Beyond Methodological Dichotomy—Martha Muchow’s Methodological Foundations and Their Relation to Phenomenology

Abstract

The various studies conducted by Martha Muchow are underpinned by thoroughly reflected evolving methodological positions. The stages of Muchow’s methodological position can be succinctly outlined as follows: From a critique of narrow instrumental methods such as experiment and observation, she broadened her spectrum to include biographical approaches. Meanwhile, in the theoretical part of her dissertation, she tried to develop a methodological basis for her research on education through phenomenology. Yet, her work went beyond eidetic reduction to include the analysis of structural conditions, for example, in her study of the life space of the urban child. Muchow’s methodological development is closely linked to her work with William Stern. When Hamburg University’s Psycho-logical Laboratory began, it was strongly influenced by “experimental psychology” advocated especially by Ernst Meumann, who was the head at the time. Muchow’s array of methods also bears witness to the fact that empirical research cannot be directly derived from methodological considerations.

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