ERIC Number: EJ1036152
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1743-727X
EISSN: N/A
Student Co-Inquirers: The Challenges and Benefits of Inclusive Research
Welikala, Thushari; Atkin, Chris
International Journal of Research & Method in Education, v37 n4 p390-406 2014
This article focuses on the process of conducting a research project which explored the university student experience across three different geopolitical contexts using students studying at an English university as co-inquirers. The project sample included students at different stages of their university experience (undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral) studying across a range of disciplines in India, Ireland and England. Qualitative interview data were collected by the student co-inquirers using Skype technology. The student co-inquirers were equal partners in all aspects of data collection and analysis but were not part of the initial theoretical framework and methodological decisions. The student engagement as co-inquirers provided a particular space for the student voice to be heard in making multiple meanings from the data. The shifting identities of the co-inquirers and the impact of taking part in the project on their ability to enact agency with a particular voice within a democratic, participatory research framework is discussed. The authors conclude that participation of students in research as co-inquirers involve both risks and benefits mainly associated with the inherent difficulties with unequal power relationships, managing student agency and understanding multifaceted complexities that arise from shifting identities.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Students, Student Experience, Student Participation, Researchers, Partnerships in Education, Participatory Research, Power Structure, Student Empowerment, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India; Ireland; United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A