Autoethnographic Research Research Articles

An Autoethnographic Account of a Native English-Speaking Teacher’s Change in Attitude to Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers

This study investigates and reflects upon how over a decade of teaching English as a foreign language my attitude towards non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) changed from a negative perception to one of admiration. Focusing on language ideology and NNEST discrimination as conceptual lenses, I detail the evolution of my attitudes across time and space as a language educator using autoethnographic inquiry. I detail how my attitudinal changes towards NNESTs evolved, from beginnings where I questioned their authenticity, due to my sociocultural background, to a status where I espoused their competence and began researching how equity can be achieved in English language teaching (ELT) for NNESTs globally. I also summarize how my lived experiences can be replicated in official policy within ELT with a focus on critical reflexivity and exposure. As a ‘native English-speaking teacher,’ my experiences and perceptions seek to add countenance to those documented by NNESTs, therefore offering fluidity and depth to the discussion within the NNEST movement on how equity can be achieved.

How relationship shapes the market: an ethnographic study of French tire industry

Based on a two-year autoethnographic research in the car tire trade, this study of market exchanges examines how merchants’ relationships with customers enable and sustain exchange by shaping market arrangements. Referring to these relationships as an attachment process at work in the market, this study demonstrates the relational influence wielded by merchants through the ideational, practical, and emotional ties they cultivated with customers. These framed, patterned, and emotionally meaningful relationships show that market embeddedness is endogenously produced and exerts an impact upon customers, competition, demand, and supply. Complementing the conventional economic transactional view of market, our findings contribute to a relational perspective and understanding of market dynamics.

Autoethnographical Research on the Experience of Identity Change as an Artist, Teacher and Teaching Artist

AbstractAn autoethnographic exploration of identity formation raises the question of how individuals inhabit, negotiate, accommodate and resist the social groups to which they belong, continually coming to terms with who and what they are. This paper discusses, through this researcher's autobiographical exploration, the ways in which pedagogical discourse and practice produce identities that are constructed within the broader sociocultural context of arts education. As an art educator who has been learning and teaching in the Korean sociocultural context since the 1970s, I have experienced the struggle between my identity as an artist and my identity as a teacher amidst the changes in educational ideology reflected in the Korean national curriculum, which is a set of pedagogical discourses and practices that are constructed within a particular sociocultural context. It can be said that my autobiographical narration has important implications for the practice of art education in connecting individuals and society in an ambiguous and complex future society by enhancing theoretical understanding of wider social phenomena. In this paper, the narrative interpretation of my changing identity as an artist, an art teacher and a teaching artist provides a timely insight into identity shifts in how the artwork we encounter and our perceptions of art are shaped and transformed by our own cultural experiences and recollections of our own personal experiences within the interconnectedness of art and education across time.

When Childcare is Commodified: An Autoethnography of Urban Mothering in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The research explores how motherhood constructs parenting spaces in urban contexts and, conversely, how urban spaces construct urban motherhood. This autoethnographic research uses Edward Soja’s concept of third space. The results of this study show that working mothers’ routines position them in terms of categorizing time, namely time for work and time for parenting, with a preference for parenting space outside the home. This practice simultaneously constructs temporal (time of care) and spatial (space of care) understandings for children and parents. Social media accelerates the spread of information about leisure centers, including the segmentation of care spaces. The creation of these new care spaces shows that the commodification of urban mothering is slowly shifting the role of care from the home to the public sphere. On the other hand, this domestication of the caring space can involve men in caring practices and change the stigma that caring is not only a woman’s role. Despite thearticulation of parenting as a lifestyle, the infrastructure of parenting spaces and playgrounds for children is still far from meeting the criteria of public space, as the majority are commodified, especially in the context of this research, Yogyakarta.

MOTHER’S GAZE: FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY AS A WAY TO RE-CLAIM SUBJECTIVITY

I am a mother, photographer and photography researcher. In this article I reflect on the practice of photographing my family with a goal of drawing attention to the role of family photography in re-claiming mother’s agency as subject. By implementing autoethnographic research strategy I analyse photographs and texts shared on my motherhood blog in 2016–2020. An intensive identity transformation takes place upon becoming a mother, which moves the woman’s confidence in herself as a subject with agency. My experience of motherhood was complicated and ambivalent. Yet, whilst photographing my family I create an image of a warm and cosy life. The discrepancy between images and inner experience prompts writing and thereby expanding the meaning of representations through written narrative. By looking for other means to regain subjectivity I review the elements of my photographic experience: the act of photographing, the review of photographs, archiving, sharing on social network in combination with writing. I state that photography allows me to activate my gaze at others and the gaze of others at me, which provides quite a significant sensation of power. The article offers a different perspective on the genre of vernacular family snapshots stressing the therapeutic potential of photography practice.

