Narrative Analysis Research Articles

“It turned out right for both of us”: A qualitative study about a preference for home death and actual place of death

This qualitative study was conducted in Norway to explore couples’ preference for home death when one of the partners was dying from cancer, and what made home death possible or not. We conducted dyad interviews with five couples. After the patients’ death, the spouses participated in individual interviews. The data were interpreted using thematic narrative analysis. One patient died at home, and three died in a healthcare institution. The narratives show how interdependency and mutual care were important when dealing with home death. When care needs were manageable at home, home was perceived a safe place and the preferred place for death. When care needs were experienced to become unmanageable at home, the sense of safety changed and admission to a health care institution was considered the best option. Regardless of place of death, the spouses experienced the end to have turned out right for their partner and themselves.

Technologies and Innovations in the Educational Process: Experience of the University of the Future

The concept of university refers to a forward-thinking, innovative educational institution that implements the latest advancements in technology and pedagogy. The purpose of the research is to explain technologies and innovations used at the future-oriented university and to outline their impact. The research objectives are the following: to describe the concept of university of future; to explain what technologies and innovations are integrated into the educational process; and to describe the peculiarities of their using. Studying involved mixed methodology, particularly surveys and questionnaires; in-depth interviews; observational studies; content analysis; and ethnographic and pedagogical method. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis, thematic analysis and narrative analysis were used for data analysis. The study was carried out among faculty members and university administrators in February-April, 2024. The findings showed that the participants of the educational process understand the university of future as an institution focusing on the formation of professional competences among students through the use of innovative techniques. Also, it is referred as an innovation center, research and development institution, digital university or student-centered university. The university of future is characterized by technology-enhanced learning, research and innovation, practical learning, interdisciplinary approach, personalized learning, student-centered pedagogy, and life-long learning opportunities. The university of future applies a number of technological advancements that enhance the efficiency of the educational process. They include artificial intelligence, virtual reality, Learning Management Systems, and cloud computing. The pedagogical innovations are related to blended learning, flipped classroom, personalized learning, project-based learning, game-based activities, and collaborative learning. The implementation of technological advancements and pedagogical innovations requires using organizational and pedagogical measures.

Behind Closed Doors: The Hidden Realities of Indian Children Living With Alcohol-Dependent Parents.

The negative impact of Paternal Alcohol Use Disorder (PAUD) on children's psychosocial well-being is an overlooked issue that warrants more global research attention. Alcohol dependence is often seen as a hidden problem with subtle yet harmful effects, especially on the children of those with alcohol dependence. These children often remain invisible due to their loyalty and unwillingness to disclose their dysfunctional family situation. However, in the Indian context, these invisible children receive limited and insufficient support. This study aims to narrate the profound experiences of children growing up with fathers with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), highlighting the challenges of invisibility and the support they receive within the Indian cultural context. The study used a qualitative narrative research design, with a panel of child psychology experts selecting 12 participants aged 11-13 years. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and a semi-structured interview guide. The data collected were transcribed from the local language into English and analyzed using narrative thematic analysis. The study revealed how PAUD negatively influences children's experiences and societal norms surrounding family honour and reputation. It also sheds light on the children's reluctance to seek help due to stigmatization, the circumstances that compel them to disclose their problems, and the support they receive to cope with these challenges. This study highlights the critical need for culturally specific interventions and support mechanisms in India to address the psychosocial challenges faced by children, emphasizing the importance of societal acknowledgment and strategic interventions to alleviate the detrimental impact of parental AUD on child well-being.

