The essay explicates a pedagogical methodology for teaching empirical research methods, employing the principles of feminist pedagogy in the facilitation of research teams composed of a teacher and multiple graduate students. The...
moreThe essay explicates a pedagogical methodology for teaching empirical research methods, employing the principles of feminist pedagogy in the facilitation of research teams composed of a teacher and multiple graduate students. The described pedagogy is consistent with six principles of feminist pedagogy deduced from a meta-analysis of the extant US literature on feminist pedagogy: reformation of the relationship between teacher and student, empowerment, building community, privileging voice, respecting diversity of personal experience, and challenging traditional views. The authors illuminate their pedagogy via a detailed description of one feminist research group undertaking a large sample survey. The authors contend that the feminist research group constitutes a practicum-style educational opportunity that represents a practical alternative to the traditional classroom teaching of empirical research methods to graduate students. US academic feminists have articulated the principles of feminist pedagogy or a feminist methodology for teaching . While definitions of feminism vary , most authors would agree with Bowker and Dunkin's (1992: 261) description of the feminist perspective on pedagogy as: a way of being, knowing, and acting that intends empowerment rather than oppression by power; validation of race, class, and gender as dynamics that create valued difference but not oppressive hierarchy; and recognition of the meritorious complexities of various ideologies. In addition, [feminism honours] the personal as a way of knowing, giving credence to thought, feelings, and experience.
