'Hard to reach’ parents but not hard to research: a critical reflection of gatekeeper positionality using a community-based methodology

Wilson, Suzanne orcid iconORCID: 0000-0002-7021-8967 (2020) 'Hard to reach’ parents but not hard to research: a critical reflection of gatekeeper positionality using a community-based methodology. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 43 (5). pp. 461-477. ISSN 1743-727X

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Official URL: https://www.doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2019.1626819

Abstract

Conducting research with under-represented, overlooked and service resistant groups poses challenges but can lead to valuable discoveries that inform the development of policy or practice. In this paper, a reflective account of a community-based methodology will be provided which targeted families in poverty who did not engage with the school system. The research discussed provides a phenomenological understanding of how these parents perceived their role in their child’s education, and what challenges they felt they faced, both at home and in school. This community-based methodology proved effective in recruiting and obtaining data from five focus groups (n = 27) and a series of in-depth interviews (n = 50). The perceived positionality of the gatekeeper is discussed, explained using Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory [(1979). An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict.’ In The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations, edited by W. G. Austin, and S. Worchel, 33–37. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole], with particular focus on in-group/out-group identity perceptions. The efficacy of the strategies used are discussed and recommendations for a community-based methodology for educational research is provided


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