Narrative Case Study Research Articles

International advocacy for contract-based public private partnerships through case studies: a re-interpretation of Southern Cross Station, Melbourne

ABSTRACTIn response to urban infrastructure deficits, international organisations, such as the United Nations, encourage governments to harness private finance. Contract-based Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) represent one policy option enabling infrastructure to be privately financed and constructed, and for service provision to occur. With PPPs also a contested policy option, private sector policy intermediaries advocate for their adoption, including through the selective promotion of case studies. In recognition that favourable case study narratives may leach out local context, a multi-dimensional analytical framework is introduced distinguishing between de-institutionalised, aspatial, non-historical, uncritical and non-futuristic perspectives. Recently the private sector-led World Economic Forum published ‘Harnessing Public-Private Cooperation to Deliver the New Urban Agenda’, which reported upon the PPP-led development of Spencer Street (or Southern Cross) Station in Melbourne, Australia. In deploying the framework, this paper concludes that case study narratives can be reductionist and locally detached in various ways. The role of policy intermediaries in the transfer of policy information therefore requires carefully interpretation, not least because of the malleable use of case studies to reveal desired conclusions.

“Women’s Three Bodies”: An Anthropological Perspective on Barriers to Safe Abortion Services in Kibera Informal Settlements, Nairobi, Kenya

Background : Abortion remains a critical determinant of maternal morbidity and mortality in Kenya. Recent studies on induced abortion estimated an annual abortion incidence of 48 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age, which is higher than other East African countries. In 2010, the Kenyan Constitution widened the provisions under which women qualified for safe abortions. However, majority of women still seek abortion services from unqualified providers. Using an interpretive, meaning-centered approach, this study aims to explore the barriers to safe abortion services in Kibera informal settlements, Nairobi Kenya. Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study encompassing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. We used different sampling techniques (convenient, purposive and snow ball methods) to recruit our study participants (n=55). Quantitative data was collected using a survey questionnaire and data was analyzed by SPSS version 21. Qualitatively, data was collected using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant interviews and case study narratives. This involved note taking and audio recordings, which were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using QSR Nvivo 21 software. Results: This study revealed that women’s decisions to procure abortion are influenced by a myriad of complex factors: a multiplicity of meanings regarding abortion, as provided by the law or as dictated by cultures or religion. Women’s access to safe abortion services were also determined by their ability to afford the procedure and to identify and reach a health care provider who offered the services. Conclusions: Legal access to abortion does not simultaneously ensure access to safe abortion services. Policy makers and health promoters need to work towards changing the socio-economic and religious forces that hamper access to safe abortions. Safe and affordable abortion services to women in Kenya including post abortion care need also be ensured. Keywords: barriers, access, safe abortion, Kenya Correspondence: Edna Nyanchama Bosire, MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit (DPHRU), School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. 27 St Andrews Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa. Email: edna.bosire@wits.ac.za. Telephone: 011 717 2383. Journal of Maternal and Child Health (2019), 4(2): 97-109 https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2019.04.02.05

Understanding identity and positioning for responsive critical literacies

This article revisits questions on the utility of identity in literacy studies. Following a review of the range of conceptions of identity and framings of its uses, we argue that identity-as-position is needed as a pragmatic tool in the field of literacy studies, and grounds responsive critical literacy practices. Drawing on a narrative analysis case study, we develop propositions that show how literacies research and education might support learners’ desired identity enactments. Specifically, we describe three frames for theories of identity enactment, reviewing opportunities for knowledge-building within each frame. We reflect on the possibilities for research through these frames in light of a narrative shared by Diego, a 20 year-old seeker of a High School Equivalency degree in New York City. Finally, we offer propositions for researchers in literacy studies to follow (or argue against) as they build knowledge on participants’ positions and desires. We advocate for the utility of understanding identity-as-position to address issues of equity through the possibility of responsive critical literacy practices and desire-centered research methodologies.

