“The story so far”: a critical reflection on the literacy learning journey of children and a teacher in a DEIS primary school, through Arts Based and Narrative Participatory Methods

There is also a lack of research into this area that uses Arts Based and Narrative Participatory Methods.<br><br>The interpretivist approach allowed me to immerse myself in the research with the children as I gathered data through personal interactions in the research field. The children were facilitated to create images and share insights into the nuances of their school and home lives. The children did not have to deal with the challenges of reading and writing when they engaged with Arts Based and Narrative Participatory Methods.

The purpose of the auto-ethnography in this research project was to facilitate my own reflexivity as an insider researcher and provide critical insights into my professional practice. <br><br>I positioned the findings from the research within Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach to conceptualise a life that is commensurate with human dignity (Nussbaum, 2011). In the analysis there is a particular focus on conceptualising the literacy experience of the children within the capabilities of Senses, imagination and thought, Emotions, Control over one's environment, Practical reason and Affiliation.

Through the analysis of the findings within the Capabilities Approach, it could be seen that many of the children live in a context of corrosive disadvantage due to poverty, learning needs and homelessness. But through opportunities and freedoms such as a supportive school environment, availability and choice in reading material and close family bonds, the children showed that they have the potential to thrive in their literacy journey in a DEIS primary school.

Through the use of Arts Based and Narrative Participatory Methods and Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach (2011) I could form an in depth analysis of individual life contexts and depart from the statistics of norm based evaluations, as the children told their story of literacy learning in a DEIS school.<br><br>