To be Heard, to be Seen, to Matter: Consequences of/for self in utilizing one’s narrative
Abstract
This self-study describes the development and use in a preservice literacy course of the first author's [teacher educator's] narrative of her own schooling. The introduction to that narrative is included in this paper. The full text of the narrative also describes the impact of school readiness, resource placement, transience, poverty, and teachers' responses and expectations on my school experiences and my sense of self. Methods of data collection included students' anonymous responses to the narrative, in-class discussion, students' final course papers, my research journal, field notes, and retrospective re-analysis. The perspective of a colleague who is serving as a critical friend on my journey is incorporated in the paper as dialogical insets interrogating my practices and interpretations. Writing, analyzing, and using the narrative in my teaching served to clarify my understanding of how my childhood and schooling shape my current work. Sharing it with students was built on the belief that doing so would encourage their development of understanding for students who have histories and backgrounds unlike their own.
Reference
Allison-Roan, V. a., & Hayes, M. P. (2012). To be Heard, to be Seen, to Matter: Consequences of/for self in utilizing one's narrative. Studying Teacher Education: Journal Of Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices, 8(2), 127-141. doi:10.1080/17425964.2012.692981
Journal
Studying Teacher Education: Journal Of Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Post bachs (university based program)
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
9
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Classroom Discussion
- Questionnaire
- student work
- Transcriptions
Data Analysis Tools
- Qualitative Analysis
- Thematic analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Inside (studying their own practices)
Research Questions
"Through sharing my story [narrative of the author's own schooling] with students and a critical friend, what understanding of self and its relationship to practice as a teacher educator might I come to? How will I be changed through opening self to others?" (p. 129).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"How will students evaluate my story? What in my narrative will resonate and what will case them dissonance? How might knowing my story affect how they define the work of teachers with student unlike themselves?" (p. 129).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown