The Student Voice in Educational Research: Student Shadowing from the Student’s Perspective

• In Event: Roundtable Session 83
  In Roundtable Session: Voice and Identity

Abstract

Drawing from interviews and observations of students attending four public high schools in a large urban district and interviews with 11 researchers, this qualitative study examines the potential of student shadowing as a tool for illuminating students’ perspectives on the schooling experience. With most research studies drawing on the viewpoint of administrators, teachers, and external stakeholders, the student perspective offers critical insight into school and classroom activities. Each student was shadowed and interviewed about their shadowing experience. Later, the researchers were interviewed about the shadowing process. Findings from this study suggest that student shadowing should be seen as an important tool for both researchers and school leaders alike aiming to understand the perspective of students in schools.

Authors

• Stacey A. Rutledge, Florida State University

• Lynn Comer, Florida State University