Peer Interviews as a Narrative Research Method

Abstract

The peer interview method is rarely used in educational narrative research with educators. This chapter explores peer interviews as a method in educational narrative research in the North. The peer interviews described herein are recorded dialogues between pairs of early childhood educators without the presence of researchers. Our research material consists of peer interviews involving 24 educators conducted in several municipalities in northern Finland in 2018. In the peer interviews, educators shared their stories and shaped a common understanding of the two research themes: belonging and diversity. The peer interview research material enables us to understand educators’ work more deeply by offering different kinds of knowledge compared with traditional interviewer–interviewee positions. By exploring this novel method of studying educators’ narratives, we aim to shed light on the three kinds of narrative encounters that emerged during our research process. Further, we consider our position as researchers in applying the peer interview method.