Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Narrative inquiry'

Loneliness is a human experience that often influences the individual’s mood, perception, self-concept, relationship, and physical heath. The existing body of research on loneliness often associates loneliness with a mental illness (e.g., anxiety or depression) and/or a cognitive deficit. Moreover, although, researchers have identified different types of loneliness, there is limited research on the experience of profound loneliness while in the company of another person with whom one is in a close relationship. Therefore, this study was framed to contribute information in the field by exploring the meaning of this particular type of loneliness as a lived experience. The question this research sought to answer through narrative inquiry was: “What is the meaning of participants’ experience of loneliness while in the company of another person with whom they were in a close relationship?”

The current study examined oral narratives of adult participants. Five participants were recruited and interviewed. The transcribed data was analyzed following Gee’s (1991) structural analysis of oral narrative. Through analysis of the narrative data this study aimed to gain an understanding of subjective, psychological meanings of this particular loneliness experience.

The results of the analysis showed that participants, in relationship with another, characterized as close but not experienced as intimate, was retrospectively experienced as loneliness and was lived with a sense of profound hopelessness in a multidimensional manner, which implied the participant’s desired ideals for intimate relationship.

Many factors appear to influence the loneliness experience while in the company of a close other for adults, including the individual’s desire to avoid experiencing pain and loss. The findings indicate that increasing the individual’s awareness of their multidimensional experience through non-pathologizing reflection in a clinical context could allow him or her to reach a deeper understanding of the experience.

This narrative research offers an inquiry that intends to inspire thinking about a culturally competent dementia care framework in the United States. The main research question is: How does a culture hold dementia care? A subquestion is: What can we in the United States learn from other cultures about dementia care to enhance this care for all? The inquiry was designed to conduct narrative research focusing on Japanese culture in the context of caregiving to people with dementia; 4 professional and 4 family caregivers from this culture, who have cared or have been caring for persons with dementia, were interviewed. The narratives reflected the caregivers' lived experiences and how they were culturally compelled to give and sustain care.

This inquiry assumes that a person-centered dementia care model is challenging for the U.S. healthcare system, despite attempts to do so, due to the prevailing values and beliefs in the United States that center around a cure model as opposed to a care model. It also assumes that ideal person-centered dementia care in the United States needs to pay close attention to the cultural competence of caregivers and healthcare professionals, as their clients identify as persons through their cultural ways of being. These assumptions are grounded in the literature review.

As a result of narrative data analysis, 5 themes emerged from the data among family caregivers, and 2 themes among professional caregivers as the commonality. In addition, 4 themes emerged not as common themes but as unique themes. This dissertation examined Japanese interdependent construal of the self and demonstrated that these themes could be explained through understanding Japanese sense of self.

It is evident that interdependence between the self and others is deeply embedded in Japanese culture. Without a doubt, interdependence uniquely manifests in the caregivers’ attitudes, values and worldviews of caregiving in Japanese culture. Although the limited number of participants should be considered, these findings/caregivers’ insights generated from this study aim to promote and encourage dialogues regarding what culturally competent dementia care looks like among caregivers and beyond in the United States when taking care of people from different cultures.

This study sought to understand how students who were enrolled in postsecondary education and received support through special education services understand their identity. It was influenced by developmental theories of identity development and the professional interests of this researcher. It utilized narrative theory as conceived by Dan McAdams (1985, 1993, 2001) as both the methodology and a way of conceiving identity. Data was collected through a series of individual interviews. Participants were found to relate their identity as a series of stories. Their conception of self-identity views special education status as a trait, but not one central to their identity. Their families were viewed as central to how they understand their identities. Individuals outside of their families also had a strong impact on how they viewed themselves. Participants view differences as common both inside and outside of the special education population. Participants indicated a desire to help others heightened by their own struggles. Goals were well-articulated and used for self-motivation during times of academic difficulties. All shared negative school experiences unrelated to identity without prompts about the quality of their educations.

This narrative inquiry explored the ways in which four mid-career English teachers construct themselves as W/writers and how those writerly identities are performed in their pedagogy. I curated data collected from extended interviews, journals, personal and professional writings to build narratives of these teachers-as-writers. Through these narratives and metaphorical thinking (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), I analyzed the wholeness of each participant’s experience with writing.

Then, in stage two of the study, I used data collected from teaching observations to build a continuum of process —> product, employing Goffman’s (1974) frame analysis to place the teachers within that continuum. This continuum represented the stable thread that continued through the teachers’ personal and professional identities and led to three insights: (1) Those teachers who identified as Writers were more comfortable teaching writing processes (2) The desire to be seen as a “kind of W/writer or teacher” brings risk writing instruction and (3) Agency provides Writers a way to mitigate the risk of teaching writing.

