Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method Research Articles

Opportunities and challenges to human flourishing – biographical learning experiences of ITE graduates in Singapore

ABSTRACT In the performative meritocracy of Singapore where academic achievement is seen as the key to success in the society, vocational education is seen as inferior in the education system. This paper examines the educational experiences of vocational youths who went through the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), an institution that is often not seen as a school of choice. We investigate the life and educational experiences of ITE graduates examining interview data collected through the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM), which elicit lived experiences in narrative form. Through studying the graduates’ biographical learning narratives, we explore the opportunities and challenges to human flourishing. This study has implications for enhancing the ecology of learning as well as VET standing in Singapore and beyond.

The paradox of the teacher‐driven professional learning community in a hierarchical organization: A Chinese school case

AbstractProfessional learning community (PLC) has drawn global attention in the field of adult learning. This study applies paradox theory to examine how a group of Chinese school teachers transform their teaching practices in a self‐organized PLC without school policy support. The researchers applied the biographic‐narrative‐interpretive method (BNIM) to conduct 19 one‐on‐one interviews with eight teachers who were members of the PLC. The results showed that teachers who perceived their experiences through a paradoxical lens had a longer commitment to the PLC. The findings also revealed that the headteacher and school principal's informal leadership practices empowered teachers to navigate barriers caused by oppositional forces. The study offers insights into how a teacher‐driven PLC can be sustained in a hierarchical organization and suggests a three‐step iteration emphasizing the criticalness of learning‐by‐implementation.

A qualitative analysis of the unwritten rules influencing antibiotic prescribing practices among French poultry veterinarians.

It is now recognized that a better understanding of prescriber behaviour is needed to improve antimicrobial stewardship programmes. Most studies conducted in the livestock sector have focused on farmers' perspectives, while the prescribing habits of veterinarians have remained overlooked. Our study explored the psychosocial determinants associated with antibiotic prescribing practices in the French poultry sector by analysing the informal norms and unwritten rules that influence veterinarians' prescribing decisions. A qualitative study was conducted in four French regions in February 2021. Using the biographical narrative interpretive method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 poultry veterinarians with varying professional experience. Three main themes were retained for data analysis: (i) compliance with and deviations from prescribing recommendations, (ii) the influence of fellow veterinarians on antibiotic decisions and (iii) the key role of veterinary corporate groups. When prescribing antibiotics, junior veterinarians were strongly influenced by senior veterinarians who acted as role models driving clinical practices. Prescribing habits were shared through peer networks in which veterinarians participated throughout their careers. Finally, veterinary corporate groups helped to shape veterinarians' prescribing habits by promoting existing guidelines and even producing in-house recommendations. We show that, in parallel with official guidelines, prescribing habits circulate among veterinarians and are shared in professional circles. Therefore, antimicrobial stewardship interventions should focus not only on official guidelines and communication channels, but also unwritten professional rules and organizations influencing veterinarians' prescribing practices.

Social class as a blessing in disguise? Beyond the deficit model in working-class and higher education studies

PurposeThe overarching question of this paper is, “What are the advantages of being an upwardly mobile academic?” The extant academic research on working-class academics has usually emphasized various kinds of “deficits” of working-class academics. In this paper, the author demonstrates that although class positions can constitute a formidable burden, they can translate into specific advantages in academia.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the narrative, phenomenological approach, which has been applied in working-class studies and higher-education research. The empirical material comprises the collection of 25 narrative interviews conducted and analyzed according to the biographical narrative interpretive method (BNIM).FindingsThis paper looks at the experience of working-class academics from a holistic perspective, including both the downsides and upsides of being an “outsider within,” or “insider without.” It uncovers four assets of a working-class background – referred to as “navigational capital,” “revolutionary potential,” “wisdom” and a distinct “working-class pedagogy.”Practical implicationsThe working-class pedagogy can be turned into support programs for working-class individuals. Their navigational capital can foster evolutionary changes and small improvements for the benefit of the entire academic community. Their revolutionary dispositions can trigger major reforms, and their unique experiences can be utilized as case studies in teaching.Originality/valueThis paper engages with the literature on the cultural mismatch and cleft habitus in the academic context. It analyzes the positive but rarely discussed aspects of being an upwardly mobile academic with a working-class background. By recognizing these unique assets, it engages with the literature on inclusive universities and can help make higher education more inclusive and sustainable.

