Narrative Research

Personally, I believe that teachers should examine their practice in order to identify areas needing improvement or to implement new practices. However, I think that the inclusion of research in the classroom can be made difficult by the ethics of research. Like Brandes and Fels (2006), I also question if children are solely engaged and coerced into participating in research projects because of the fact that their classroom teacher is the researcher. Furthermore, Schon (as cited in Brandes and Fels) raises some good questions: “How is it that action research is suspect as a research methodology, held accountable by warnings of coercion, and power differentials? Yet action research simultaneously so coherently mirrors the reflective (and ethical) practice of reflective practitioners”.

In regards to narrative research, all teachers will have stories that contain wisdom and stories that they will tell in order to help them understand themselves. Under this approach, teachers must acknowledge that their stories are co-constructed by themselves and their students. Some of the stories teachers have may become the dominant stories (stories that stand out the most or those that seem to be the most true to them) in their lives. (Murdock, 2009) As Niomie pointed out, narrative theory emphasizes the fact that the individual is not the problem, but that the individual is being affected by the specific problem (Murdock).

With knowledge of the challenges presented by the ethics of research, I think that teachers still must take any opportunities they can to engage in research and self-reflection regarding their teaching practices. Teachers can tell their stories, reflect on them, and learn from them. Teachers’ stories can act as a guide, pointing them in the best direction for themselves and their students.

Murdock, N. L. (2009). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: A case approach (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.