Evaluation of Accountability in The Performance Report of The Batam Free Trade and Free Port Authority (bp Batam)

This research aims to analyze and evaluate the evaluation process of the Performance Accountability Report of the Batam Free Trade and Free Port Authority (BP Batam) based on results in 2022. This study focuses on evaluating the performance of BP Batam using qualitative research methods. Data collection is carried out through secondary data from planning documents and financial and performance reports of government agencies. Data analysis is conducted using techniques such as thematic analysis, grounded theory, or narrative analysis. The results of this research indicate that there are challenges in the performance planning of the BP Batam Government, such as inconsistencies between performance planning in documents such as RPJMD, RENSTRA SKPD, RKT, TAPKIN, and LAKIP, which are caused by a lack of coordination among various stakeholders and unexpected policy changes. The performance measurement process of BP Batam has not been optimally utilized for control and monitoring. BP Batam needs to establish good internal coordination among its units, implement an effective monitoring and evaluation system, and optimize its human resources to overcome challenges in the preparation of LAKIP. BP Batam can use the combination of the Performance Blueprint and Friedman's Four Quadrant Approach for measuring and managing organizational performance more effectively.

Suicidal Ideation Among Kenyan Youth: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Life Stories.

This study examines the experiences of suicidal ideation among Kenyan youth through a qualitative analysis of online narratives, a sample that comprised 15 young individuals aged 17-26 who shared their stories on online platforms. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study highlights complex interactions of societal pressures, mental health challenges, and identity struggles that contribute to suicidal ideation. Key themes identified include the impact of cultural expectations, mental health stigma, isolation, and identity crises. By prioritizing the personal voices of the youth, the study sheds light on the deeply contextual nature of suicidal ideation and offers insights into the meanings individuals ascribe to their experiences. The findings advocate for culturally sensitive interventions and underscore the need to address mental health stigma, aiming to foster a supportive societal environment for Kenyan youth grappling with these issues.

Perspectives on vulnerability from the narratives of older migrants.

Older migrants are considered avulnerable population group in many ways. Marginalization and social exclusion lead to unequal opportunities for social participation. In order to break down barriers for older migrants, the perspectives of people with migration biographies should be given greater consideration. To this end, the results of an explorative intersectional ethical analysis of care narratives of older migrants are discussed in the light of aging studies research. The focus is on the ethical analysis of five guided interviews with older migrants between 65 and 80years old, who have migrated from different countries in southeastern Europe. In contrast to the prevalent expert perspective, the narratives of the older migrants interviewed revealed not only resistance to vulnerabilization but also multiple negotiations of autonomy and dependency. By making ambivalent narrative and action strategies visible and linking them to narratives of intergenerational care relationships, the significance of care-ethical interpretations of vulnerability and characterization of vulnerability as "auniversal, inevitable, and anthropological feature of humanity resulting from the embodied, finite, and socially contingent structure of human existence" [4] can be demonstrated.

UTILIZING CAPCUT TO FOSTER CREATIVE WRITING SKILLS IN EFL STUDENTS: A DIGITAL MEDIA APPROACH

This study investigates the use of CapCut, a digital media application, to enhance the creative writing skills of EFL students. It addresses common challenges faced by students, such as difficulty in expressing ideas, lack of confidence, limited vocabulary, and low motivation in writing. By integrating CapCut into the learning process, the study aims to create an engaging and pressure-free environment for students to develop their writing skills. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data was collected through observations, structured interviews, and narrative descriptive analysis from 15 high school students. The findings indicate that CapCut significantly improves students' productivity and creativity in writing, as evidenced by the increased number of words and the quality of paragraphs produced. Students reported a positive experience, feeling more motivated and confident in their writing abilities.

With me it is exactly the same: second stories and their argumentative function in child talk

Conversation circles in kindergartens can foster discursive abilities such as argumentation. This paper analyzes argumentation in conversation circles in a kindergarten with respect to the function of narrative argumentation. We focus on second stories as a specific narrative form that is characterized by relating in content and form to a before told narrative thereby displaying similarity and alignment. In this paper, we will analyze videographed conversation circles in a kindergarten. Our methodological approach is interactional and qualitative, informed by conversation analysis and narrative analysis. We will argue that preschool children use second stories for argumentative purposes in cooperative argumentative exchanges and through them produce interactional alignment.