Implementation of compact calving at the farm level: A qualitative analysis of farmers operating pasture-based dairy systems in Ireland

Pasture-based dairy systems aim to maximize the proportion of grazed pasture in the cow's diet by having a compact calving season that coincides with the onset of the grass growing season. In Ireland, where pasture-based systems are dominant, a key performance indicator that reflects the degree of compact calving is referred to as 6-wk calving rate (6-wk CR). Although the industry target is 90%, the national average 6-wk CR in Ireland is currently 67%. The aim of this study was to use qualitative research to understand in depth farmers' experiences in implementing a high 6-wk CR. Ten case-study dairy farmers were interviewed using the biographical narrative interpretive method. We identified 5 broad and often interrelated themes evoked by farmers regarding 6-wk CR: the "good" farmer; support networks; free time and family time; simplicity of a structured system; and profitability and monetary gain. The findings of this study identify complexities and challenges at farm level when it comes to increasing 6-wk CR, such as increased workload and challenges associated with large numbers of male calves born during a condensed calving season. Benefits experienced by farmers as a result of increasing 6-wk CR included increased days in milk and consequently improved cash flow as well as increased grass utilization. Our findings are of interest to researchers and extension agents involved in programs concerned with reproductive management in pasture-based dairy systems.

Care leaver’s outcomes in Ireland: the role of social capital

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the outcomes experienced by young people leaving care in Ireland today through the theoretical lens of social capital.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents selected qualitative data and its analysis that was gathered through a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews with three key informants (care leavers). In gathering interview data, the Biographic-Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) was selected, as it allowed the research participants a great deal of autonomy in recounting significant events from their own lives.FindingsIn drawing upon the lived experience of these care leavers, this work will discuss how their in-care and post-care experiences shaped their exposure to and development of sources of social capital, which in turn proved to be a significant factor in shaping their in-care and post-care outcomes.Social implicationsCare leavers remain systemically disadvantaged in comparison to young people who have not been in care. Research has shown that children in care and care leavers are often disadvantaged educationally and experience higher rates of homelessness, unemployment and social isolation. This paper discusses the role of “social capital”, i.e. relationships that provide access to social and material resources and opportunities, in shaping care leavers exposure to and experience of these disadvantages.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this work is the first in the Irish context to draw on the concept of social capital to explore its role in shaping the in-care and post-care experiences of care leavers in Ireland.

Protocol for black student well-being study: a multi-site qualitative study on the mental health and well-being experiences of black UK university students

IntroductionThere is an increasing concern about the mental health and mental well-being of university students in the UK. Black university students who report a mental health condition are less likely...

Exploring Ethical Dimensions Associated with ‘Pushing for PINs’ and Probing: A Critical Commentary on Key Features of the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) with ‘Vulnerable’ and Other Populations

This paper focuses on some potential ethical dilemmas associated with the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM), drawing on existing BNIM literature, other qualitative research literature and insights drawn from the authors’ experiences of using the method. There are several ethical issues central to biographical interviewing, including the potential for re-traumatising participants. We argue this potential is heightened when deploying a central BNIM technique ‘Pushing for PINs’. In this article we therefore analyse the evolution, philosophical underpinnings, principles and techniques of BNIM. We evaluate BNIM’s usefulness and allure, in terms of generating vivid data which can lead to deeper knowledge and improved services for under-researched and marginalised groups, whilst stressing that more attention needs to be devoted to identifying and mitigating ethical dilemmas.