They returned to the Chinese mainland, and what? A collaborative autoethnographic study on the career transitions of Chinese international doctorates from the West to the east

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyse the approaches of three Chinese international doctoral degree holders who received their doctoral education in the West in tackling the challenges of relocation and career transition to the East after completing their doctoral degrees. Through a collaborative autoethnographic research from June 2020 to December 2022, from the theoretical perspectives of institutional theory, the study reveals four tactics of institutional arbitrage, driven by resources, purpose, practice, and legitimacy, allowed the Chinese international doctoral degree holders to extend their international academic networks to the local context, adapt research purposes to fit national needs, introduce effective practices from the international academic community to local institutions, and advocate for the legitimacy of cutting-edge research in the local academic community. Through these tactics, the multiple logics of profession, corporation, market, and state were found to be strengthened in the institutional environment, thus supporting their career development. The study further proposes to view Chinese international doctoral degree holders’ relocation to China as an important component of the international mobility of knowledge workers, contributing to the formation of global scholarship, rather than a simple return journey to their homeland.

Informing Teaching and Learning Practices in Higher Education: Reflections from Engaging in Home-Schooling

Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, this paper draws on the experiences of four multi-disciplinary Australian academics who engaged in home-schooling during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns to answer the research question, ‘how might our experiences of engaging in home learning inform our practice in higher education?’ The reflections encompassed our experiences in engaging with unfamiliar technology, equity issues, pedagogical aspects of online delivery, teacher presence, communication, well-being and our own cognitive and emotional responses. We considered the implications of this rich learning experience for our own learning and teaching practice as university academics. Our key findings are the need for a consistent, scaffolded, and supported approach to delivery of technology, consideration of its affordances, a flexible approach to student engagement that considers equity and contextual issues, and a focus on well-being and support. Limitations of this study include the single institution focus and the limited generalisability of auto-ethnographical research.

Attention wars, psychopower and platform environments: An autoethnographic study on BeReal

The last two decades have seen an attention war play out between digital platforms, with social media as the main battleground. This has led to the development of techniques such as the hook model to capture users' attention and subconsciously direct their behaviour towards private ends. Bernard Stiegler has called this new form of governance “psychopower”. Drawing on autoethnographic research, this paper presents an analysis of the social media platform BeReal, focusing on the role of the platform's environment design in capturing users' attention. Our findings show that the platform succeeds in holding users' attention through nudges and habit formation. We also found a strong link between attention capture, emotional exchange and the experience of affects.

Autoethnographic Disability-Related Research in Hospitality and Tourism Journals: Empowering Marginalized Identity Scholars’ Voices

Autoethnography, an essential research approach, interweaves personal experiences with introspective insights from distinct communities. Despite its methodological significance, autoethnography remains inadequately represented in hospitality and tourism research discourse. This paper seeks to challenge this status quo by advocating for social model strength-based paradigms in understanding disability and by addressing the structural and attitudinal obstacles that hinder the acceptance of autoethnographic research in high-ranking journals within hospitality and tourism. This conceptual note emphasizes the empowerment of marginalized voices, including those with disabilities, and their intersecting identities. It also highlights the hurdles faced by autoethnographers when submitting their work to prestigious journals and provides recommendations for fostering the recognition and inclusion of autoethnography within the field.

Power of introspection

This article presents the results of collaborative autoethnographical (CAE) research that investigated the group dynamics and processes of an undergraduate student, a post-doctoral fellow, and two senior administrators engaged in a students-as-partners (SaP) project. The CAE methodology allowed us to systematically, collaboratively, and iteratively analyze reflections on key takeaways from our experiences. We identified empowerment through learning and support and putting values into practice as essential components of working with SaP in mixed-role groups. This CAE research also substantiates the importance of negotiating existing power dynamics, as we identified a hierarchical structure within our group that we did not address during the actual project. Based on our group’s dynamics, we suggest that active reflection and communication regarding intersecting identities, shared and individual values, and an openness to learning and growth for all group members are critical components of working toward equitable partnerships with SaP.

