‘The Beauty Walk, this ain't my topic’: learning about critical inquiry with adolescent girls

Abstract

We examine what happened when a researcher worked with four African‐American middle‐school girls to critique the ways girls' bodies are implicated in the schools' hidden curriculum. We analyse an example of instruction around ‘The Beauty Walk’, a school‐sponsored fundraiser. Drawing on critical and feminist pedagogies we ask: how did the researcher initiate and support engagement in the inquiry process?; and how did the girls interact with the researcher? Through a micro‐level analysis of verbal interactions, we develop a case study highlighting participation patterns. The researcher created both the topic agenda and the processes by which the girls would critically engage with the topic. She used a variety of strategies to scaffold the girls' development of a verbal and written critique. Marked by points of engagement and resistance, the girls' participation varied among the girls and across inquiry tasks. Even so, the girls were able to develop a written and verbal critique. We question our choice of using a researcher‐selected topic for critical inquiry.