When a Teacher Becomes a Researcher: Using Self-Narrative to Define One's Role as Participant Observer

Abstract

As public servants who work most closely with children, teachers have first-hand knowledge of the needs of the changing demographics of urban public schools in the United States. Teachers who engage in research, and researchers who are former teachers, enjoy unique positions in conducting investigations and sharing and implementing findings. Because much of their knowledge is gained through firsthand experience, self-narrative allows this population of researchers to explore intersections between research and practice that might otherwise remain tacit and inaccessible to a broader audience. Although this methodology applies broadly across educational settings, this article focuses on K–12 schools. Utilizing self-narrative vignettes from her own research in a public, alternative middle school serving a high-risk student population, the author discusses how this methodology was used to define her role as a participant observer. Implications for practitioner scholars and former-teachers-as-researchers are discussed.

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