Type 2 diabetes self-management: spirituality, coping and responsibility

BackgroundIn England, although The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that patients’ religious beliefs should be incorporated into individual healthcare plans, these components are often neglected in diabetes management care plans. A literature review identified a paucity of research regarding how the spirituality of British people may influence their approach to their self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D).AimsTo explore how the spirituality of a small group of adults with T2D, living in England, influenced their coping strategies and self-management of diet and exercise.MethodsBiographic Narrative Interpretive Method of two interviews per participant and thematic analysis for data interrogation (n = 8). Data as glycated haemoglobin, living situation, age, length of time since T2D diagnosis, body mass index and diabetic medicines contextualised the interview data.ResultsParticipants’ spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility for T2D self-management overlapped in complex layers. Three themes were generated: (a) spirituality influences expectations in life; (b) beliefs influence coping styles of diabetes self-management; and (c) responsibility influences diabetes self-management. A model was created to assist nurses in addressing these components.ConclusionNurses should consider how patients’ self-management of T2D may be influenced by their spirituality, health beliefs, coping and sense of responsibility.

Keeping in balance on the multimorbidity tightrope: A narrative analysis of older patients’ experiences of living with and managing multimorbidity

Primary care management of patients with multimorbidity in the UK is underpinned by clinical guidelines, quality standards and measurable targets which govern practices of risk management and disease control. There is concern that standardised approaches may not always be appropriate for older patients living with multimorbidity.Using a narrative approach, we elicited the voices of older people living with multiple conditions in order to rethink chronicity, and consider what their accounts might mean for reconfiguring care practices. Within an ethnographic study of multimorbidity and polypharmacy, we conducted in-depth interviews, based on the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method, with 24 participants aged 65 to 94. Participants were recruited from three general practices in England. All had two or more chronic conditions and were prescribed ten or more medicines.Our analysis draws on Bakhtinian theory, tracing the multiple ways in which participants voiced living with multimorbidity. In this paper, we focus on ‘keeping in balance’ which emerged as a key meta-conceptualisation across our dataset. Adopting the metaphor of the ‘multimorbidity tightrope’ we explore the precarity of patients' experiences and show their struggle to create coherence from within a deeply ambiguous living situation. We consider how and to what extent participants' narrative constructions co-opt or resist normative biomedical framings of multimorbidity. Our analysis foregrounds the complex ways in which patients' voices and values may sometimes be at odds with those promoted within professional guidelines. Narrative approaches may offer significant potential for reorienting healthcare towards enabling patients to live a flourishing life, even when facing significant adversity.

A Social Quest for Language and Cultural Capital: Exploring Iranian English Language Majors’ Habitus

This research study was conducted to investigate the most representative characteristics of the habitus developed by academically successful Iranian English majors. Learning a second or foreign language, like many sociocultural practices, from a Bourdieusian perspective, is informed by the interrelation between habitus, field, and cultural capital (CC). Within an exploratory qualitative design, utilizing the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method of both semi-structured and unstructured one-on-one interviews, seven academically successful BA students majoring in English language studies were studied in an attempt to explore their CC and habitus. Each participant was interviewed in 3 separate sessions. The constructivist grounded theory method was adopted to analyze the collected data. Constructed on 75 initial codes, 22 focused codes, 10 categories, and 4 themes, two major themes were most relevantly indicative of theoretical associations with the research problem. The findings suggest that the habitus developed by the English majors in this study was representative of their accumulation of certain forms of CC. Their habitus seemed to have been developed under the influence of their interaction with the mediatory field of learning and majoring in a foreign language. In an exigency-driven social quest for certain forms of cultural capital, the participants’ habitus were majorly characterized and influenced by their strategic accumulation of institutional and social capital, their field-oriented social identities, and their strategic administration of CC in the field. The knowledge developed by the findings of this study can provide useful sociocultural insights into academic achievements of English language majors.