Reimagining Past Histories and Experiences through Performative Photography and Auto-ethnography

This article discusses an autoethnographic exploration within artistic research underpinned by performativity and temporality in photography. Inspired by a childhood photograph depicting the author's Danish grandfather, and a story about his ongoing chess through postal mail upon migrating to Argentina, the study explores the affective and performative power of photography and chess to re-imagine a personal narrative. By decentering the artist researcher’s voice, the work reveals the materiality and layers of temporal gap in the act of reimagining the past. This article contributes to the artistic through an innovative autoethnographic inquiry emerging within the transformative space integral to art practice.

Theology, Gender, and Me: Insider Auto-Ethnographic Research Method and Its Impact in Trans-Related Theological Research

This article considers the paradigms and methods of autoethnographic and interview-based insider research with trans and non-binary Christians. I argue that these methods have enabled proclamation, attention, dialogue, justice and revelation. This is intended as a companion to my 2014 monograph ‘transformations’.

‘I am not omniscient’: an autoethnography inquiry into a novice L2 teacher’s implementation of digital multimodal composing

While much research has been conducted on the benefits of digital multimodal composing (DMC) projects from the perspective of second language (L2) students, little attention has been paid to L2 teachers, whose implementation of DMC projects in L2 writing contexts may be fraught with challenges. To address the niche, autoethnographic research was undertaken to uncover a novice L2 teacher’s experiences and struggles in DMC implementation, drawing on data from my memories and journals of lived experiences, Wechat messages with students, my PowerPoint (PPT) slides in instructing DMC projects, and student DMC samples. The results revealed that I, as a novice L2 teacher, faced challenges in implementing DMC in the Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing context, and the challenges included students’ misinterpretation of the DMC task; some students’ dislike and unpreparedness for collaborative learning tasks; the conflicts between DMC projects and the final exam and the standardized test; and my fear of showing incompetence in video making and editing. To address the challenges, I explored research articles, communicated with the researchers and students, and reflected on the hidden factors that contribute to the problem. This study draws attention to the reform of the exam-, print-, and language-oriented education system in the Chinese EFL writing context, and the incorporation of DMC and multiliteracies/multimodality pedagogy into writing teacher training programs.

Enhancing Team-Based Learning by Moderating FIRST-ADLX Framework inTeacher Professional Development

Over the past few decades, teacher professional development has increasingly focused on developing teachers’ professional skills in the use of TBL (team-based learning) in their classrooms, gaining new insights and perspectives, and enhancing their ability to meet the diverse needs of their students. Consequently, many studies have investigated the effectiveness of learner-centric approaches such as team-based learning, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, and others on learner engagement and knowledge acquisition. While such approaches have been found to motivate learners and improve learning outcomes, many teachers have struggled to create an impactful learner experience by following the recommended sequence alone. To address this issue, this paper proposes an integrated approach to designing and facilitating a learner experience using FIRST-ADLX (Focusing – Interacting – Reviewing – Sequencing – Transforming-Active Deep Learner eXperience) Framework to moderate a team-based learning session. The effectiveness of integrating team-based learning within FIRST-ADLX Framework in improving learner engagement, overall satisfaction, and knowledge retention is investigated through an auto-ethnographic research design (Lichtman, 2012; Méndez, 2013; Ellis & Bochner, 2000; Starr, 2010). Results indicate that FIRST-ADLX Framework effectively facilitates communication and collaboration among team members, supports the achievement of learning outcomes, and increases overall satisfaction and engagement. Therefore, using FIRST-ADLX Framework to moderate a learner-centric approach is an effective way to “develop and train teachers on how to understand, experience, practice and have a sustainable impact on learners” (Bahgat et al. 2020).and on the other hand to help teachers in several aspects of designing and facilitating a sustainable learning experience for their students.

