ABSTRACT
Qualitative practitioner research undertaken by teachers in schools is a vital means of developing pedagogy and practice, one that is under-valued in today’s educational climate. This essay explores representations of students in qualitative studies, which, I argue, necessarily transform student participants into ‘characters’ within the practitioner-researcher’s written narrative. Through exploration of an excerpt of student interview data, I highlight the importance of open, respectful interpretation of students’ words which maintains an awareness of the practitioner-researcher’s subjective position. This includes the need to disrupt reductive narratives of ‘hero’ teachers and ‘victim’ students which deprive young people of agency and respect. I suggest that such considerations of representation are relevant to teachers’ day-to-day practice in schools.
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Rosie Hunt
Rosie Hunt currently teaches English in a UK secondary school; she has taught and led English departments across three school contexts in Bristol and London. She is undertaking doctoral study at UCL’s Institute of Education.