How Adults Tell: A Study of Adults' Experiences of Disclosure to Child Protection Social Work Services

This paper presents the findings of a study examining adult disclosures of childhood sexual abuse to child protection social work services in the Republic of Ireland. Limited literature indicates that adults can have negative experiences when disclosing childhood abuse; this is primarily owing to a lack of training, policy and guidance for practitioners, and legal complexities regarding allegations of abuse. This study used a biographic‐narrative interpretive method (BNIM) to gather the experiences of adults who engaged with child protection social work services. The findings were analysed using both BNIM panel analysis and open, axial and selective coding. Six main themes were identified, and the findings are discussed under three headings: (1) the system as a barrier presents the various influences that acted as barriers for adults coming forward to disclose; (2) issues of power examines the influence of power from the time of abuse throughout the adults' life courses and their interactions with services; and (3) the system as a facilitator presents practice and policy recommendations based on participants' narratives and the wider research literature. Implications for child protection practice in this extremely sensitive and sometimes controversial area are considered.‘This study used a biographic‐narrative interpretive method (BNIM) to gather the experiences of adults who engaged with child protection social work services’Key Practitioner Messages A number of complex socioecological factors need to be considered when receiving and assessing adult disclosures of childhood sexual abuse. Dynamics of abuse and disclosure may be similar; any understanding of an experience of childhood sexual abuse should also involve an understanding of experiences of disclosure. Basic practices such as providing information, clarity and frequent communication may address potentially harmful dynamics of power and control that can exist in respect of disclosure of childhood trauma.

Doctoral research amidst the Covid-19 pandemic: Researcher reflections on practice, relationships, and unexpected intimacy

Responding to the Special Issue call by the Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice Journal, this article reflects on the challenges faced by a Social Work doctoral student at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) during the Covid-19 outbreak. Having already commenced their fieldwork through a series of Freirean-style dialogical interviews via Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (B.I.N.M.), the nationwide-lockdown demanded a drastic deviation from the intended in-person face-to-face interviews with lone parent participants. Significant academic consideration had already been given to the researcher’s existing academic, professional, and social relationships to north and northwest Edinburgh - the geographical focus within the study - via a process of reflexivity prior to commencing the interviews, yet the shift from discussions in neutral venues (e.g. community centres and public cafes) to dialogues conducted exclusively via digital platforms brought about a radical shift in interpersonal dynamics as both researcher and participant were exposed to each other’s homes, families, and other aspects of domestic life. The change in circumstances bore major implications not only for participant recruitment, but also created an unexpected intimacy within the interviewer-interviewee relationships.

Irish dairy farmers' engagement with animal health surveillance services: Factors influencing sample submission

A high-quality animal health surveillance service is required to inform policy and decision-making in food-animal disease control, to substantiate claims regarding national animal health status and for the early detection of exotic or emerging diseases. In Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provides partially subsidized testing of farm animal samples and postmortem examinations to the Irish agriculture sector (farmers) at 6 regional veterinary laboratories (RVL) throughout the country. Diagnoses and data from these submissions are recorded and reported monthly and annually to enable animal health monitoring and disease surveillance. In a passive surveillance model, both the veterinary practitioner and the farmer play a vital role in sample submission by determining which cases are sent to the laboratory for postmortem or diagnostic testing. This paper identified factors influencing Irish dairy farmers' decisions to submit carcasses to RVL. Behavioral determinants of the submission of samples where veterinary professionals are concerned has been studied previously; however, limited work has studied determinants among farmers. This study conducted qualitative analyses of decisions of Irish dairy farmers relevant to diagnostic sample submission to an RVL and to examine the herd-level characteristics of farmers that submitted cases to an RVL. The biographical narrative interpretive method was used to interview 5 case-study farmers who were classified nonsubmitters, medium, or high submitters to the postmortem service based on the proportion of on-farm mortalities submitted to the laboratory service in 2016. The data obtained from these interviews were supplemented and triangulated through dairy farmer focus groups. The data were thematically analyzed and described qualitatively. In addition, quantitative analysis was undertaken. Data for herds within the catchment area of a central RVL were extracted, and a multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to examine the relationship between herds from which carcasses were submitted to the laboratory and those from which none were submitted. Results from the analysis show that the farmer's veterinary practitioner was the primary influence on submission of carcasses to the laboratory. Similarly, the type of incident, logistical issues with transporting carcasses to the laboratory, influence of peers, presence of alternative private laboratories, and a fear of government involvement were key factors emerging from the case-study interview and focus group data. Herd size was identified in both the qualitative and quantitative analysis as a factor determining submission. In the logistic regression model, herd size and increased levels of expansion were positively correlated with the odds of submission, whereas distance from the laboratory was negatively associated with odds of submission. These results identify the main factors influencing the use of diagnostic services for surveillance of animal health, signaling how services may be made more attractive by policy makers to a potentially wider cohort of users.