Reflection-on-/in-/for-actions: Deconstructing hegemonic pedagogical culture in science education

This paper explores the hegemonic pedagogical-cultures-based narratives that I experienced in my science teaching and learning journey. Furthermore, in this paper, I also envisage different methods for deconstructing the overwhelming influence of hegemony in the science classroom. I focus on two research questions: (1) In what ways could I explore the deep-seated, hegemonic-science, pedagogical culture in my science teaching and learning? (2) How could I envisage the possible ways for deconstructing hegemony in science education? In this autoethnographic inquiry, I used the ‘knowledge-constitutive interests’ theory as a referent in data text generation and meaning-making. This theoretical lens helped unfold the deep-rooted, hegemony-like singular and absolute scientific knowledge consumption practice. While engaging in reflection-on-/in-/for-actions, I realized the need for curious, contextual and cultural selves and communication as a dance rather than a war for reforming and transforming these deep-seated, hegemonic, pedagogical cultures and identities. Moreover, I also attempt to practise the transdisciplinary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) approach for connecting classroom science learning with learners’ lives. I believe that it could support reforming/transforming my sit-and-get science teaching. Therefore, I also offer to be involved in a transdisciplinary pedagogy (like STEAM), research and academic writing for transformative curricular praxis and inclusive science learning.

“You Are Not There Yet to Think Creatively”

This critical autoethnographic research explores the lived educational experiences of an Asian woman in a mid-South urban university in the U.S. The stories of the self-empowerment for women of color connect personal encounters to larger sociocultural and political phenomena. The study employs creative analytic practice as a way of representing autoethnographic data through narratives and poetry, an innovative approach to critiquing and deconstructing academic realities, while illuminating the power relations between faculty and students. The study suggests that race- and gender-based inequities in academia may be negotiated through promoting minoritized discourses, thereby opening pathways toward education equity and social justice.

A critical analysis of volunteer tourism in post-socialist China

ABSTRACT This study delves into post-trip transformations among Chinese volunteer tourists, challenging the conventional Western-centric lens. Traditionally, research has focused on international examples in the Western context, but this study explores the less-investigated intra-country practices in China. It employs a simplified transformative learning framework, adopting a collective autoethnographic inquiry that involves the first author’s participation as a volunteer tourist in 2011, followed by an extended advisory role and authors’ cross-cultural reflexivity. The study scrutinizes psychological, convictional, and behavioural shifts while emphasizing the interconnection of transformations with pre-trip motivations, onsite host–guest interactions, post-trip actions, and the pivotal role of local organizations including long-neglected authorities. Significantly, it uncovers the mediating influence of China’s distinct socio-political landscape, contending that volunteer tourism in China serves as a top-down response to counter Western cultural dominance. This research underscores the need for a decolonized and context-specific approach to investigating volunteer tourism practices in non-Western contexts. It highlights the dynamic interplay between tourism experiences and the intricate socio-political environment in China, offering a fresh perspective on the transformative effects of local tourism practices in this unique context.

From Italy with Rage: Feminists Striking in Uncertain Times

In this contribution, I reflect on the significance of the Paro Internacional de Mujeres (International Women’s Strike) for contemporary Italian feminism. I draw from autoethnographic research within the feminist movement Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) to explore how the organization of the strike on March 8, 2017, contributed to the development of the movement's theorization and mobilization strategies. In this piece, I illustrate how digital connectivity had a central role in facilitating the expression of solidarity and processes of exchange and ‘contamination’ (Salvatori 2021) between movements across borders. I describe how the sharing of materials, slogans, hashtags, and songs centred on similar claims contributed to the construction of a transnational political subject. Through the strike, feminists analyzed and denounced how economic and patriarchal violence play out in the context of Italy, while highlighting the systemic and non-exceptional character of these forces within neoliberal societies more broadly.

A Grappling with power and privilege in the United States: One queer TESOL professional's autoethnographic inquiry

A Grappling with power and privilege in the United States: One queer TESOL professional's autoethnographic inquiry

Maturing into Leadership Role: Autoethnography of Young School Administrators

Growth in leading is the central phenomenon in this research study. In context, this is about the growing in leading experiences of newly-appointed, beginners, novice, neophytes or new administrators who happen to be young in terms of age. In this autoethnographic research study, we explored how we, as researcher-participants experienced growth in leading as young school administrators in a Marist school in the Philippines. We narrate the various dimensions of our experiences growing in school leadership including our becoming school administrators, experiences of growth and significant insights from our encounters with people with whom we work and situations we have dealt with. Through our self-revealing narratives which may not always be flattering, readers may be able to relate to the subject and develop appreciation on the journey we have taken that is reflection. The themes revealed that growth in leading can be a rich yet complex journey of self-discovery, interconnectedness, and appreciating enabling encounters of growth.