The benefits of international volunteering in a low-resource setting: development of a core outcome set

BackgroundQualitative narrative analysis and case studies form the majority of the current peer-reviewed literature about the benefits of professional volunteering or international placements for healthcare professionals. These often describe generalised outcomes that are difficult to define or have multiple meanings (such as ‘communication skills’ or ‘leadership’) and are therefore difficult to measure. However, there is an interest from employers, professional groups and individual volunteers in generating metrics for monitoring personal and professional development of volunteers and comparing different volunteering experiences in terms of their impact on the volunteers. In this paper, we describe two studies in which we (a) consolidated qualitative research and individual accounts into a core outcome set and (b) tested the core outcome set in a large group of global health stakeholders.MethodWe conducted a systematic review and meta-synthesis of literature to extract outcomes of international placements and variables that may affect these outcomes. We presented these outcomes to 58 stakeholders in global health, employing a Delphi method to reach consensus about which were ‘core’ and which were likely to be developed through international volunteering.ResultsThe systematic review of 55 papers generated 133 unique outcomes and 34 potential variables. One hundred fifty-six statements were then presented to the Delphi stakeholders, of which they agreed 116 were core to a wide variety of healthcare professional practice and likely to be developed through international experiences. The core outcomes (COs) were both negative and positive and included skills, knowledge, attitudes and outcomes for healthcare organisations.ConclusionsWe summarised existing literature and stakeholder opinion into a core outcome set of 116 items that are core to healthcare professional practice and likely to be developed through international experiences. We identified, in the literature, a set of variables that could affect learning outcomes. The core outcome set will be used in a future study to develop a psychometric assessment tool.

Describing Connections between Science Content and Future Careers: Implementing Texas Curriculum for Rural At-Risk High School Students Using Purposefully-Designed Field Trips

The state of Texas has an ‘essential knowledge’ component in some high school science courses indicating that students be able to describe connections between academic science content and future jobs or training through effective exposure to course content. The participants in this study were from a small rural high school in central Texas. Each was labeled as ‘at-risk’ and self-identified an inability to describe those types of connections after earning credit in more than one science course with that ‘essential knowledge’ component. A career-focused field trip to a local vocational/technology training center was designed to address that particular deficit. This study followed a narrative multiple-case case study design. Data included school records, surveys, individual and focus group interviews, and field notes from observations during the field trip. The effectiveness of the field trip was evident as each participant was able to describe connections immediately following the excursion.

'To die, to sleep' - assisted dying legislation in Victoria: A case study.

Assisted dying remains an emotive topic globally with a number of countries initiating legislation to allow individuals access to assisted dying measures. Victoria will become the first Australian state in over 13 years to pass Assisted Dying Legislation, set to come into effect in 2019. This article sought to evaluate the impact of Victorian Assisted Dying Legislation via narrative view and case study presentation. Narrative review and case study. case study. This legislation will provide eligible Victorian residents with the option to request access to assisted dying measures as a viable alternative to a potentially painful, protracted death. This legislation, while conservative and inclusive of many safeguards at present, will form the basis for further discussion and debate on assisted dying across Australia in time to come. The passing of this legislation by the Victorian parliament was prolonged, emotive and divided not only the parliament but Australian society. Many advocates for this legislation proclaimed it was well overdue and will finally meet the needs of contemporary society. Protagonists claim that medical treatment should not provide a means of ending life, despite palliative care reportedly often failing to relieve the pain and suffering of individuals living with a terminal illness.

Exploring the Effect of Expulsion on Student’s Psycho-Social Development

Expulsion from school is a life changing event and can leave a big scar in students’ lives making them feel lost or miserable. This incident might change the direction of a student’s life and whether the outcome is good or bad, will largely depend on the student. However, without keen intercession especially from parents, this interference in the students' lives might have an unsalvageable effect. This narrative case study aims to find out about an expelled girl’s life once she left her old school where she was expelled from. The intention of this study is to understand how the respondent recognizes and overcomes her negative perception and emotions as an expelled student in the new school in regards to her psychosocial development. Results from the findings using qualitative interviewing, journal writing, and document analysis show four notable areas. The expelled student (1) expresses deep feeling of contrition after expulsion, (2) managed her emotions by surrounding herself in the company of people who gave her moral support like her parents, teachers and friends (3) parents, particularly mother, was the most pivotal in helping through her emotions, (4) feels the expulsion was unfair, but supports zero tolerance policies for serious offenses. This research provides valuable information regarding the expulsion experience of a student and addresses the effect on the student’s psychosocial development. The analysis concludes that expulsion can be coped by the student with proper guidance and leads the expulsion experience in a positive way.