Persistent stigma despite social change: experiences of stigma among single women who were pregnant or mothers in the Republic of Ireland 1996–2010

‘Single’ women continue to experience stigma during pregnancy and mothering in the Republic of Ireland. This article explores the experiences of stigma of single women who were pregnant and mothering in Ireland between 1996 and 2010. The biographic narrative interpretive method (BNIM) was used to elicit biographical narratives. Analysis on both the lived experience of the women and the social context of the time created a ‘situated subjectivity’ in a sociocultural context. This article argues that despite large-scale positive social change before and during this period, single women’s pregnancy and motherhood continued to be to be stigmatised in Ireland. Women experienced this stigma in their everyday interactions. They negotiated stigma in their personal and social lives, employing strategies that drew on material and symbolic resources available to them. Social class, ethnicity and time were among factors that mediate the experience, but can also intersected in particular social locations to create a more stigmatised identity.

Narrative critical care: A literary analysis of first-person critical illness pathographies.

Life-threatening illness can be devastating for patients as they experience shifting levels of consciousness, recurrent delirium, and repeated setbacks. Narrative Medicine and its sub-discipline Narrative Critical Care increase healthcare professionals' understanding of the patient perspective, and interpretation of their stories is a means to improving practice. We aimed to investigate book length first-person accounts of critical illness to gain a deeper understanding of universal and individual patient responses and to provide an example of Narrative Critical Care. We performed a comparative literary analysis of five books supported by the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) that moves through stages of structural analysis, thematic analysis, and cross-case theoretisation. Universal patient responses evolved through five existential dichotomies of life/death, sanity/madness, before/after, gain/loss and inner strength/external support. Individual patient responses were expressed as turning points along the illness trajectory, and biographical continuity was restored by integration of new self and old self. We uncovered commonalities and differences in storied accounts of critical illness and survival. New insights might enable healthcare professionals to personalize patient care. More consistency is needed during transitions and rehabilitation of intensive care survivors.

Experiences with Work and Participation in Public Programs by Low-Income Medicaid Enrollees Using Qualitative Interviews.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began encouraging governors to implement work requirements for Medicaid enrollees using section 1115 waivers in 2018. Significant controversy surrounds such attempts, but we know little about the perceptions and experiences of enrollees. To characterize experiences of work and its relationship to participation in Medicaid and other public programs among potential targets of Medicaid work requirements. In-depth, semi-structured, one-time qualitative interviews. 35 very low-income, non-disabled Medicaid expansion enrollees participating in a county-sponsored Medicaid managed care plan as a part of a larger study. We used a biographical narrative interpretive method during interviews including questions about the use of employment and income support and other public programs including from state and federal disability programs. Our team iteratively coded verbatim transcripts allowing for emergent themes. Interview data revealed high motivation for, and broad participation in, formal and informal paid work. Eight themes emerged: (1) critical poverty (for example, "I'm not content, but what choices do I have?"); (2) behavioral and physical health barriers to work; (3) social barriers: unstable housing, low education, criminal justice involvement; (4) work, pride, and shame; (5)inflexible, unstable work (for example, "Can I have a job that will accommodate my doctor appointments?…Will my therapy have to suffer? You know? So it's a double edged sword."); (6) Medicaid supports the ability to work; (7) lack of transparency and misalignment of program eligibility (for example, "It's not like I don't want to work because I would like to work. It's just that I don't want to be homeless again, right?"); and (8) barriers, confusion, and contradictions about federal disability. We conclude that bipartisan solutions prioritizing the availability of well-paying jobs and planful transitions off of public programs would best serve very low-income, work-capable Medicaid enrollees.