“Accepting a Transgender Child Is to Improve the Way One Lives on This Planet”: Support and Acceptance Trajectories of Parents of Transgender and Gender Diverse Children

Research on how parents’ experiences with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents is sparse, especially in Latin American countries, like Colombia. This study aimed to describe the processes that parents follow when recognizing and raising TGD children and adolescents. A qualitative study was carried out with a convenience sample of 14 parents, through a semi-structured interview about significant beliefs and behaviors regarding their TGD children. Exploratory inductive narrative analyses of the transcripts and the trajectories of beliefs and behaviors of the parents interviewed were conducted. Four significant phases were identified among the representative themes: (1) initial recognition of the child’s TGD status, (2) mobilization, (3) acceptance and coping, and (4) looking ahead. The results are discussed in relation to international research and recommendations for applications of the findings are made.

Unlikely Alliances in Action: Balancing Alignment and Autonomy in Rural-Urban Water Conflicts

Environmentalists, ranchers, and Indigenous nations are increasingly coming together on environmental issues in what have been called “unlikely alliances,” offering important insights into the role of collaboration and collective action in environmental governance. We examine two cases of unlikely alliances that formed in response to large rural-to-urban water transfer projects in the western United States, drawing on narrative analysis of interviews and focus groups with diverse participants. We highlight several key insights about unlikely alliances in action, finding that they 1) can take many different forms, often shifting over time; 2) require a delicate balance between alignment and autonomy, particularly when involving sovereign Indigenous nations; 3) can involve divergent understandings and expectations in regard to what it means to ally, with a notable distinction between issue-oriented and relationship-oriented approaches, and 4) are valued by participants even as they grapple with these challenges, particularly in the context of growing political polarization.

How the experiences of implementation support recipients contribute to implementation outcomes.

There is a growing body of literature on the activities and competencies of implementation support practitioners (ISPs) and the outcomes of engaging ISPs to support implementation efforts. However, there remains limited knowledge about the experiences of implementation support recipients who engage with ISPs and how these experiences shape the trajectory of implementation and contribute to implementation outcomes. This study aimed to extend the research on ISPs by describing the experiences of professionals who received implementation support and inform our understanding of the mechanisms by which ISPs produce behavior change and contribute to implementation outcomes. Thirteen individuals with roles in supporting implementation efforts at a private foundation participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using qualitative narrative analysis and episode profile analysis approaches. Iterative diagramming was used to visualize the pathway of experiences of implementation support recipients evidenced by the interview data. The majority of recipients described how positive experiences and trusting relationships with ISPs increased acceptance of implementation science throughout the foundation and increased the perception of implementation science as both an appropriate and feasible approach for strengthening the impact of foundation strategies. As perceptions of appropriateness and feasibility increased, recipients of implementation support described increasing knowledge and application of implementation science in their funding engagements and internal foundation strategies. Finally, recipients reported that the application of implementation science across the foundation led to sustained implementation capacity and better outcomes. The experiences of implementation support recipients described in this paper provide a source for further understanding the mechanisms of change for delivering effective implementation support leading to better implementation quality. Insights from these experiences can enhance our understanding for building implementation capacity and the rationales for evolving approaches that emphasize the dynamic, emotional, and highly relational nature of supporting others to use evidence in practice.

An information behaviour exploration of personal and family information and curation of our life histories

Introduction. Family stories and life histories are often shared among household and family members via oral and written communication, family traditions, and many other information practices. We explore these practices through the lens of information behaviour. Method. This study uses first-hand reports of such family information practices. We use collaborative autoethnography through a narrative methodology for creating rich understandings of information practices within families. Analysis. The first-hand self-reports from the four authors/researchers from four different countries are analysed using a narrative analysis method. Results. Although each author describes the process of gathering and preserving their personal and family history differently, they all consciously or unconsciously defaulted to the role of information holders and occasionally gatekeepers of personal information within their families, especially as the previous generation age, suffer memory loss, or pass away. Conclusion. Family events such as holidays, celebrations, funerals, and other spaces in which members come together, serve as boundaries of our information worlds, or as information grounds. However, the tension between traditional and digital documentation and communication methods within families, the digital divide, and globally dispersed families can lead to intergenerational information loss.

