Narrative Inquiry (NI) as an Exemplary Method for Social Justice Leadership

Abstract

School districts in Idaho have witnessed growth in the immigration of people from sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, Central Europe, Mexico, and Latin America. The children of these immigrants and refugees have backgrounds different from those of their predominantly white educators. The social injustice addressed in this study was the isolation and marginalization of diverse students in predominantly white schools wherein educators with backgrounds different from their students may not be well prepared to connect with and educate them. It was not the purpose of the research to attempt to discover a theory of, or solution to, the injustice, but rather to explore how narrative inquiry as a traditional qualitative research tool may be drawn upon in a new way for social justice. As a small step in the effort toward culturally proficient instruction and leadership, narrative inquiry (NI) research utilizing a social justice perspective was conducted with three educators and the researchers themselves. Educators learned from their students and therefore about themselves, and by learning about themselves, educators became more invested as social justice leaders. A central narrative for social justice leadership was developed and discussed. Narrative inquiry (NI) was thus proposed as a research method vehicle to promote depth of understanding in social justice leadership. Recommendations were included for leaders seeking to create inclusive and equitable schools or organizations.