A meta-ethnography of two studies on interactions in schools: reflections on the process of translation

ABSTRACT

This paper reflects upon our experience gained from engagement in a meta-ethnography of two studies on interactions between teachers and students in schools situated in England and Germany. Starting with a short overview of Noblit and Hare’s (1988) conceptualisation of the method, the paper outlines the meta-ethnography we undertook especially focusing on the process of translation. We present the findings of our study which show teachers’ understanding of the pastoral aspect of their role as incompatible with demands related to their performance and to those associated with their institutional responsibilities. We show also how attempts to develop personalised interactions with students may reinforce students’ vulnerability. Our final discussion contributes our own deliberations about the potentials and challenges of the method, especially in relation to the role of the ethnographers and their relationship to the meta-ethnographic field.

KEYWORDS:

• Meta-ethnography
• qualitative synthesis
• teacher–student interactions
• vulnerability
• pastoral care

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their careful reading of the drafts and for their insightful comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) under [grant number FR 2846/3-1].