Freirian perspectives on becoming female researcher-academics in special education

Perhaps the most influential thinker about education in the late twentieth century is Paulo Freire. He has been particularly popular with informal educators with his emphasis on dialogue. According to Freire, to enter into dialogue presupposes equality amongst participants. Each must trust the others; there must be mutual respect and love (care and commitment). Each one must question what he or she knows and realizes that through dialogue existing thoughts will change and new knowledge will be created. This study highlights the diversity of life and professional experiences of one doctoral cohort at New Mexico State University in Special Education. We reflect on topics of gender, culture, and language by reflecting on the impact of individual backgrounds on our collaborative intent to build a doctoral learning community.