Evaluating collaborative action ethnography as a means of co-constructing ‘pedagogies of vulnerability’ in the post-pandemic music classroom

Following the lengthy period of isolation enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the imperative for qualitative researchers to re-engage in personal and participatory modes of inquiry has become increasingly important, especially within educational contexts. In this article, I argue that collaborative action ethnography could be a valuable way forward in post-pandemic research in which researchers seek to partner with teachers and pupils in their everyday school contexts. Using examples from the three case-study schools in my ongoing research into experiences of vulnerability in secondary music classrooms, I suggest that the flexibility of collaborative action ethnography has the potential to accommodate shifting degrees of participation from researchers, teachers and pupils. In particular, I highlight opportunities for incremental changes in classroom culture, development of pedagogical practice, and teachers’ professional learning made possible through collaborative action ethnography, and evaluate the extent to which such methodologies could help sustain meaningful personal and participatory research.