Introduction Majoritarian (i.e., dominant) narratives have historically overshadowed the experiences of marginalized and minoritized individuals, particularly in K–12 education contexts. Counternarratives have emerged to resist incomplete, inaccurate, and stereotypical representations. Although counternarratives are present in K–12 education research, their use is often fragmented, underscoring the need for creative, intentional strategies to integrate them throughout the research process as a coherent methodology. Methods This paper explores existing K–12 education literature informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) that incorporates counternarratives. This approach examines how counternarratives have been applied across studies and demonstrates the use of a logic model as an organizing tool to embed counternarratives systematically throughout a research study, from theoretical framing through methods and methodology. Results The literature reveals diverse applications of counternarratives in K–12 education research, including use as (1) a theoretical framing, (2) a pedagogical tool, (3) a research method, and (4) a full research methodology. Findings indicate that, through intentional and strategic planning, counternarratives can effectively unify theory, pedagogy, and methods into a cohesive methodological approach. Discussion While evidence suggests that counternarratives can function as an integrated methodology, the literature lacks a systematic synthesis and practical guidance focused explicitly on counternarratives as methodology. There remains a need for clearer examples and frameworks to support researchers in synchronizing counternarratives across all stages of the research process. Such guidance is essential for advancing counternarratives as a transformative methodology in K–12 education research.
Lee et al. (Wed,) studied this question.