Biographical-narrative Approach Research Articles

Cope PPA-Adaptation of the Biographic-Narrative Approach for Persons with Primary Progressive Aphasia: Protocol for Clinical Trial Design.

Persons with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) often experience limitations in their quality of life (QoL). Some studies have shown positive effects of speech and language therapy on QoL in persons with PPA. However, there is still a lack of evidence for disorder-specific approaches for this important therapeutic goal. The biographic-narrative approach (narraktiv) has been shown to significantly improve QoL in persons with post-stroke aphasia. In the planned study, the biographic-narrative approach will be adapted for persons with PPA (Cope PPA), and its efficacy will be investigated. First, a focus group interview with five persons with PPA will be conducted to identify the wishes and needs of participants. Based on the results, the narraktiv manual according to Corsten et al. (2015) will be revised. Second, an efficacy study will be conducted according to the new Cope PPA manual with 24 persons with PPA in a waiting group control design. The primary outcome, QoL, will be assessed using questionnaires (Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39) and semistructured interviews. Depressive symptoms, life satisfaction and cognitive/communicative functioning will also be assessed. If Cope PPA proves efficacy, this study may help to improve the treatment of persons with PPA.

Blurring Reality and Blurring Gender: Fashion and Attire in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando

Abstract The aim of this paper is to investigate the interplay between narrative style, gender and fashion within Woolf’s Orlando. This study delves into how Woolf’s use of a biographical narrative approach in a fantasy novel facilitates the exploration of gender stereotypes and their subsequent blurring. In this regard, through a meticulous analysis of Orlando, Woolf ingeniously employs the biographical style to transcend traditional literary boundaries. This stylistic choice allows for a deliberate blurring of reality and fantasy, prompting a transformative narrative experience. Within this narrative framework, the significance of fashion and attire emerges as essential tools for challenging conventional gender norms: clothing serves as a powerful vehicle for destabilising preconceived notions of gender. By situating Orlando’s fluid identity and evolving gender presentation within the context of clothing choices, the novel portrays the malleability of gender constructs. The blurring of genders is skilfully intertwined with the blurring of reality, forging a narrative tapestry that offers profound insights into societal perceptions of identity. In conclusion, this paper illuminates how Woolf’s novel enables a thoughtprovoking exploration of gender stereotypes, ultimately advocating for a more inclusive and fluid understanding of identity through the lens of fashion and attire.

Editorial: Stories of abandonment. A biographical-narrative approach to the academic dropout in Andalusian Universities. Multicausal analysis and proposals for prevention

Editorial: Stories of abandonment. A biographical-narrative approach to the academic dropout in Andalusian Universities. Multicausal analysis and proposals for prevention

TERBITNYA MODERNISME ISLAM

This article aims to explore the biographies of three early modernist figures in Indonesia, namely Cokroaminoto, Agus Salim, and Mohammad Natsir to find the typical roots of modern Islamic organizational movements in Indonesia. This research is a qualitative type with a biographical narrative approach. We explore references related to the biographies of these three figures to find the root of character for modern Islamic organizations in Indonesia. The research findings show that in Cokroaminoto's biographical narrative, it is found that the organizational control model requires administrative management skills, external relationship, and conflict management skills. Agus Salim's biographical narrative shows that he has pioneered the andragogy education system in the cadre of organizational members. Natsir's biographical narrative has shown the patron of the establishment of a modern Islamic school: by reducing the rote method, accommodating general education, and appreciating art education. Natsir can also be a reminder that intense involvement with the religious learning system can make an activist leave a formal education career opportunity as Natsir missed a scholarship opportunity to the Netherlands, because he was too impressed with the puritanical teachings of religion.