Using Qualitative Methodologies in Speech-Language Pathology: An Example From Serving Students With Hearing Loss

This article demonstrates the use of qualitative methodologies to provide a description of an intervention framework and goals for students with hearing loss in general education. Because of advances in technology, the majority of students with hearing loss are now educated in general education classrooms. Many of these students are not eligible for special education services although their hearing loss does compromise their functioning in many areas of daily life. This investigation employed two qualitative methods—the biographical narrative interpretive method and ethnography—to provide insight into the personal experiences of a speech-language pathologist with a hearing loss and the way her experiences influenced the nature, rationale for, and content of the intervention program she implemented for students with hearing loss in general education programs. The qualitative methods are described, examples of qualitative analyses are provided, and the components of the program for elementary school students are presented.

Perceived long-term outcomes of early traditional and Cyberbullying victimization among emerging adults

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate long-term outcomes of traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization during childhood and adolescence. Today's emerging adults are the first generation that could have been victimized both offline and online. In order to understand the perceived impact of past bullying victimization on emerging adulthood, the biographic-narrative interpretive method (BNIM) was used among 10 emerging adults aged between 19 and 25 who were bullied both offline and online during multiple years of childhood and/or adolescence. The results showed that the emerging adults attributed a wide range of outcomes to early bullying victimization. Emerging adults perceived impacts on one's current social interacting, including sharing personal information and coping with conflicts, aggression, and bullying, and who one is as an emerging adult (i.e. one's anxieties, self-esteem, empathy, and resilience).

Joining gangs: living on the edge?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to disseminate street gang research by Hesketh (2018) that has identified a major aspect of young disenfranchised people’s attraction to street gangs as edgework risk-taking. The study which sought to identify differences between those who joined street gangs compared to those who abstained on Merseyside. Design/methodology/approach Two samples were taken from locations within the five boroughs of Merseyside, the first comprising of 22 participants (18–25) involved in street gangs as active and ex-members with a second sample consisting of 22 participants (18–25) who had completely abstained from street gang membership. Data were collected through adoption of biographic narrative interpretive method (BNIM) (Wengraf, 2001), with analysis taking the form of Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) version of grounded theory. Findings Of the many findings that surrounded what was identified as the core category/central phenomena of “coping with limited opportunity” it emerged that marginalisation and austerity were contributing to increasing inequality and institutional constraint on young people on Merseyside. As a result, many of the 18–25 year young men felt powerless, lacking identity and aspirational drive. Joining a gang thus became not only a way in which control was seized back from such constraint through criminal risk-taking behaviour, what Lyng (1990) has termed “edgework”, but also a means in which many of the young men interviewed gained an identity of being “bad” from which intrinsically pleasurable seductive and criminally erotic sensations were derived (Katz, 1988). Moreover, a relatively new version of edgework was also identified, even though by way of male testimony. Called “vicarious edgework”, the phenomena sees young women drawn to male gang members (“bad boys”) to derive the excitement of risk indirectly while remaining law abiding. In sum, the paper highlights a concerning socio-psychological and key motivating driver triggered by marginalisation. Research limitations/implications Study samples were all male. Thus, any observations on the vicarious edgework aspect of risk taking requires further research involving both young men and women. Practical implications The paper highlights the need for more understanding of the allure of risk-taking. The paper identifies a new form of female edgework. The paper draws attention to gang membership and non-membership on Merseyside, an area that has been greatly neglected by gangs’ studies in the UK. The paper describes a novel way of data collection using an adoption of BNIM. Social implications In sum, the paper highlights a concerning socio-psychological and key motivating driver triggered by marginalisation. This, the author contends has been largely neglected by risk factor focussed interventions that largely concentrate on the idea of rational choice theory and sociological positivism. Originality/value The paper attempts to disseminate original street gang research by Hesketh (2018) that has identified a major aspect of young disenfranchised people’s attraction to street gangs as edgework risk-taking.