Teaching in Rural Indonesian Schools: Teachers’ Challenges

The Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education of Indonesia has prioritized education in the disadvantaged, outermost, and frontier regions (3T) by implementing a program called Sarjana Mendidik di daerah Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal (SM-3T), which is a year program for teacher education graduates to devote their lives teaching in the rural areas of Indonesia. The government sees the importance of promoting education in rural areas as a shared responsibility that must be done as a form of devotion to the nation. Every year the government sends thousands of teachers of various subjects as an effort to meet the needs of teachers in rural areas, which is still far from enough. Teachers who in fact come from urban areas certainly experience many challenges when they teach in rural areas with lack of facilities. This paper aims at finding out the challenges faced by teachers, especially English language teachers in carrying out teaching and learning activities in rural Indonesian schools. Framed by a humanistic perspective, questionnaires and in-depth interviews were employed as data collection techniques in this narrative case study. Furthermore, this study is expected to contribute to the teacher professional development in the rural areas.

A narrative case study of Indonesian EFL learners’ identities

Much research on identity (re)construction in periphery countries (e.g., Pakistan, Thailand) continues to shed light on how English learners negotiate and construct their identities. This narrative case study explores how two Indonesian learners of English who have been learning English for many years reflect on their journey of identity construction as English learners in their local contexts. Nested in a narrative inquiry methodology, this study examined the participants’ personal stories that were unique, rich and nuanced with the interplay of social, cultural and political dimensions (re)shaping their experiences. The initial phases of identity construction revealed from the participants’ early years indicated that the emergence of identity as English learners was largely marked by a false or negative association of the English language in relation to various aspects of being a school subject leading to a false sense of positive identity. Pedagogical implications of the study are also presented in this article.

Forced retirement transition: A narrative case study of an elite Australian Rules football player

Retirement from elite sport is a complex and often-problematic process. The current study explores a negative case study of an athlete recently retired from a team sport (Australian Rules Football) in order to generate knowledge on how to improve the retirement process. Three semi-structured interviews were undertaken less than 5 years post retirement, and archival career records were gathered from online sources. Data were coded to construct a narrative account of the participant’s career and retirement. Narrative analysis also revealed that the retirement transition from elite sports for this athlete was problematic and caused considerable personal distress. We suggest that the means of improving retirement transition and reducing harm to players include fostering alternative life narratives and increasing self-complexity, utilising norm appropriate communication strategies, and recognising retirement as a potential grieving period for loss of community.

Reconstructing identities in Australia: Iraqi Muslim women's pursuit of cultural, social and economic capital

With almost 70,000 Iraqi migrants living in Australia (Australian Department of Immigrant and Citizenship, 2014), many migrants, particularly, females, have chosen to enrol in English language centres as a way to pursue cultural and social capital. Using a narrative case study approach, this study documents the lived experiences of five Iraqi Muslim female refugees studying English in a language centre in Melbourne, Australia. As these women invest in language learning (Norton, 1995) in order to acquire cultural, social and economic capital (Bourdieu, 1977), they reconstruct their identities. The study found that the women were largely invested in studying English due to their previous success in learning English in Iraq and their awareness of the cultural capital that accompanies this achievement. In addition, this study reveals the tensions between language and identity construction as these women pursue acceptance and belonging in their new society while attempting not to devalue their Iraqi culture and Arabic language.

Exploring A Teacher Educator’s Experiences in Modeling TPACK to Create English Language Multimedia in Technology Courses

TPACK framework as an established term for describing what teachers need to know to integrate technology effectively into their teaching practices has been widely addressed by teachers and teacher educators and it has been a flourishing field of investigation. However, teacher educators’ model in the context of using varieties of software in exploiting the benefits of technology by looking at how the framework could be implemented is restricted. Therefore the aim of this study is to explore a teacher educator’s experiences in modelling his teaching and learning based on the TPACK framework using qualitative research into biographical case study narrative. Two data collection techniques (i.e; interview and observation) were used to support the data collection process. The findings of this study suggest that it is important for teacher educators to incorporate Project Based Learning in TPACK and to combine varieties of software for creating English language multimedia as it could develop both teacher educator’s and pre-service teachers’ knowledge on content, technology, and pedagogy and their intersections. Furthermore, the use of blended learning would allow pre-service teachers to directly see, learn, observe, and experience how to learn and how to teach English using technology.

Engaged Scholarship in Action: The Journey of the School Board – University Research Exchange (SURE) Network

In this paper we use a chronological case-study narrative format to detail the creation and progression of a School Board-University Research Exchange (SURE) network in Ontario, Canada. This network is led by a group of university- and school board-based professionals, who are committed to deepening connections between educational research, practice, and policy. Our narrative presents the SURE network’s evolution using the metaphors of being “in the woods,” looking for “our compass,” and finding “new pathways” of engaged scholarship. We present the challenges and successes we experienced while crossing the borders of our individual and institutional cultural settings, emphasising the importance of continuing discussions and collaborations within and amongst our communities.