‘Let me tell you what I believe’: Narratives, storytelling and ethos building, the case of Tory leaders (2005–2023)

This article proposes a critical narrative analysis of the way recent Conservative leaders have used storytelling to talk about themselves and reinforce their political ethos during the annual party conferences. We will use David Cameron’s transformative tenure as a starting point, as he tried to usher in a new Conservative creed, more compassionate and voluntarily different from Thatcherism. We will then see how his successors have also resorted to narratives to establish a strong political ethos. The main objective of the article is to examine the evolution of the image of the Conservative leader and to assess the role storytelling has played in this important communicational process.

VI SUAL AND NOMINATIVE SIGNS OF CHARACTERS IN MARI NON-FABULOUS PROSE

: The text considers the visual appearance of demonic characters in the modern Mari folklore. Based on the texts of non-fabulous prose (bylichka, byvalschina), the author explores the manifestations of otherness in the descriptions of “evil spirits”: iya, keremet, ovda, targyltysh, revenants. The research focuses on models of describing the images of the Mari evil spirits, their visual characteristics and liminality in folklore narratives. The author considers the categories of color, size and other attributes as characteristics marking demonic folklore characters as chthonic. The work is based on field materials collected in places of compact residence of the Mari population in 2017–2022 (the Mari El Republic, the Kirov oblast’, the Republic of Bashkortostan). The work was carried out in an interdisciplinary manner, based on a combination of ethnographic and folkloristic scientific methods. The main scholarly direction addressed by the researcher is a semiotic approach to the study of myth and folklore, that is, a view of folklore texts and images as a sign system of concepts. The author combines the methods of field research, interviewing, narrative analysis, as well as the typological method. According to the author, in the description of “evil spirits” by informants several models of representation can be distinguished: anthropomorphic, anthropomorphic with hyperbolized features, zoomorphic, abstract. Special attention in the article is paid to the nominative features of characters in oral texts. The res earcher noted a tendency of informants to neutralize category of a folklore character.

The Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita: Understanding the Dynamics of Suffering and Healing

ABSTRACT Suffering and healing are both ends of a continuum known as life, with a human being standing in the middle. The actions we choose and the route we follow determine where we will go; whether we will heal and succeed in our lives or suffer as a result of our actions. This research seeks to investigate how the Bhagavad Gita differs from the Gospels in addressing the reality of suffering and transformational healing methods. The narrative analysis approach of qualitative research is used in this study to investigate and identify themes and subthemes that describe the notions of suffering and healing. This research delves deeply and specifically into how the Bhagavad Gita understands suffering and healing. The discussion section of this study also provides specific highlights from several chapters of the Bhagavad Gita that, when applied to human lives, might help enlighten the way to healing.

Semiotic Analysis: Essential Moral Study in the Film "The Sinking of the Van der Wijck Ship

This article aims to explore and understand the use of signs and symbols in the film "The Sinking of the Van Der Wijck Ship" as tools for communicating moral and ethical messages. Through a semiotic approach, this study highlights how visual and narrative elements contribute to the formation and understanding of cultural hegemony in Indonesia, based on Antonio Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony. The urgency of this research arises from the need to understand how films influence and shape social and cultural perspectives, particularly in the context of the Minangkabau community, which is rich in tradition and customs. The methodology used is qualitative descriptive, with data collected through observation and in-depth analysis of the film's narrative and the interpretation of the symbols used. The results of the study show that this film functions not only as an entertainment medium but also as a powerful moral education tool that communicates the conflict between traditional and modern values through the rich use of symbols. The discussion in this article emphasizes how the film depicts the struggle for hegemony in society, highlighting the conflict between personal desires and social demands. This research provides new insights into the role of media in influencing and understanding social and cultural dynamics, offering a broader perspective on how visual narratives can impact public understanding of social and cultural issues.

