A systematic integrative review methodology using phenomenographic analysis: bridging empirical and theoretical literature in educational research, with an exemplar protocol on educational purpose

Abstract Educational researchers and policymakers require robust literature review and analysis methodologies capable of engaging with complexity. This paper presents a novel systematic integrative review methodology in tandem with phenomenographic analysis methods to explore diverse concepts, and wicked problems. Traditional approaches to literature reviews may fail to integrate diverse literature types, especially when addressing complex educational phenomena. In addition, the ‘difficult to define’ aspect of complex concepts that often lie at the heart of wicked problems require appropriate analytic methods. This methodological duo is illustrated in a protocol examining recent literature on the purposes of school-based education (2000–2025). The protocol may support first principles exploration of other wicked problems by mapping diverse bodies of literature and conceptions. The methodology integrates diverse types of literature and uniquely treats research papers as primary data for phenomenographic analysis. It adopts a five-stage framework: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, analysis, and presentation, and utilises phenomenography as its analytical lens. This research provides effective methods for reviewing diverse literature types while examining phenomenographical dimensions within them. This approach integrates empirical and philosophical insights, recognising that the theoretical frameworks, methodological choices, and contextual factors that shape each study are integral to its contribution to understanding, rather than variables to be controlled or standardised. This methodology significantly informs educational discourse by revealing nuanced complexities through its focus on the qualitatively different ways a phenomenon is experienced, understood and conceptualised, thereby providing researchers and policymakers with a valuable tool for investigating complex educational phenomena.