Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی
Authors
1
Ph.D, Department of Educational Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Ph.D, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, University of Tehran (Farabi Campus), Tehran, Iran.
3
Ph.D, Department of Higher Education Development, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30471/mssh.2025.10709.2610
Abstract
Introduction and Objectives: In today’s complex and ever-changing world, the need to reconsider research methods and knowledge production is more pressing than ever (Shay, 2017). Restricting researchers to conventional qualitative methods steers new inquiries toward familiar frameworks, limiting advanced insights (Mazy, 2021). Thus, there is a demand for revisiting and innovating qualitative research approaches to address emerging challenges and generate new knowledge that yields distinct outcomes. The portrait method, as a research approach, facilitates deep exploration and higher understanding. By transcending rigid boundaries and imposed definitions, it offers an elevated comprehension of phenomena, replacing repetitive knowledge with creative insights that align with humanistic and societal ideals. This method transforms context, voice, relationships, and emerging themes into an aesthetic unity for researchers, participants, and audiences. Our understanding of portraiture continues to evolve (Holt, 2023). Despite numerous developments and perspectives, a significant gap remains in comprehending how these changes affect public perception and acceptance of portraiture (Silva, 2021). For instance, gaps exist in the analysis of portrait art (Kitcher, 2023) and its psychological and social dimensions (Yousimaki, 2021). Existing research in this field has substantial shortcomings in uncovering identity and emotions (Pful, 2021). As it stands, the gaps in contemporary portrait studies are vast, necessitating deeper research opportunities (Rabetsva, 2021). Engaging with this method requires sensitivity, empathy, and tolerance for ambiguity in both process and outcomes (Jangvard, 2015). Accordingly, this paper seeks to introduce the concept of portraiture, its advantages and characteristics, and its application principles (community, sampling, data collection, analysis, and validation) in humanities and social sciences research, particularly in educational management.
Research Method: This study aims to explore portrait research methodology and employs a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected through a literature review, examining articles, academic documents, and primary sources on portraiture. The research was designed in several stages to provide a deeper understanding of this novel research approach. First, the concept of portraiture was described and explained, with a comprehensive review of key definitions and related concepts. Next, the core principles of the portrait method were examined, including participant voice reflection, the process of portrait formation in research, portrait analysis, validity in portraiture, and its use in educational settings. Finally, a summary of findings was discussed in the conclusion. This study offers a coherent and systematic analysis of portrait methodology, providing new insights in the field. As such, it serves as a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in innovative methods and restructuring existing frameworks.
Findings: Key findings from portrait research include:
a) Reflecting Participant Voices: In portraiture, participants are active contributors to knowledge production, addressing societal needs. Knowledge is gathered through artistic and creative collaboration, stimulating active engagement. Researchers allow experiences to be described in ways influenced by political, economic, and cultural structures, fostering transformative change. The potential for decolonizing knowledge production leads to transformative learning.
b) The Portrait Formation Process in Research: Portraiture is useful for exploring contextual relationships, documenting processes, and enabling researchers to engage with personal narratives in critical aspects of inquiry. The proposed analytical strategy serves two functions: detailing stories to illustrate processes and contexts, and revealing underlying causes and effects. Analytical steps include coding for characters, time, place, conditions, key events, and common themes (Rodríguez-Durán & Jacobs, 2020).
c) Portrait Analysis: Data analysis in portraiture involves four stages after repeated engagement with participant voices: (1) receiving the story, (2) constructing poetry, (3) listening to opposing voices, and (4) writing the report (McCarthy, 2017). This interpretive balance between participant narratives and researcher reflections acknowledges participants as experts in their own lives (Anderson, 2012). This methodological effort to balance researcher interpretation with lived experience expertise defines narrative portraiture (Rodríguez-Durán & Jacobs, 2020).
d) Validity in Portraiture: Ensuring integrity in portrait research rests with the researcher. Unlike quantitative research, where the investigator remains detached and objective, qualitative research—particularly portraiture—involves negotiation, proximity, and relational dynamics. According to Lightfoot (2005), crafting narrative portraits is a consultative, highly creative process requiring deep and flexible insight. Vital dynamics exist between documentation and narrative creation, reception and shaping, reflection and imposition, and improvisation. Coherence must emerge organically and interpretively (Lightfoot, 2005).
e) Portraiture in Educational Settings: This method explores unique perspectives inaccessible through other research approaches, such as empirical studies. In portraiture, voices are discovered with varying degrees of constraint or presence, encompassing witnessing, interpretation, self-narration, and dialogue. These forms emerge through intersubjective relationships between researchers and participants in educational contexts (Rodríguez-Durán & Jacobs, 2020).
Discussion and Conclusion: Significant historical adaptations have been made to align with social, cultural, and technological developments (Stein, 2023). In 21st-century research, we have expanded our discourse to conceptualize data as stories, drawing from cross-cultural processes that emphasize collaboration in narrative construction (Woffen & Pickford, 2021). Portrait research primarily views inquiry as a tool for social change, emphasizing strengths and learning opportunities while minimizing the influence of socio-cultural, historical, and political contexts. This approach translates data into compelling, accessible narratives that resonate beyond academia. Each portrait emerges with its own meaning, learned through the images it creates. When shared with participants, their interpretations of lived experiences become evident. Researchers gain self-awareness through participant responses, perceiving themselves in varied and metaphorical ways. Portrait research resists conventional judgments, instead offering an art-based, phenomenological structure that provides rich interpretations of lived experiences. It occupies a middle ground between precision and quality, valuing portraiture as an unconventional yet meaningful companion in research.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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