This article reviews the philosophical tenets of phenomenological qualitative research design as a method in social sciences from epistemological and methodological points of view. As constructivism increasingly dominates the educational landscape and understanding individually constructed realities become more important, phenomenology, which aims to understand the meaning of the experience from the perspective of the subjects, gained attention as a research method both in social and educational research. The review is in two folds: the first section of the study focuses on two phenomenological approach, namely, transcendental and hermeneutic phenomenology, that seek to understand human experience as it is lived; the second section examines how phenomenology is employed in science education research. Phenomenological research studies in science education is examined within three broad categories according to subject of the research: a) science education as a phenomenon; b) understanding of individual experiences and cognitive development in science education; and c) studies aiming to converge phenomenology and education. Any phenomenological research, no matter under which category it falls in terms of the subject it explores, helps to establish connections between scientific world and daily life in science education. No matter which pillar of the bridge is chosen to investigate, the starting point should always be real lives because phenomenology exists to explore Therefore, every single phenomenological study about a sociocultural phenomenon such as science and education would be inherently unique and different from each other.