’Did we do our best?’ Reviewing person-centred compassionate care at the end of life in an acute hospital in the United Kingdom, during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Appreciative Inquiry

ABSTRACT There is an outstanding task for all international healthcare organisations to understand how healthcare services learn from the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to understand whether the treatment and holistic care received by each person who died with presumed nosocomial COVID-19 in our United Kingdom hospital was provided with kindness and compassion. A multi-professional team carried out a service evaluation underpinned by Appreciative Inquiry (AI) methodology. Our current Learning from Death data collection tool was supplemented by the addition of narrative analysis to augment our qualitative findings. We identified a total of 63/143 patients as dying from presumed nosocomial COVID-19 in our hospital. The deaths occurred in hospital between 15 April 2020 and 29 January 2021. We found evidence of individualised decision-making in complex medical situations, alongside the challenge of managing COVID-19, with appropriate management of deterioration and appropriate symptom control. A Learning from Death programme benefits from a multi-professional approach that utilises the skilled workforce mix that exists in our hospitals. The use of AI methodology and addition of narrative analysis is practical and adds valuable qualitative data to the scrutiny of deaths. Sharing the narrative of those who died during the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the evidence that healthcare professionals strive to do their best even in the most challenging circumstances and do so with compassion.

Deaf learners’ academic and social difficulties and coping mechanisms in Ethiopian elementary schools

This study examined deaf learners’ academic and social difficulties as well as their coping mechanisms in Ethiopian elementary schools. To do this, the study adopted a phenomenological design from qualitative research methodology. Purposive sampling methods were used to choose nine deaf students for semi-structured interviews. Using word-by-word narrative analysis, data were analyzed. The lack of sign language interpreters and teachers' exclusionary behaviors were found to be some of the academic and social obstacles faced by deaf learners in the research area. The study also found that deaf learners in participating schools used problem-focused coping techniques, including pen-and-paper techniques for interpersonal communication, and maladaptive coping mechanisms like ignoring and social withdrawal. According to the report, local authorities should organize awareness workshops for instructors from participating schools on how to instruct deaf learners in inclusive environments.

Sustainable Enablers of Knowledge Management Strategies in a Higher Education Institution

By facilitating the capture, organization, and dissemination of knowledge within and beyond the institution, knowledge management (KM) in higher education institutions (HEIs) fuels innovation, enhances research impact, and strengthens collaboration, ultimately leading to the creation of new knowledge and its valuable exchange. However, there is still much to explore in terms of the enablers of knowledge creation, sharing, and transfer. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the enablers of effective KM in the Polytechnique University of Leiria, which serves as a benchmark for other higher education institutions due to its leadership role in RUN-EU, a consortium of European universities. To achieve this, a narrative analysis based on information from SCOPUS and the institute’s website, focusing on innovation, research, and development strategies, is proposed. The findings suggest that for KM initiatives to be successful, they need to be strategically designed, culturally supported, technologically enabled, and integrated into existing workflows.

Content and Sentiment Analysis of Autobiographical Narratives of Experienced and Well-Evaluated Teachers in Spain

Analysing the content and feelings of teachers’ autobiographical narratives provides relevant information about teaching processes, challenges in professional development, performance, and identity. In this work, we analysed the narratives of five well-evaluated Spanish teachers with more than 10 years of experience. We used Iramuteq, RStudio, and TextRazor to describe the main themes, analyse the emotions, and check whether evidence-based teaching practices were mentioned. The results showed that emotional aspects were central, with positive feelings dominating. In the content analysis, themes such as mental health, inclusion, immigration, war, empathy, critical pedagogy, and autonomous and emancipatory education stand out. The analyses are relevant for teacher educators, policy makers, researchers, and teachers in training or in active service.