Nastava i Vaspitanje (Jan 2019)
Living inquiry in educational research: From personal stories to transformative actions
Abstract
In living inquiry, researchers start from the premise that life is complex, and that processes and events are neither complete nor fixed. Pedagogical research is recognized as a continuous process of immediate, living, evolving connections and relationships between co-researchers, the community of practitioners, and theoreticians. They are drawn together by questions they regard as important, but they also focus on maintaining good relationships based on the values of trust and respect. The scientific is seen as being close and attainable, and living pedagogical theories as embedded in an entire network of interpersonal relationships. They are continually woven from the unique personal stories of co-researchers, whose unexpected themes, questions, and changes of direction emerge in the process of negotiation and discovery of practice and theory. They are a reflection of wider social themes, but at the same time continue to guide the research process. By building relationships they tell existing stories about themselves, but also re-examine old patterns and the accumulated history of their relationships, and co-construct new stories. Thus research is examined as a cooperative epistemic storytelling process, which is at the same time a political process, both because of the possibility of taking part in decision-making in the course of research, and because of the influence on immediate practice while it takes place and after its completion. The development of this pedagogical culture of research opens up the possibility for practitioners and theoreticians to essentially simultaneously contribute together to the transformation of living pedagogical theory and the transformation of practice from the inside through recognizing and supporting the agency of personal stories.
