Introduction to Phenomenology and its Application in Qualitative Research
The Open University
  • Start Date: 21 Jun, 2021
  • 4 weeks
  • Study Content: Videos


Find out about the philosophical fundamentals of phenomenology and how it can be integrated in qualitative research.

Course Fee: Free
Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility

Course Description

This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn partnership.

Build strong qualitative research methods and learn how to use phenomenology


Phenomenology is one of the most influential philosophy schools. It focuses on exploring in-depth aspects of lived experience in a variety of contexts.


On this four-week course, you’ll get to know the main themes of philosophical phenomenology and how it can be put to use in qualitative research.


Through real-life examples, you will find out how qualitative researchers have benefitted from using this philosophical tradition.


You’ll also discover how phenomenology and qualitative methods work together and how you can integrate phenomenology at different stages of a qualitative research project.


Using phenomenology in the study of human lived experience enables researchers to access insights that other approaches cannot achieve. Often, it can be the only possible way to study certain topics in social sciences.


Nevertheless, guidance for researchers in the humanities and social sciences is scarce. This course will help fill this gap by showing you how phenomenology can be put to use in academic fields focusing on, for example, education, sport, psychology, and health.


You’ll critically examine examples of how phenomenology has been applied and gain practical skills in how this can be done.


Discover phenomenological research with The Open University and the University of Southern Denmark


Throughout the course, you will engage in debates with other learners to help you evaluate the challenges of integrating phenomenology and qualitative research methodologies. You will also have the opportunity to start thinking about your own research project and interests.


This course has been designed by The Open University – an industry lead in distance education – and the SDU (University of Southern Denmark), to provide you with a supportive social learning experience.


This course is designed for undergraduate or postgraduate students in the field of humanities and social sciences, such as education, sport, psychology, and health.


It will be particularly useful for those interested in qualitative research methods.


Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

The Open University

The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning.

Since it began in 1969, the OU has taught more than 1.8 million students and has almost 220,000 current students, including more than 15,000 overseas. The Open University is rated one of the best in the UK for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey. The OU is one of only four UK universities to have consistently achieved more than 90% in the survey’s history. Over 70% of students are in full-time or part-time employment, and four out of five FTSE 100 companies have sponsored staff to take OU courses.

The UK’s latest Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF 2014) places The Open University in the top third of UK higher education institutions by ‘research power’ ranking. 72% of OU research submitted was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Regarded as Britain’s major e-learning institution, the OU is a world leader in developing technology to increase access to education on a global scale. Its vast ‘open content portfolio’ includes free study units on OpenLearn, which has had more than 26.7 million visits, and materials on iTunes U, which has recorded more than 60 million downloads. The OU has a 41 year partnership with the BBC which has moved from late-night lectures in the 1970s to prime-time programmes such as Frozen Planet, Bang Goes the Theory, James May’s Big Ideas and The Money Programme.

All Open University Science courses presented on FutureLearn are produced with the kind support of Dangoor Education.

This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with FutureLearn.

You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.
COLLABORATION POLICY

By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

ELEARNAFRICA HONOR CODE PLEDGE

By enrolling in a course, program, or degree hosted on the eLearnAfrica App or Site, I agree that I will:

  • Complete all tests and assignments on my own, unless collaboration on an assignment is explicitly permitted.

  • Maintain only one user account and not let anyone else use my username and/or password.

  • Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve my results, or improve or hurt the results of others.

  • Not post answers to problems that are being used to assess student performance.

  • Abide by any and all requirements of the eLearnAfrica Participants as may regard the expectations of civil or academic behavior or of community standards.

VIOLATIONS

If you are found in violation of the Terms and Conditions or Honor Code, you may be subject to one or more of the following actions:

  • Receiving a zero or no credit for an assignment;

  • Having any certificate earned in the course withheld or revoked;

  • Being unenrolled from a course, learning program or degree program; or

  • Termination of your use of the App and/or Site.

  • Additional actions may be taken at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica and eLearnAfrica course providers. 

No refunds will be issued in the case of any corrective action for such violations.

Honor code violations will be determined at the sole discretion of eLearnAfrica, the Partners, or Members. You will be notified if a determination has been made that you have violated this honor code and you will be informed of the corresponding action to be taken as a result of the violation.

CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

Please note that we review and may make changes to this Honor Code from time to time. Any changes to this Honor Code will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the App and/or Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Honor Code and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Honor Code.

Effective Date: September 22, 2016