Session Information
WERA SES 09 A, Understanding the Nature of Educational Practices Through Narrative Research.
Symposium
Contribution
Conflict and war are a constant part of human history. As much as violent practices are condemned internationally, many children all over the world are still subject to violence. Schools and educational practitioners in conflicts-affected areas are constantly facing the challenges of such difficult circumstances. Regardless of the atrocities of such contexts, there are people who refuse to lose hope and believe in the greater good and the true potential of education. Exploring the lives of teachers and headteacher in contexts such as Syria is complex. Collecting narratives from those individuals is a way to empower them in educational research especially that, which investigates educational practices in challenging settings. Rich narrative interviews provide an insight into their struggle and the obstacles encountered and ways implemented to overcome them. Participants were also able, through their narratives to emphasise their individuality and this method of data collection gave them the freedom to share their perspective on their own terms. These individuals have been through the transition between peace and war. The chronological story telling in narratives helps both the participant and the researcher to identify the issues and the challenges in relation to the context. It is a way that uncovers their professional and personal lives simultaneously. Qualitative methods in social science research may be subjective especially by narrative use, nevertheless, the data emerged can be both real and credible. Many would argue that Syria’s conflict has been ignited by the need of change, democracy and freedom. How can these concepts lead this country to conflict, violence and war? Nonetheless, in times of conflict, true heroes are often forgotten; those people who, regardless of the atrocities occurring around them, are able to fight for the humanity of others. They deserve to have a voice; narratives interviews were used as an attempt for democratising the research in such context.
References
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2-14. Chase, S. E. (2005). Narrative Inquiry: Multiple Lenses, Approaches, Voices. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.) (pp. 651-679). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. Case, J. M., Marshall, D., & Linder, C. J. (2010). Being a student again: a narrative study of a teacher's experience. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(4), 423-433. Frank, A. (2002) Why Study People’s Stories? The Dialogical Ethics of Narrative Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 1(1), 109-117. Ryan, J., & Carroll, J. (2005). Canaries in the Coalmine. In J. Carroll & J. Ryan (Eds.), Teaching International Students. Improving Learning for All (pp. 1-10). Abingdon: Routledge. Smith, J. (2011). Agency and Female Teachers’ Career Decisions: A Life History Study of 40 Women. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39(1), 7-24.
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