Achieving active aging of older people with gratitude, independence, and government support—A biographical narrative approach

AbstractThis article aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of elderly individuals in Korea regarding active aging in their daily lives. The research utilizes Schütze's biographical narrative approach and involves six participants, comprising two males and four females aged between 73 and 82. The data collected undergoes analysis using Schütze's six‐step biographical narrative analysis method, resulting in the following key findings. The first significant finding in their biographical stories is that participants have gone through poverty, lack of education, economic activity, early marriage, dedicated child‐rearing, and the challenging times in Korea following the end of Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War. Secondly, the study discovered that older people could achieve a balanced and active life obtained from the love of family and friends, sincere faith, enjoyable social activities, precious jobs, and safety concerns by adopting a positive and appreciative approach toward life. The study's third finding highlights that older individuals wish to be self‐reliant, value government benefits, seek more economic opportunities, and need better social services to assist them during their vulnerable later years for active aging. Therefore, the thesis recommends that the Korean government provide older individuals with expanded healthcare management, caregiving services, and employment opportunities.

A Politics of Care from the Margins of Chile's Social Uprising

This essay addresses the Chilean social uprising of 2019 through the experiences of Marta and Juan, two residents of the peripheries of Santiago, who became involved in this event despite having no previous experience of participation in social and political organizations. It explores this event's strength in triggering contentious actions on the urban margins, and repression by the police-criminal apparatus of the state. Delving into the ethical and biographical dispositions facilitating this couple's politicization during the course of the revolt, it argues that the critical force of this event lies precisely in the entry of unexpected—even unwanted—actors into the political space. Through a biographical narrative approach, it details the shift of its protagonists. By way of subjectivation, this shift unfolds in them a critical attitude embodied in public interventions demanding equality and social justice and in acts of community and neighborhood solidarity. The case sheds light on a rarely explored dimension of social revolts: the way certain actors collectively experience these critical events through a politics of care, bringing the polis into the domestic space, and from such politicization of the oikos, opens an unusual way of challenging the police order of their world.

Gendered youth transitions in local jihad in Indonesia: negotiating agency in arranged marriage

ABSTRACT In accounts of local Islamist jihad, little attention has been directed to how young women exercise agency when they face arranged marriages with jihadi fighters. They undergo a different kind of life transition, one that has rarely been examined in youth studies. This paper reports on a study of how young female Muslims in arranged marriages with mujahidin men navigated their transitions to adulthood in Eastern Indonesia. The study employed an ethnographic approach, including live-in observation and interviews. The data was analysed using a biographical narrative approach. We found that some young local women were married off to previously unknown mujahidin men. As the Muslim–Christian conflict raged around them, they navigated their roles of wife and mother while embedded in a jihadi network justified by Islamist ideology. Later, following the arrest of their husbands, they gained some agency and asserted a more independent adulthood by actively shaping their own life trajectories. The analysis extends our broader knowledge of (female) youth transitions in civil conflict situations in the Global South.

다문화가정 여성과 자녀의 유튜브에 대한 인식 및 활용 경험에 대한 이해: 생애사 이야기식 접근으로

This study conducted in-depth interviews using Schütze's(1983) biographical narrative approach to explore the perceptions and experiences of YouTube among three multicultural women and three children in K County, within the context of their life stories. The research findings are as follows. First, they discerned the value of watching YouTube videos and perceived YouTube as an active companion and a realm of engagement in their lives. The participants of the study perceived YouTube as a source of solace, joy, and hopeful future. YouTube was a space where individuals could enjoy their native culture and music while on foreign soil, simultaneously facilitating inter-generational communication and shared joy among different cultures and generations. Furthermore, multicultural women with insufficient educational backgrounds envisioned becoming cultural exchange YouTubers on a platform where formal education was not a necessity. In the meantime, the counter productive aspects of YouTube were also mentioned, which make them compare their lives with those of successful multicultural women on YouTube. However, during YouTube viewing, they demonstrated a discerning attitude toward the economic value and commercial aspects, making efforts to distinguish between the fictitious and genuine aspects of videos. Secondly, regarding the utilisation experience of YouTube, multicultural women and children use YouTube in their daily lives, sometimes becoming addicted to it, but prioritising privacy protection and professionalism regarding video creation and sharing. YouTube deeply integrated into their lives, fostering a sense of intimacy and connection with others. While multicultural children possessed video creation skills, women felt a sense of regret due to a lack of opportunities and time for learning. Furthermore, although some participants expressed concerns about privacy exposure in video creation and sharing, some women aimed to help others through video production and sharing. Therefore, this study suggests developing and implementing programs by social welfare facilities and educational institutions to enhance the YouTube literacy competence of multicultural women and children. These programs should focus on helping them distinguish the commercial and fictitious aspects of YouTube while enabling them to accumulate collective knowledge through video viewing, communication, video creation, and sharing activities, thereby preparing them for the future and utilising YouTube as a platform for economic engagement.

