Everything Ain’t for Everybody: Refusal as a Methodological Practice of Purposeful Data Disclosure

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

What happens when the most ethical choice a researcher can make is to not disclose? This session explores how educational researchers engage in purposeful data disclosure through the methodological practice of refusal. Using metaphorical framing—doors, windows, and curtains—we present experiences that reveal how scholars working with vulnerable populations navigate tensions between visibility and protection. These metaphors reflect layered forms of relational responsibility, highlighting moments when data was intentionally withheld to honor trust and sacred space. Rather than framing refusal to disclose as a limitation, we argue that refusal is a valid, rigorous, and protective methodological stance—one that challenges extractive norms and reimagines ethical research as an act of care.

Sub Unit

• Division D - Measurement and Research Methodologies / Division D - Section 3: Qualitative Methodologies

Chair

• Cinthia S. Salinas, University of Texas at Austin

Papers

• Crossing Data Disclosure Thresholds: Navigating Access, Trust, and Invitation - Marcus Wayne Johnson, Texas A&M University; LaShawn Faith Washington, University of Texas at Austin

• Revealing with Intention, Concealing with Care: Data Disclosure as a Relational Method - Julissa O. Muñiz, University of California - Los Angeles; Jasmin Patron-Vargas, Texas A&M University; Pablo Montes, Texas Christian University

• Exposure Without Shelter: When Visibility Becomes Vulnerability in Data Disclosure - Devin Walker, Cabrillo College

Session Organizer

• Marcus Wayne Johnson, Texas A&M University

Discussant

• Luis Urrieta, University of Texas at Austin