Since September 11, 2001, U.S. servicemen and women, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, are returning home having suffered and survived catastrophic and disabling physical, neurological, psychological, and moral injuries. By every measure, the casualty statistics are staggering. Perhaps even more alarming is the reality that we have yet to see the full extent of the psychological and neurological injury-related complications that will emerge in the months and years to come. War exacts a heavy burden not only on the service member, but their families as well. Divorce affects female troops 3 times that of their male counterparts. During post-deployment health screenings, 12% of troops report substance abuse problems, while only 0.2% are referred for further evaluation and treatment. On any given night in America, about 154,000 veterans are homeless. Nearly half of those homeless have a mental health diagnosis and more than 70% struggle with substance abuse. Unfortunately, and too often, the burdens these servicemen and women carry become too heavy as suicide becomes an exercised option. Between 2004 and 2008, the rate at which active duty army soldiers took their own lives doubled.

The evidence strongly suggests that significant numbers of recent veterans are not successfully reintegrating back into society by virtue of high incidence rates of suicide, substance abuse, family problems, divorce, unemployment, homelessness, and incarceration. Unfortunately, that reintegration journey is seldom supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in any consistent meaningful manner beyond the date that the veteran is discharged from active duty.

This narrative inquiry explored the community reintegration experiences of ill, injured, and disabled U.S. servicemen and women that served in the global war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11, 2001. More specifically, the service member’s experiences and perspectives around engagement in adventure-based activities, the supportive communities that manifest around those activities, and the role or value of that experience in the reintegration process. Through narrative inquiry, this study gives voice and adds deep contour and rare perspective to this typically isolated, humbly silent, and understudied population, informing greater understanding of the warfighter experience and the elements of their journeys that support successful rehabilitation and reintegration.

The findings of this study suggest that adventure-based activity and the communities that manifest around those activities played a vital role in the successful rehabilitation and reintegration journey of each of the research participants. Through surfing, rock climbing, and mountaineering, each was able to satisfy needs at all levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, facilitating the ability to redefine their sense of identity, reestablish a sense of purpose, and reconnect and reintegrate into a welcoming and supportive community apart from the military.

Findings from this study also inform policy, practice, and future research that can positively influence and improve the experience of current and future casualties of war. Honoring a commitment made by President Lincoln over 152 years ago and in keeping with the VA’s mission, the federal government must fund future research that has the capacity to influence expansion of the VA’s current narrow scope of practice. It must also vet and fund community-based programs that demonstrate the ability to positively influence the rehabilitation and reintegration journey. The findings of this study also inform practice in both the community and VA. Educators, clinicians, program providers, volunteers, and donors serving this population now have a more complete image of the veterans’ experience and the immense value of their contribution to the journey. Future research that includes a multicultural voice, the voice of women, inclusion of other adventure-based activities, and a variety of methodological approaches is imperative if the research community is to play a role in positively influencing the rehabilitation and reintegration journey of veterans that are ill, injured, and disabled.

Native Hawaiian children have been facing challenges in multiple areas and multiple settings comparing to their non-Hawaiian peers. Many of Native Hawaiian children are academically struggling in the schools and have high dropout rates. This qualitative study explores the perceptions of a group of Native Hawaiian high school graduates on the Island of Oahu in regards to how project-based learning impacted their learning to determine whether or not project-based learning is an effective instructional strategy to motivate Native Hawaiian learners. Project-based learning intergrades the learning and psychological theories of intrinsic motivation, experimental, constructive and social learning. This narrative inquiry study confirmed that project-based learning had positively impacted on most of participants’ learning in the areas of interest of learning, engagement, self- challenged, attitudes towards learning, social and communication skill, learning skills, life skills, Hawaiian culture connection, technology, and curiosity. The importance of teacher-student relationship was identified as a key to achieve a successful PBL. Hands-on projects, community involvement and teamwork were the areas were also considered essential. The implications from this qualitative study were beyond determining whether or not PBL was a motivational tool for Native Hawaiian learners, but some of the causes for lacking of motivation. The participants of this study called for being connected to their cultures, community, place, and school through PBL. The narrative study discovered that Native Hawaiian learners require people who work with them understand Hawaiian culture and establish culture competency in PBL. Successful implementation of PBL can connect Native Hawaiian learners to learning, school, culture, their own identity, and Aloha spirit so that they are motivated to learn.