Other people’s voices: a reflective inquiry into power and voice within the classroom and the implications of researching one’s own practice

Abstract

The aim of this pilot case-study was two-fold: to explore the power and voice within small group interactions within a secondary school classroom and to explore the implications of researching one’s own practice as a teacher-researcher. Using Bakhtin’s theories of dialogism, audio recordings of one small group interactions were compared to student independent written work, in order to understand whose voices were used and how. Four main themes were identified: power and authority; positions of submission; silence and the voice of the text. The findings also highlighted how in the midst of teaching we can fail to see these power and identity dynamics; but the time and space of reflective research enables researchers to see beyond the moment and develop the capacity to see their teaching interventions and strategies anew to support the construction of new meaning.