Psychometric properties of a dropout prediction tool for students in Andalusia

This article analyzes the psychometric properties of the scale used in the research corresponding to the topic “Stories of Abandonment. A Biographical-Narrative Approach to the Academic Dropout in Andalusian Universities. Multicausal Analysis and Proposals for Prevention.” The scale is composed of 71 items, with five Likert-type response alternatives. The participants forming the convenience sample were 970 from six Spanish universities. The study dimensions are: A.-Motivation, B.-Commitment, C.-Attitude and behavior, D.-Socioeconomic conditions, and finally E.-Permanence. The study begins by calculating the statistical power and the effect size, thus determining the type I and type II error. Similarly, reliability has been calculated based on the intercorrelation of items through Cronbach’s alpha (0.906). The construct validity was carried out through exploratory factor analysis, for which the correlation matrix was studied using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO coefficient), in this case the value is 0.886, the result of Bartlett’s test of sphericity is 0.000 and the Determinant 4.009E−12, so we continue with the analysis of the correlational structure, extracting the factors through the principal components method and determining in this way the communalities with the highest and lowest values. Next, we calculated the total variance explained, obtaining 16 factors and an accumulated variance of 57.315%. Finally, the model was determined by distributing the items according to the highest level of saturation by factors, obtaining a 30-item scale with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.893, which is reliable. In conclusion, the questionnaire used complies with the psychometric aspects necessary to be an optimal scale.

Early career academic's odyssey: A narrative study of her professional identity construction

Abstract Recent decades have seen a major transformation of the Spanish university system caused by changes introduced in the teaching staff evaluation procedure in which research has been prioritized. As a result, there has been a growing interest in studying how these procedures impact the way in which early career academics construct their professional identity. In this vein, this article aims to analyze how the professional identity of this group is constructed and developed in the current context of higher education. To this end, a single case study was conducted, applying a biographical-narrative approach. The results show how professional identity development has become polarized in terms of initial rejection to full acceptance of the demands of modern academia. Consequently, professional practices have also been affected by the prioritization of research over teaching, leading to the development of unethical practices to maintain competitiveness. All of these effects have contributed to high levels of stress and job dissatisfaction. Furthermore, maternity is also seen as an obstacle to female academics’ professional and academic development. Finally, our findings highlight the need for policies that provide full support aimed at helping young researchers live balanced professional lives.

Narrative Perspective of the School Trajectory of At-Risk Students

Students’ engagement in the educational task has been a matter of growing interest over the past few years as a factor in tackling one of the leading academic problems, namely school dropout. This brief research report offers an overview of how engagement in the educational trajectories of young people at risk is manifested. It was studied by applying the life course theory as the backbone of the research. A qualitative methodology has been applied, using a biographical-narrative approach through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The total number of subjects interviewed was 10. The main results indicate that: a) there are stages in which events that facilitate positive or negative engagement predominate more strongly; b) in general, there is a higher presence of negative critical events that lead to a decline in the quality of the students' engagement; and c) there are a series of factors that stand out in each of the stages of the students' trajectories. One of the main conclusions that can be drawn is that the traineeships are dynamic and flexible. Students may have the possibility of returning to their studies.

Family status and changing demands/resources: the overlooked experience of solo-living employees transitioning to homeworking during the Covid-19 pandemic

Solo-living employees are a growing segment of the workforce, yet their work-life experiences are under-researched. Taking a biographical narrative approach, we interviewed 35 solo-livers from different countries to explore their transition to homeworking during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Drawing upon the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and key concepts from the work-life interface literature, we explored both lost/reduced and new/increased job and personal demands and resources at this time. We found that the transition to homeworking during lockdown created several challenges for solo-living staff, often exacerbated by changes to the demands and resources of others – namely those with childcare responsibilities. We argue that ‘sense of entitlement to support for work-life balance’ is an important personal resource, which impacts the work-life interface, and which solo-living staff often lack. Our findings offer solo-friendly recommendations for organisational practice.

