Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice

Ishwarya Narayanan Iyer; Sridhar Ramachandran

doi:10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

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Ishwarya Narayanan Iyer ¹ ^* , Sridhar Ramachandran ²

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¹ School of Education, Indiana University, USA² Department of Informatics, Indiana University Southeast, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative study that explores how educators in higher education construct their meaning of social justice. The data consist of transcripts of personal stories shared by three subjects in a public panel discussion. The data analysis employs two complementary methods: thematic analysis and poetic inquiry and analysis. The thematic analysis identifies two main themes: reflection from life events and heightened self-awareness, which illustrate how the subjects’ life experiences and perceptions have shaped their understanding of social justice. The poetic inquiry and analysis transformthe subjects’ voices into narrative and lyrical poems that evoke the emotional and experiential aspects of their stories. The paper explores the consequences of the findings for campus programming and social justice education. This paper also reflects on the benefits and challenges of using thematic analysis and poetic inquiry as qualitative research methods. The dual approach illuminates the complexities of social justice in education, contributing to a more holistic understanding.

Keywords

qualitative data analysis
thematic analysis
poetic inquiry and analysis
social justice
lived experiences and perception

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

International Journal of Changes in Education, Volume 3, Issue 1, 2026, 101-110

https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

Publication date: 09 Feb 2026

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Article Downloads: 5

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How to cite this article

APA

Iyer, I. N., & Ramachandran, S. (2026). Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(1), 101-110. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

Vancouver

Iyer IN, Ramachandran S. Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(1):101-10. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

AMA

Iyer IN, Ramachandran S. Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2026;3(1), 101-110. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

Chicago

Iyer, Ishwarya Narayanan, and Sridhar Ramachandran. "Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice". International Journal of Changes in Education 2026 3 no. 1 (2026): 101-110. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

Harvard

Iyer, I. N., and Ramachandran, S. (2026). Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice. International Journal of Changes in Education, 3(1), pp. 101-110. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003

MLA

Iyer, Ishwarya Narayanan et al. "Thematic Analysis and Poetic Inquiry of Educators' Meaning-Making and Sense-Making of Social Justice". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 3, no. 1, 2026, pp. 101-110. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42023003