Although gender-related educational research is often presented as a means of social change, it also involves significant ethical, epistemological, and political risks. For example, research conducted in school settings may inadvertently normalise gender differences, reproduce the very stereotypes it seeks to dismantle, or contribute to epistemic injustice (Fricker, 2007) by silencing marginalised voices and rendering certain subjectivities unintelligible. These risks are particularly acute when addressing sensitive issues such as gender-based violence (GBV). 

Drawing on empirical material and field experience from a feminist ethnography conducted in lower secondary schools in Italy, this paper considers the conditions necessary for research on GBV in education to evolve from knowledge production into a relational, pedagogical and political practice. Rather than viewing research as an external evaluation of school practices, the study reimagines education research as an embedded process of building alliances with school communities. In this approach, teachers and students are recognised as valuable contributors to knowledge and are involved as co-researchers, rather than being viewed as mere subjects of study.

This paper addresses two interrelated questions:  how do research practices themselves contribute to the shaping of gendered meanings, power relations, and opportunities for change within school contexts? And under what conditions can research into gender-based violence in education actively transform the environments in which it is conducted?

These questions are situated within the contemporary European context, in which gender and sexuality education is increasingly influenced by political tensions, institutional limitations and public disputes. In many countries, including Italy, educational work on gender is frequently restricted or delegitimised, despite the fact that its importance for preventing gender-based violence is recognised internationally. Against this backdrop, the paper explores the potential of research to foster dialogue, critical engagement and shared responsibility, even when formal educational interventions are limited. 

Drawing on feminist epistemologies and critical pedagogy, the study explores theories of situated knowledge, standpoint epistemology and epistemic injustice. From this perspective, research is understood as inherently situated and embodied; the questions asked, the methods employed, and the interpretations produced are all embedded in specific historical, cultural, and institutional contexts. This is particularly pertinent in the context of research on gender-based violence, where methodological choices can inadvertently perpetuate dominant and stereotypical gender representations. 

The paper goes on to examine issues of power and participation within the research relationship and in schools as institutional settings. Schools are considered places where gendered, racialised, class-based and ableist norms are created and controlled, frequently through adult-centred assumptions about authority, knowledge and legitimacy. At the same time, the study emphasises the capacity of collaborative and reflexive research practices to amplify marginalised voices, including those of LGBTQ+ students, racialised young people, and students who do not adhere to traditional gender norms. 

A central focus of the paper is consent in research, which is understood as an ongoing, relational and reversible process, rather than a one-off procedural requirement. In research on gender-based violence with pre-adolescents, consent is inextricably linked to education about consent itself. The paper argues that research practices can facilitate dialogue with students about consent, agency and boundaries.

Through critical reflection on the researcher's positioning within these power relations, the paper addresses the accountability of education researchers in relation to not only research outcomes, but also the relationships, exclusions and possibilities that research practices actively produce within educational communities.  

This study is based on the qualitative phase of a wider research project examining gender-based violence in school cultures. Taking a feminist ethnographic approach, the research was carried out in a lower secondary school in Italy. This methodology was chosen to explore everyday school life in depth, paying particular attention to relational dynamics, the hidden curriculum, and the gendered meanings that shape the experiences of students and teachers. A crucial initial phase involved gaining access to the schools and engaging participants. Particular care was taken to present the research aims and methods in accessible language to teachers and students, ensuring informed and meaningful consent. This phase was also conceived as a pedagogical opportunity to introduce and discuss the concept of consent with students. Consent was understood as an ongoing, relational process rather than a one-off procedural requirement. Students were invited to reflect on what consent meant to them by making anonymous written contributions, which were later revisited collectively. Stories, picture books, videos and games were used to familiarise participants with the concept and encourage different forms of expression. The empirical work began with exploratory, semi-structured interviews with teachers to map existing practices, concerns, and understandings related to gender and the prevention of gender-based violence. This was followed by an extended phase of participant observation in classrooms and shared school spaces. These observations focused on everyday interactions, language use, informal practices, and moments of tension or negotiation around gender norms. Focus groups and participatory workshops were conducted with teachers and students. Rather than being designed as data-extraction tools, the workshops were designed as dialogical spaces, allowing students to articulate meanings, silences and ambiguities through different modes of engagement. During these activities, selected field notes were shared with participants in the form of anonymised vignettes. These vignettes served as prompts for collective reflection on relationships, practices, and implicit norms within the school context. This enabled participants to question interpretations, contribute alternative readings, and co-construct meaning. This process challenged the researcher’s exclusive authority over interpretation, recognising participants as epistemic contributors. Methodological rigour was ensured through triangulating perspectives (those of the researcher, students and teachers) and through sustained reflexivity. Alongside daily fieldnotes, the researcher maintained a reflexive diary to critically examine her own positioning, assumptions, and emotional responses. This reflexive practice was integral to addressing power relations and ethical responsibility in research on gender-based violence.

The analysis - which is still ongoing - highlights the porous boundary between educational research and intervention in the field of gender-based violence prevention. Practices such as the ongoing negotiation of consent, collective data analysis and shared reflection emerged not as merely methodological choices, but as pedagogical moments per se. Through these practices, research becomes a space for educating people in reflexivity, respect and self determination. In this sense, the resulting knowledge is neither neutral nor purely descriptive, but actively contributing to the redefinition of what can be said, thought and contested within school contexts. The paper would like to invite us to reconsider research on GBV as a pedagogical practice itself, capable of challenging dominant narratives. Through the active involvement of teachers and students as co-constructors of meaning, the research seeks to highlight and recognise the value of informal prevention strategies, everyday practices of care, solidarity and alliances, and students’ forms of agency.

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