Life story work for children and youth in out of home care: A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies

BackgroundLife Story Work (LSW) is a biographical narrative approach used within health and social care settings that offers individuals an opportunity to talk and think about their lived experiences. LSW is embedded in government out-of-home care (OOHC) policy nationally and internationally. Despite this, little is known about how LSW is implemented in OOHC or the experience of key stakeholders. We conducted a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies to address these knowledge gaps. MethodsWe searched eight academic databases and reference lists (2006 to July 2021) for qualitative studies or those reporting qualitative data on LSW involving children aged < 18 years in an OOHC setting. ResultsWe identified 21 eligible studies from 706 records. The most popular LSW offering was life story books. Common OOHC settings for LSW implementation were adoption, home-based and residential care. OOHC was used to a lesser extent in family group homes and independent living settings. OOHC children valued LSW when it represented a comprehensive record of their lives, retaining their LSW in later years. Carers valued involvement in the LSW process and wanted a realistic life record. Facilitators and support workers viewed LSW as a beneficial adjunct but reported lack of training and support. ConclusionsLSW is a valuable approach in OOHC settings. The process should commence early and continue with adequate support and training for carers and professionals. There is need for implementation in other OOHC settings, and controlled trials to establish the effect of the approach on social and emotional outcomes.

Ensinando através de vidas: construções biográfico-narrativas pensadas como metodologia ativa e significativa

Abstract The present work intends to present as a perspective of the field of social sciences, the biographical-narrative approach of lives, has the founding potential – when applied in teaching – to activate and make meaningful (and significant) both learning and the lives of students and educators. Based on an interpretive and reflective reading, the methodology is based on a broad discussion about dealing with biographical narratives. Along with this, the relational possibilities that narrating and reconstructing trajectories reveal are pointed out, added to the understanding of how these are intercrossed in contexts and relationships at the micro and macro level, in the private and public spheres, encompassing traditional, popular and cultivated knowledge. This fact leads to the pedagogical latency of this methodological experience of teaching-learning-research. Therefore, it is intended to point to ways of operationalizing – disciplinary and also inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary – the processes and tools, as well as the gains in interests and contextualization of the contents proposed by the curricula and school calendars. These procedures have the relevant role of revealing the socio-historical present of the trajectories and of the agents that circulate educational life, but also of the families and, especially, of the students themselves, and place them as historical agents filled with subjectivities built in the daily interrelationships and intercoms. In this way, it is pointed out, finally, how the biographical-narrative approach has the potential to constitute itself as an active, interpretive and reflective methodology, without forgetting to be critical and to produce openings for the emancipation of the agents (educator and student).

The construction of a leadership identity based on empathy, care, and participation: María Eliana's history

Recent academic research highlights the role of leadership identity when thinking about the improvement of the educational field. Based on this research, this article aims to identify and analyze the elements that affect the development of leadership identity in female school principals within the Chilean context. This is achieved by working from a biographical-narrative approach, specifically from the life history technique. This analysis emerges from a considerate reflection on the teachings, and personal and professional milestones highlighted in the biogram. Both personally and professionally, a multiplicity of elements is observed in the life history of María Eliana, influencing the development of her leadership identity, particularly highlighting her self-recognition as a woman. This identity is oriented towards social justice, based on socio-emotional tools such as care, empathy, and participation; and understands and values the role these elements must take in Chilean education. The case study presents tensions for the Chilean educational system, which must be able to address the complexities that women experience while holding leadership positions, especially when challenged with the perspective that school is an inclusive space of social justice.

Understanding the Perspectives and Experiences of Employed Older People on Active Ageing in Their Later Working Life (Biographical Narrative Approach).

