Crafting Phenomenological Research

Building off the success of its award-winning first edition, the second edition of Crafting Phenomenological Research continues to be the leading resource for those interested in a concise introduction to phenomenological research in education and social sciences.

Joining leading contemporary practitioners, such as van Manen, Giorgi, and Dahlberg, Vagle walks the reader through multiple approaches to designing and implementing phenomenological research, including his post-intentional phenomenology, which incorporates elements of post-structural thinking into traditional methods. Vagle provides readers with methodological tools to build their own phenomenological study, addressing such issues as research design, data gathering and analysis, and writing.

Replete with exercises for students, resources for further research, and examples of completed phenomenological studies, this book affords the instructor an easy entrée into introducing phenomenology into courses on qualitative research, social theory, or educational research.

New to this edition:

• An additional first chapter that outlines the historical background of phenomenological philosophy and methodology.








• A feature called "snapshots" that provides brief commentary and/or examples to illustrate concepts and ideas.








• Updated "resource digs" providing more examples, with the addition of more international resources.

Mark Vagle?s book is sure to be the go-to source for those who want to do phenomenological research in the social sciences. He not only explains the genealogy of phenomenological theories but also provides hands-on, practical examples of how they permeate a life, how they take hold in one?s bones, how they create a new way of being with the world. Vagle?s approach is joyous but also careful, critical, and contemporary as he extends phenomenology, opening it up to new imaginings demanded by 21st century inquiry.

Elizabeth A. St.Pierre, University of Georgia

The gift that phenomenology offers us is vitality, a way of knowing our world that acknowledges the emotions, histories, and interests that animate our lives. Mark Vagle brings that lifefullness right into his text. His scholarship serves his interest in sharing the possibilities of this work with us, and so he builds a bridge between its foundations, their interpretations, and our understanding, and he interprets their use and application in educational research with imagination. Reconciling description and interpretation in his approach, Vagle?s phenomenology is animated and accessible without being simplified. It is a wonderful achievement and a significant contribution to the practice of phenomenological research in education.

Madeleine R. Grumet, Professor of Education and Communication Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Having edited a major qualitative journal for over 15 years, I know many qualitative researchers claim to be using phenomenology.  Unfortunately, most are not and don?t even really understand it.  Mark Vagle does, and in this volume he sets out?in a warm, personable manner?to help others to understand it through careful explanations and numerous examples. Stop claiming what you don?t know and read this book.  If you do, you could actually learn to be a phenomenologist.

James Joseph ?Jim? Scheurich, Editor, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education