“I Used to Have a lot of Bitterness and Anger Towards Those Who Were Handed Things”. Examining the Need for a More Culturally Responsive Framework for Research With Vulnerable Gifted Populations

Abstract

This article introduces a culturally inclusive research methodology distinct from other qualitative methodologies in its emphasis on multiple rounds of iterative data collection, member checking and co-construction of research language, design and analysis. It describes the co-design of a culturally inclusive conceptual model, data collection process and data analysis approach as an inside researcher. Culturally inclusive nuance is critical where education concepts emanating from the global north are rightly problematised by learners from the global south. More specifically, there is a well-researched gap in identification and support for gifted low SES students who tend to represent non-dominant cultures. This methodology supports culturally responsive language, narratives and approach to meaning-making around the highly contested conceptions of giftedness in low SES environs. It has proven to facilitate examination of shared experiences within a loose community setting in a qualitative research context. This article offers an introduction to the evolving methodology and the co-design process by which it came to exist for any researchers seeking a decolonising framework. It illustrates the value of the methodology in creating safe spaces for reflection and learning. Critically, from an educative perspective, it demonstrates how the methodology actively supports participants’ meaning making about their own identity and the multiple ways in which they reveal facets of their identity in various contexts of life, family, work and education, through adolescence to young adulthood.