In this article, some advantages and limitations of conversational narratives as a research strategy are shown for the work performed with families and teachers of children with disabilities. Some methodological considerations about research in disability and some of the accomplishments and difficulties that are part of the research conducted with families of people with disabilities are presented. These families seek to realize the potential that this methodology may have for the research outcomes regarding family and disability, particularly, making emphasis in the emotional aspects and the daily experiences of each of the family members. The conversational narratives give meaning to the feelings and experiences of people that interact daily with children with disabilities. They are an excellent option to articulate the view of the social researcher with the experiences of teachers and members of the families with children with disabilities. The interaction that takes place during conversational narratives not just allows the transformation of people, but also helps the researcher to widely comprehend the reality they live. The narration performed by many voices, as it is the case during a conversation, privileges the relationship and the discourse between people as a source of construction of consensual meaning. The triadic interaction between family, inclusive education, and health, oriented the conversational encounters with parents, guardians, and teachers of these children from the city of Manizales, Colombia. Participants formed freely distributed conversational and reflective teams around which they discussed the questions that were previously developed. With this investigative exercise, two important issues are highlighted. The first one is the interactional value of this strategy in three areas: among participants, with the researcher, and with the situational context. The second is there flexivity, not only as part of the current process of the researcher but also as a process that is directly related with 'making' human. Thus, this methodological strategy is more related to the making than to the being and the feelings of people; which are not necessarily being transformed in the narrative. This methodology recognizes how, through conversation, new ways of relating to each other are created, which allows an inter-subjective understanding of the experience. By listening, new meanings are generated through a discourse that reveals the relationship between text and context. In this case, the context gained special importance, not only for the topics that were proposed on every occasion, but also for the mutual recognition of the participants as conversational peers, where they showed cultural rules that made it possible to continue with the conversation. Every human being has his/her own way to think and learn from life experiences. For this reason, transformations become visible as the conversations contribute to the solutions of the practical situations of their lives. The conversational narratives show strengths in resolving conflicts that arise during the conversation. In the narratives, it is noteworthy to emphasize the key points related to those things that are difficult in people's lives, since feelings of fear, frustration, happiness, and sadness, are more related to facts than to words. The conversational narratives are interactive processes that allow listening to multiple versions of the reality under investigation. Therefore, they constitute an excellent strategy to guide research with families and teachers of children with disabilities. However, it is important not to overstate the scope of conversational narratives and to maintain a moderate attitude towards their use. The fact that processes of reflection of the participants could or could not be present or even visualized while using this methodological strategy, recognizes the existing gap between talking and doing. Conducting research with conversational narratives in more spontaneous contexts and with fewer people is suggested.
Se presentan algunas ventajas y limitaciones de las narrativas conversacionales como estrategia de investigación para el trabajo con familias y docentes de niños con discapacidad. La narración realizada por muchas voces, como sucede en una conversación, privilegia la relación y el discurso entre las personas como fuente de construcción consensuada de significados. La interacción triádica entre familia, inclusión educativa y salud orientó los encuentros conversacionales con padres, acudientes y profesores de estos niños en la ciudad de Manizales (Colombia). Los participantes conformaron equipos conversacionales y equipos reflexivos y conversaron sobre preguntas propuestas, previamente elaboradas. Con este ejercicio investigativo se resalta el valor interaccional de esta estrategia desde tres ámbitos: entre los participantes, con el investigador y con el contexto situacional. Se argumenta que la reflexividad está más relacionada con el hacer que con el ser y el sentir de las personas, las cuales no necesariamente se transforman en la narrativa. Cada ser humano tiene su propia forma de pensar y de aprender de las experiencias de la vida, por eso esta transformación se hace visible a medida que las conversaciones aportan a la solución de las situaciones prácticas de sus vidas. Las narrativas conversacionales muestran fortalezas en la resolución de conflictos que surgen en la conversación. Aunque es una excelente estrategia, es importante no sobredimensionar su alcance y mantener una actitud mesurada frente a su uso. Se sugiere hacer investigaciones con narrativas conversacionales en contextos más espontáneos y con menor número de personas.