Bridging Education Theory and Counseling Practice: Affordances of "Motivational Interviewing" Approaches in Qualitative Research Methods

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Qualitative Methods (Table 5)

Abstract

Aspirations are strong predictors of students’ trajectories, and understanding how youth develop and achieve goals is crucial to supporting their future success. Guided by ethical educational research frameworks and evidence-based counseling practices, this paper foregrounds “motivational interviewing” (MI) as an innovative contribution to qualitative methodology, in the context of a broader study on youths’ aspirations. Data were collected via 50 interviews with five first-generation, low-income, Mexican-American high school seniors over one year. Semi-structured interviews followed an MI approach, which cultivated space for students’ emergent thinking and sensemaking about how current experiences affected their future pathways. Findings demonstrate how MI enabled co-construction of reflective, affirming, imaginative dialogue opportunities. This study offers implications for qualitative research and possibilities for employing person-centered methods.

Author

• Mariko Yoshisato Cavey, National Partnership for Student Success
  Presenting Author