Reflection and phenomenography: towards theoretical and educational development possibilities

In this article links are explored between the characterizations of learning stemming from the phenomenographic research orientation and from Donald Schön’s reflection-in-action, an extension of John Dewey’s idea of reflection. The aim is to argue that these parallels open up new ways of viewing Schön’s work which facilitate theoretical development for the phenomenographic view of learning. As part of this argument the phenomenographic view that all learning is a function of experienced variation is explored in relation to Schön’s characterization of learning to make sense of things in confusing and complex situations. Then a concept of reflective learning is introduced to extend the phenomenographic anatomy of awareness with a view to having mindful appreciation of context emerge as an educationally critically aspect of learning.