There has been something of a research paradigm shift over the past 20 years: from a predominance of research practices where something is done to children and young people (such as the administering of a survey questionnaire to measure the incidence of a pastoral concern); to something that is conducted with them (having given consent); to the emergence of an increasing range of contemporary pastoral practices which are co-participatory i.e. which see children and young people as co-constructors of knowledge but also as co-designers and co-facilitators of research (see Spears and Kofoed, 2013).
The earlier emphasis on quantitative studies in pastoral care is exemplified by the predominance of self-reporting surveys, quantitative measurement and the testing of hypotheses. While there is much to be gained from such an approach (and we are not suggesting these approaches should be devalorised), this special issue seeks to provide a platform for the emerging field of research studies within pastoral care which have adopted a co-participatory approach: working with and alongside children and young people; giving them a voice; empowering them to co-design and co-create; and allowing them meaningful opportunities to talk about what they have learnt.
Often these studies represent a shift in the conceptualisation of the researcher and the researched, and can pose significant challenges through the deconstruction of traditional hierarchies of knowledge and power. The resulting research experience or process can be messy, unpredictable and inconsistent but has the potential to be stimulating and empowering.
This special issue invites articles from a wide range of interdisciplinary and practice perspectives on a wide range of pastoral issues in education where the methodology has focused on co-participation, inviting children and young people to move from objects of others’ research to fully consenting, participating and agentic co-researchers.
Submission details
Expressions of Interest are welcome immediately to [email protected] and [email protected]
Abstracts due 30 November 2019
Notification to authors of request for full paper (6000–8000 words): 15 December 2019
Full paper for review: 29 February 2020 to be submitted through the journal website following the journal’s Instructions for Authors.
For further information about Pastoral Care in Education, its aims and scope, and its peer review policy, please see Journal Homepage.