Unlocking imaginations: lessons learnt from using story stem completion with young children

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although a substantial proportion of psychological research focuses on the topic of ableism in schools, there is limited use of qualitative methodology, with no instances employing the story stem completion method. There is a scarcity of academic literature discussing best practice of research conducted (a) with children, (b) within school settings, or (c) addressing ableism and disability-based prejudice. This paper fills this gap via sharing insights gained from our research. We collected qualitative data through story stem completion tasks to explore perceptions and discourse surrounding disability among N = 195 children aged 5–11 years in the UK. We explain and critically assess our research decisions, including the creation of story stems, remote and indirect engagement with pupils and school staff, and our data collection methods. We highlight the array of choices available to researchers, emphasize the importance of further dialogue within the research community, and advocate for evidence-based best practices in this research area.