A phenomenological study of adolescent’s experiences at internet cafes. American Educational Research Journal, 46, 232–274. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Clandinin, D. J., Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley. Google Scholar | |
|
Clarke, P. A. J., Thomas, C. D. (2009). Teachers’ perceptions of connections and disconnects between their alternative preparation and teaching in urban classrooms. Urban Education, 44, 144–159. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K., Morrison, K. R. B. (2007). Research methods in education. New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Collins, D. M. (2008). Use of information systems to enhance feedback of judging and scoring of amateur competitive activities. Dissertation Abstracts International, 69(5) (UMI No. AAT 3312928). Google Scholar | |
|
Connelly, F. M., Clandinin, D. J. (1999). Shaping a professional identity: Stories of educational practice. New York, NY: Columbia College Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Conway, C. (2000). Gender and musical instrument choice: A phenomenological investigation. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 146(2), 1–17. Google Scholar | |
|
Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | |
|
Davidson, J., Borthwick, S. (2002). Family dynamics and family scripts: A case study of musical development. Psychology of Music, 30, 121–136. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Downey, G. (2002). Listening to capoeira: Phenomenology, embodiment, and the materiality of music. Ethnomusicology, 46, 487–509. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Dunbar-Hall, P. (2006). An investigation of strategies developed by music learners in a cross-cultural setting. Research Studies in Music Education, 26(1), 63–70. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Dura, M. T. (2006). The phenomenology of music-listening experience. Arts Education Policy Review, 107(3), 25–32. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Eisner, E. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Emden, C. (1998). Theoretical perspectives on narrative inquiry. Collegian: Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, 5(2), 30–35. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Faulkner, R., Davidson, J. W. (2006). Men in chorus: Collaboration and competition in homo-social vocal behavior. Psychology of Music, 34, 219–237. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Flinders, D. J., Richardson, C. P. (2002). Contemporary issues in qualitative research and music education. In Creswell, R., Richardson, C. (Eds.), The new handbook of research on music teaching and learning. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. New York, NY: Basic Books. Google Scholar | |
|
Geertz, C. (1983). Local knowledge: Further essays in interpretive anthropology. New York, NY Basic Books. Google Scholar | |
|
Hansen, C., Kahnweiler, W. (1993). Storytelling: An instrument for understanding the dynamics of corporate relationships. Human Relations, 46, 1391–1409. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Hourigan, R. M. (2007). Teaching music to students with special needs: A phenomenological examination of participants in a fieldwork experience. Dissertation Abstracts International, 68(8) (UMI No. AAT 3276187). Google Scholar | |
|
Husserl, E. (1964). The idea of phenomenology. The Hague, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff. Google Scholar | |
|
Iwasaki, Y., Bartlett, J. (2006). Culturally meaningful leisure as a way of coping with stress among aboriginal individuals with diabetes. Journal of Leisure Research, 38, 321-338. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Jorgensen, E. (2009). On thick description and narrative inquiry in music education. Research Studies in Music Education, 31(1), 69–81. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Juntenen, M., Hyvonen, L. (2004). Embodiment in musical knowing: How body movement facilitates learning within dalcroze eurythmics. British Journal of Music Education, 21, 199–214. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Kemohan, L. A. (2005). Finding my way: Experiencing audition as a sightless musician. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database (AAT NR02862). Google Scholar | |
|
Kratus, J. (1989). A time analysis of the compositional processes used by children ages 7 to 11. Journal of Research in Music Education, 37, 5–20. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
MacArthur, L. J. (2008). The drive to strive: Exploring the experiences of elite-level adolescent artistic performers. Dissertation Abstract International, 69(6) (UMI No. AAT NR39809). Google Scholar | |
|
Madison, G. (2006). Experiencing groove induced by music: Consistency and phenomenology. Music Perception, 24, 201–208. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
McCarthy, M. (2007). Narrative inquiry as a way of knowing in music education. Research Studies in Music Education, 29(3), 3–12. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
McCarthy, M. (2010). Researching children’s musical culture: Historical and contemporary perspectives. Music Education Research, 12, 1–12. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
McKee, R. (1997). Story: Substance, structure, style, and the principles of screenwriting. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Google Scholar | |
|
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Mrazek, J. (2008). Xylophones in Thailand and Java: A comparative phenomenology of musical instruments. Asian Music, 39(2), 59–107. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Nasir, N., McGlaughlin, M. W., Jones, A. (2009). What does it mean to be African American? Constructions of race and academic identity in an urban public high school. American Educational Research Journal, 46, 73–114. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Newman, T. (2008). The creative process of music composition: A qualitative self-study. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database (UMI No. AAT 3332519). Google Scholar | |
|
Ogden, H. C. (2008). Vivid moments long remembered: The lifetime impact of elementary school musical theatre. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database (UMI No. AAT MR42912). Google Scholar | |
|
Pike, A. (1967). The phenomenological analysis and description of musical experience. Journal of Research in Music Education, 15, 316–319. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Pike, A. (1972). A phenomenological analysis of emotional experience in music. Journal of Research in Music Education, 20, 262–267. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Porcello, T. (1998). Tails out: Social phenomenology and the ethnographic representation of technology in music making. Ethnomusicology, 42, 485–510. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Randles, C. (2009a). “That’s my piece, that’s my signature, and it means more . . .”: Creative identity and the ensemble teacher/arranger. Research Studies in Music Education, 31(1), 52–68. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Randles, C. (2009b). Student composers’ expressed meaning of composition with regard to culture. Music Education Research International, 3, 42–53. Google Scholar | |
|
Randles, C. (2010a). Creative identity in music teaching and learning. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (UMI No. 3435102). Google Scholar | |
|
Randles, C. (2010b). The relationship of compositional experiences of high school instrumentalists to music self-concept. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 184, 7–18. Google Scholar | |
|
Randles, C. (2011a). What is a good musician?: An analysis of student beliefs. Arts Education Policy Review, 112, 1–8. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Randles, C. (2011b). The “hero’s journey”: A way of viewing music teacher socialization. Journal of Music Teacher Education. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/105708371140300010.1177/1057083711403000 Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Roberts, B. (1994). Music teachers as researchers. International Journal of Music Education, 23, 24–33. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Group creativity: Musical performance and collaboration. Psychology of Music, 34, 148–165. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Smith, G. D., Durrant, C. (2006). Mind Styles™ and paradiddles—beyond the bell curve: Towards the understanding of learning preferences, and implications of instrumental teachers. Research Studies in Music Education, 26(1), 51–62. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Snell, K. (2007). Teaching popular music as embodied knowledge: A phenomenological model of music teaching and learning. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database (UMI No. AAT NR36744). Google Scholar | |
|
Stauffer, S., Robbins, J. (2009). Description, interpretation, meaning: Notes on Geertz and ethnography in music education research. Research Studies in Music Education, 31(1), 82–89. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Streb, J. H. (1984). Thoughts on phenomenology, education, and art. Studies in Art Education, 25, 159–166. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Swanwick, K. (1996). Theory, data and educational relevance. Research Studies in Music Education, 6(1), 18–26. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Swanwick, K., Tillman, J. (1986). The sequence of musical development: A study of children’s composition. British Journal of Music Education, 3, 305–339. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Van Manen, M . (1990). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. New York, NY: SUNY Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Wittman, P., Velde, B., Carawan, L., Pokorny, M., Knight, S. (2008). A writer’s retreat as a facilitator for transformative learning. Journal of Transformative Education, 6, 201–211. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals |

