A Way of Knowing: Iyagi as a Qualitative Research Framework to Understand Bilingual Children

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Story, Trace, and Resistance: Arts-Based and Culturally Rooted Interventions in Qualitative Research

Abstract

This study introduces "iyagi” [(이야기)], a traditional Korean storytelling approach, as an epistemological stance and research framework to understand bilingual children. While iyagi can be broadly translated as "story" or “conversation," iyagi represents a unique Korean perspective on how knowledge is created and shared. This paper examines three key aspects of iyagi: it recognizes that knowledge is tied to cultural and historical contexts (contextual aspect); it values participants as experts in navigating between cultures and languages (relational aspect); and it embraces the community-based nature of storytelling where meaning emerges collectively (communal aspect). By embracing iyagi as a methodological tool, researchers can develop a more inclusive and responsible research framework that centers the experiences of bilingual children and recognizes their expertise.

Author

• Pyeongeun Kim, Michigan State University