This thesis aims to understand the perspectives and experiences of older people regarding the concept of active ageing in their later working life with biographical narratives. This research adopted a biographical narrative interview for data collection. A total of 15 employed older people were interviewed by the researcher. The collected data were analysed using the biographical narrative analysis of Schütze (1983). The research findings are the following: in the first theme, the driving force to enable older people to choose active ageing in the workplace was their confidence in their work ability to include a challenging attitude at work. In the second theme, another driving force to enable older people to participate in economic activity that was considered was the individual workability of active older workers, including health rather than their chronological ageing in the labour market. However, in the third theme, research participants believed that the barrier of active ageing is a negative social prejudice on the working ability of older people. From this point of view, the research participants suggested that negative social prejudice for older workers should be overcome by active ageing experiences in age-friendly working environments as the fourth theme.

La enseñanza en el ámbito universitario

En un estudio interpretativo-narrativo realizado en la UNMdP en el marco del Doctorado en Humanidades y Artes con mención en Cs. De la Educación de la UNR se estudió mediante el enfoque biográfico-narrativo en articulación con la etnografía educativa la dimensión ética de la enseñanza de profesoras consideradas memorables por sus estudiantes. La categoría “enseñanza memorable” emerge de una resignificación y resentidización de los hallazgos investigativos de dicho estudio. Las dimensiones de “memorabilidad” de la enseñanza se plasman en las siguientes macrocategorías: enseñanza logopática, enseñanza apasionada, enseñanza como compromiso existencial y enseñanza terapéutica. A su vez cada macrocategoría alberga diversas categorías que muestran aspectos plenos de sentido para la comprensión de lo que las profesoras creen, sienten, piensan y hacen cuando enseñan. Si bien presentamos de modo muy sintético estos hallazgos, los mismos permiten un acercamiento a la comprensión del entramado de significados y sentidos alojados en prácticas de enseñanza que dejan huella en la subjetividad de los estudiantes.

Changes in Age Stereotypes in Adolescent and Older Participants of an Intergenerational Encounter Program.

This intervention study explored the effects of a newly developed intergenerational encounter program on cross-generational age stereotyping (CGAS). Based on a biographical-narrative approach, participants (secondary school students and nursing home residents) were invited to share ideas about existential questions of life (e.g., about one’s core experiences, future plans, and personal values). Therefore, the dyadic Life Story Interview (LSI) had been translated into a group format (the Life Story Encounter Program, LSEP), consisting of 10 90-min sessions. Analyses verified that LSEP participants of both generations showed more favorable CGAS immediately after, but also 3 months after the program end. Such change in CGAS was absent in a control group (no LSEP participation). The LSEP-driven short- and long-term effects on CGAS could be partially explained by two program benefits, the feeling of comfort with and the experience of learning from the other generation.

Comenzar y permanecer Narrativas de dos docentes de escuelas con alto índice de vulnerabilidad

More than 40% of Chilean teachers leave the profession during the first years of their professional practice. Also, when considering environments of greater vulnerability in schools, this problem is exacerbated. In this context, this study proposes an approach to the permanence experiences of two beginning teachers who work in Chilean schools with high vulnerability rates. Based on an ecological approach of the teacher agency it was possible to enter into an understanding of such experiences in a multidimensional and integrated manner. The study uses a biographical narrative approach that puts the experience of permanence at the center of the analysis. Based on the narratives of Andrea and Ignacio, a continuous network of decisions is evidence that leads them to remain in their schools, which is not exempt from moments of discontinuity and questioning.

Identificación de necesidades de apoyo para el aprendizaje y la participación de estudiantes universitarios con discapacidad visual: un estudio biográfico narrativo

This article explores the educational experiences of young people with a visual disability, to identify the needs for learning assistance and the participation they experienced during their university years. A biographical narrative approach was used to explore the students’ voices with the intention of having their perspectives and insights contribute to improvements in inclusive education processes in higher education. There was a total of four participants, two current students and two graduates from two Chilean universities and two biographical interviews were conducted with each participant. The students’ needs for support include greater accessibility to the areas designated for social interaction, better assistance with mobility within the campus, better accessibility to study materials and class content, and diversification of the assessment instruments. The results are discussed considering the concepts of "participation” and "universal design for learning”, and the implications for the institutional inclusion policies in higher education.