Rethinking reciprocity: Collaboration in labor as a path toward equalizing power in classroom research

Researchers engaged in qualitative inquiry are becoming increasingly reflective about the ethical considerations inherent within their research questions, interpretive processes, and relationships with participants. This article describes a researcher's process of negotiating reciprocity with two teachers by collaborating with them in teaching urban special education classes. The author explains how this "collaboration in labor" grew from a feminist ethic of care and sense of responsibility toward the immediate needs of participants. Such a collaborative approach helped narrow the power gaps that can emerge between researcher and participants. In addition, the author felt that it contributed to establishing trust between the participants and the researcher, to greater mutuality in the interpretation of findings, and toward increased student academic achievement in the classes studied.