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New Article Explores Ethical Decision-Making in Educational Narrative Inquiry

How do researchers ethically engage with other people’s life stories? How do researchers’ emotional experiences shape the development of research in education? A new article by André Freitas offers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the ethical and emotional complexities involved in narrative inquiry in education.

Published by the International Journal of Research & Method in Education (Taylor & Francis), the article, titled “Decision-making in narrative inquiry in education: ethical gathering, transcription, validation and analysis of lived experiences”, explores how the researcher navigated methodological decisions and personal vulnerability when working with lived experiences, particularly in school settings.

The article draws on Freitas’s doctoral research (University of Porto), carried out in Portugal and Brazil, where he examined how teachers’ and pupils’ art experiences reveal new insights into cultural production, professional development, and educational trajectories and meanings. His autobiographical stories - centred on desire, passion, love, and freedom - anchor ethical reflections across four key stages of qualitative research: gathering, transcription, validation, and analysis.

“I wanted to show that narrative research is not only about collecting data - it is about establishing relationships built on responsibility and care with ourselves, with others, and with institutions”, explains Freitas. “Ethical decisions often emerge in moments of silence, emotional connection, or even exhaustion.”

The study presents a compelling case for embracing emotional honesty and reflexivity in research, especially for early-career scholars working in educational contexts. Freitas highlights how strategies such as drawing, digital storytelling, and music were intentionally used to honour the complexity of human experience and uphold ethical integrity.

Key highlights from the article include:

The use of arts-based narrative methods to explore the lived experiences of teachers and pupils.
A focus on reflexivity and emotion as essential components of ethical research practice.
Ethical analysis of how desire shapes data gathering, how passion informs transcription, how love underpins validation, and how freedom guides analysis.
Advocacy for a creative, flexible, and relational approach to ethics in educational research.

The findings are especially relevant for researchers, educators, and postgraduate students involved in qualitative studies, as well as institutions seeking to strengthen ethical frameworks in educational research.

To cite this work:

Freitas, A. (2025). Decision-making in narrative inquiry in education: ethical gathering, transcription, validation and analysis of lived experiences. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2025.2543261

To request full access to the article, please contact the author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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