Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators

Bhawana Shrestha; Kavita Malik

doi:10.29333/ajqr/13241

Bhawana Shrestha ¹ ^* , Kavita Malik ² ^*

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 49-64

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

OPEN ACCESS 1293 Views 515 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

Two South Asian educators from the neighboring countries, Nepal and India, embarked on a collaborative autoethnographic inquiry into the emotional dimensions of teaching during the time of the pandemic using reflective letter-writing as a method of generating data. We have used a narrative dialogue method to analyze our reflective letter-writing method and draw attention to the themes that emerged throughout the process of generating data. Our research points out the significance of affective understanding through listening and sharing each other’s narratives as a way to build resilience as teacher leaders during times of crisis to improve our practices and gain insight into each other's lived experiences.

Keywords: autoethnography, letter-writing, reflexivity, emotional intelligence, teacher leaders, teachers as researchers

References

Atmaca, Ç., Rızaoğlu, F., Türkdoğan, T., & Yaylı, D. (2020). An emotion focused approach in predicting teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 90, Article 103025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103025
Banerjee, D., Vaishnav, M., Sathyanarayana Rao, T., Raju, M. V., Dalal, P., Javed, A., Saha, G., Mishra, K., Kumar, V., & Jagiwala, M. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosocial health and well-being in South-Asian (World psychiatric association zone 16) countries: A systematic and advocacy review from the Indian psychiatric society. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(9), S343–S353. https://journals.lww.com/indianjpsychiatry/pages/default.aspx
Blalock, A. E., & Akehi, M. (2017). Collaborative autoethnography as a pathway for transformative learning. Journal of Transformative Education, 16(2), 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344617715711
Chang, H., Ngunjiri, F., & Hernandez, K. C. (2016). Collaborative autoethnography. Routledge.
Channa, L. A. (2017). Letter writing as a reflective practice: Understanding the shuffling, shifting, and shaping of a researcher identity. Reflective Practice, 18(3), 358–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2017.1294531
Coia, L., & Taylor, M. (2009). Co/autoethography: Exploring our teaching selves collaboratively. In D. L. Tidwell, M. L. Heston, & L. M. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Research methods for the self-study of practice (pp. 3–16). Springer.
Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1988). Studying teachers’ knowledge of classrooms: Collaborative research, ethics and the negotiation of narrative. The Journal of Education Thought, 22(2), 269–282. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23768371
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (1993). Through the lens of a critical friend. Educational Leadership, 51(2), 49–51.
DeCino, D. A., Daniel, A., Waalkes, P. L., & Mckibben, W. B. (2019). A content analysis of school counselors’ legal experiences through self-reflective letter writing. Journal of School Counseling, 17(3), 1–25. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1210748.pdf
Dewey, J. (2015). How we think. Andesite Press.
Frenzel, A. C., Becker-Kurz, B., Pekrun, R., & Goetz, T. (2015). Teaching this class drives me nuts! - Examining the person and context specificity of teacher emotions. Plos One, 10(6), Article e0129630. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129630
Frenzel, A. C., Daniels, L., & Burić, I. (2021). Teacher emotions in the classroom and their implications for students. Educational Psychologist, 56(4), 250–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2021.1985501
Gautam, D. K., & Gautam, P. K. (2020). Transition to online higher education during COVID-19 pandemic: Turmoil and way forward to developing country - Nepal. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, 14(1), 93–111. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-59206/v1
Gkonou, C., & Miller, E. R. (2020). An exploration of language teacher reflection, emotion labor, and emotional capital. TESOL Quarterly, 55(1), 134–155. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.580
Hemans, P., Gluckman, M., Ferry, L., & Hargis, J. (2019). Reflective teaching: What instructional assistant reflection can inform us about transformation in higher education. Journal of Transformative Learning, 6(1), 22–38. https://jotl.uco.edu/index.php/jotl/article/view/220/157
Hernandez, K. C., Chang, H., & Ngunjiri, F. W. (2017). Collaborative autoethnography as multivocal, relational, and democratic research: Opportunities, challenges, and aspirations. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies, 32(2), 251–254. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989575.2017.1288892
Holman-Jones, S. (2005). Auto Ethnography: Making the Personal Political. In Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 763-791). Sage.
Immordino-Yang, M. H., & Damasio, A. (2011). We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education. Learning Landscapes, 5(1), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.36510/learnland.v5i1.535
Jones, A. L., & Kessler, M. A. (2020). Teachers' emotion and identity work during a pandemic. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 583775. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.583775
Lee, B. K., & Gregory, D. (2008). Not alone in the Field: Distance collaboration via the internet in a focused ethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 7(3), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690800700303
Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (2005). Teachers as leaders. The Educational Forum, 69(2), 151–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720508984679
Mansor, A. Z. (2011). Reflective learning journal using blog. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 18, 507–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.05.074
Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 58-63. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344603252172
Mortiboys, A. (2002). The emotionally intelligent lecturer. SEDA Publications.
Nocetti, A., Otondo, M., Contreras, G., & Pérez, C. (2020). Attitude towards reflection in teachers in training. Reflective Practice, 21(3), 330–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2020.1748879
Olson, R. E., McKenzie, J., Mills, K. A., Patulny, R., Bellocchi, A., & Caristo, F. (2019). Gendered emotion management and teacher outcomes in secondary school teaching: A review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 80, 128–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.01.010
Pithouse-Morgan, K., Khau, M., Masinga, L., & Van de Ruit, C. (2012). Letters to those who dare feel: Using reflective letter-writing to explore the emotionality of research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 11(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691201100104
Rosin, J. (2015). The necessity of counselor individuation for fostering reflective practice. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(1), 88–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00184.x
Roy, R., & Uekusa, S. (2020). Collaborative autoethnography: “self-reflection” as a timely alternative research approach during the global pandemic. Qualitative Research Journal, 20(4), 383–392. https://doi.org/10.1108/qrj-06-2020-0054
Shoffner, M. (2009). The place of the personal: Exploring the affective domain through reflection in teacher preparation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(6), 783–789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.11.012
Shrestha, B. (2021). Reflections on pandemic emotions: Reconstructing self as a female educator in Nepal. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 6(2), 6–29.
Teach For All. (2021, June 17). What we do. https://teachforall.org/what-we-do
The World Bank. (2023, February 16). COVID-19’s impact on South Asia’s youth could last generations. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/02/16/covid-19-s-impact-on-south-asia-s-youth-could-last-generations
Thorpe, K. (2005). Reflective learning journals: From concept to practice. Reflective Practice, 5(3), 327–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462394042000270655
Weiner, J., Francois, C., Stone-Johnson, C., & Childs, J. (2021). Keep safe, keep learning: Principals' role in creating psychological safety and organizational learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 618483. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.618483

Citation

Shrestha, B., & Malik, K. (2023). Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

Shrestha, B., and Malik, K. (2023). Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), pp. 49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

Shrestha B, Malik K. Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

Shrestha, Bhawana, and Kavita Malik. "Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2023 7 no. 3 (2023): 49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

Shrestha, Bhawana et al. "Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 7, no. 3, 2023, pp. 49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241

Shrestha B, Malik K. Reflective Letters to Navigate the Pandemic: Exploring Emotions to Strengthen our Leadership Practices as Educators. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2023;7(3):49-64. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13241