Embracing Uncertainty: A Narrative Case Study on Teacher-Learner Relationships Through Restorative Justice Practices in Education

• In Event: Narrative Methodologies in Our Current Classrooms

Abstract

Restorative justice practices in educational settings recognizing trauma and extreme life circumstances have become increasingly relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing impacts of climate change. This narrative inquiry uses Clandinin and Connelly’s suggestions for data collection and narrative structure (1990, 1994, 2000, and 2013) to describes the interactions between one science teacher and one learner over the course of two years in a program created as an alternative to school suspension. Using a dual framework combining restorative justice practices (Wachtel, 2016; Restorative Solutions, 2020) and uncertainty management in science education (Chen et. al, 2019; Chen, 2021), the researchers iteratively and thematically analyzed the teacher-learner interactions. The storied results unveiled the layered complexities within ongoing restorative conversations and relationships.

Authors

• Zachary Schafer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Guy Trainin, University of Nebraska - Lincoln