Self-Study as an Equity Practice: Enacting Social Justice Through the Research Process

• In Event: From Past to Present: A Wide Lens Look at Self-Study of Teacher Education

Abstract

This presentation examines how methodology functions as an equity practice in critical self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP). Drawing from multiple perspectives, this work advances a methodological approach that centers equity and social justice through research design, conduct, and analysis. Through a conceptual analysis of S-STEP literature and the application of constant comparative methods, five key findings emerged: theoretical frameworks as equity tools; expansive data practices that facilitate inclusive knowledge production; analytic prisms that foster methodological innovation; positionality as a methodological asset; and critical vulnerability to enhance trustworthiness. These demonstrate how critical S-STEP methodology moves beyond rhetorical claims toward material engagement with social justice, positioning research processes as active sites where power, identity, and social structures are negotiated and transformed.

Author

• Adrian D. Martin, New Jersey City University