Critiquing Narrative Inquiry’s Epistemological Pillars Within a Large-Scale Study into the Teaching of Phonics

Narrative inquiry has long been respected as a qualitative approach to researching the lived experiences of participants. Used widely in educational research the approach enables insights into the practices, perspectives and preferences of teachers, most often considering a small number of participants within a close circle of influence. In response to the challenge of evaluating a sector wide literacy reform initiative we were interested to ascertain if narrative inquiry might be used to explore a large sample size, over broad geographical spaces at different points in time as teachers worked collaboratively to explore the teaching of Phonics in Context. We collected teachers' stories via digital platforms and keeping true to the principles of narrative inquiry, deliberately addressed its key epistemological components, namely, relationality, temporality, landscapes and competing stories through the data analysis process. The findings from the study indicate that narrative inquiry at scale can be a cost-effective way to collect, analyse and report on the experiences of teachers while adding a critical lens to policy and or pedagogical implementation and evaluation.