Agentic ethnography: inclusive interviews of young adults with significant disabilities on the transition from school

ABSTRACT

This paper is a methodological reflection drawn from a study on the transition from school into young adulthood in Aotearoa New Zealand. During this process, the personal priorities of young adults with significant disabilities often becomes overpowered by those involved in their post-school planning. Through the experiences of young adults living this experience, empirical considerations are offered on the topic of agency. Agentic ethnography combines inclusive ideologies and research methods with theoretical underpinning of the capability approach. The product is adapted interview formats used to develop agentic participation in research to foster inclusive knowledge on the topic of transition. Practical implications for research and the educational field are provided to illustrate collaborative processes and products that not only collect ‘voice’ but importantly, have it be heard.

KEYWORDS:

• Agency
• transition
• significant disability
• inclusive interviewing
• capability

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my great appreciation to Associate Professor Mary F. Hill and Professor Janet S. Gaffney for their contributions to this project and earlier versions of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).