Embedding Palliative Care Into Healthy Aging: A Narrative Case Study From Thailand.

This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between palliative care and healthy aging using a narrative case study from Thailand. The Thai context is used to clarify two concepts: healthy aging and good death. This case study describes a Thai female older adult's perspective and her drive to stay physically, cognitively, and socially active for as long as possible-strong indicators of healthy aging until the end of life. Family support is a vital part of helping older adults stay active and achieve a good death. The Thai healthy aging model explains a lifelong process of how to be a healthy ager in the Thai context. The model is closely related to a palliative care philosophy, which focuses on dying without unnecessary suffering and promotes closeness to family. This model supports the inclusion of palliative care in healthy aging strategies to maximize quality of life and well-being, particularly in older adults experiencing multimorbidity and health inequalities. Improved healthy aging is integrally related to the provision of high-quality palliative care. The earlier systems and providers can promote healthy aging across contexts, the more effectively interventions can be targeted to encourage and improve the experience of care at the end of life.

Emotional Geographies of an EFL Teacher in Asmat, Papua; Male Perspective

Teaching is not only about knowledge, cognition, and skill but also emotional relationships among the students, colleagues, and parents. Particularly for teaching English in rural areas in Indonesia, there are several challenges that should be handled: geographical feature of these area, their culture and the way of life, the quality of both students and teachers, and so on. This research paper investigates teacher emotions experienced by a male EFL teacher in one of rural areas while dealing with those challenges. Teacher emotions are one of significant aspect that could not be left behind in teaching and learning activity. This research will explore comprehensively the distance and closeness felt by the teacher while teaching English there. This qualitative research was conducted using a narrative case study approach. The data were collected from the participant’s journal and interview. Referring to Hargreaves framework, the findings reveal 5 emotional geographies of the participant. This research contributes to Indonesian government as the one that concerns in 3T areas, EFL teachers who have to handle complex situations while teaching, and other researchers who are interested in conducting emotional geographic research.

Teaching in Rural Indonesian Schools: Teachers’ Challenges

The Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education of Indonesia has prioritized education in the disadvantaged, outermost, and frontier regions (3T) by implementing a program called Sarjana Mendidik di daerah Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal (SM-3T), which is a year program for teacher education graduates to devote their lives teaching in the rural areas of Indonesia. The government sees the importance of promoting education in rural areas as a shared responsibility that must be done as a form of devotion to the nation. Every year the government sends thousands of teachers of various subjects as an effort to meet the needs of teachers in rural areas, which is still far from enough. Teachers who in fact come from urban areas certainly experience many challenges when they teach in rural areas with lack of facilities. This paper aims at finding out the challenges faced by teachers, especially English language teachers in carrying out teaching and learning activities in rural Indonesian schools. Framed by a humanistic perspective, questionnaires and in-depth interviews were employed as data collection techniques in this narrative case study. Furthermore, this study is expected to contribute to the teacher professional development in the rural areas.

A cosmopolitan culture-bearer as activist: Striving for gender inclusion in Nepali music education

Although music education scholars have increasingly advised teachers to take heed of values, principles, and strategies of musical practices outside of school, very little has been written in music education regarding the ideological underpinnings of musical practices in these contexts. This article argues that musical practices outside of school do not necessarily provide ideal models to be directly applied in the music classroom, but need to be critically examined and transformed to better align with global imperatives such as inclusiveness. In addressing the imbalance between “inauthentic” learning in school and “authentic” learning outside of school, this article shows how working toward the global ideal of gender inclusion may require radical activism and a cosmopolitan approach countering the right of an ethnic group to practice and preserve their own distinctive culture. The life story of a Newar musician from the Kathmandu Valley is used to illustrate this argument by demonstrating what it takes for a “culture-bearer” to initiate radical processes of social change and transformation. In this qualitative narrative case study, we asked what kind of context-specific, socio-cultural negotiation was required to overcome the challenges the musician faced in including girls and women in musical learning in a Newar community.

Healing bruises: Identity tensions in a beginning teacher’s use of formal and informal music learning

The purpose of this narrative case study was to describe the developing teacher identity of Nicole Downing, a first-year teacher in the US, in her use of both formal and informal learning processes. As music education continues embracing approaches like informal music learning, it should also reflect on the voices of teachers in the field. Data collection included interviews, observations, and participant writings. Findings revealed that Nicole (a) questioned and eventually accepted her music teacher identity, (b) exhibited a dualism between her use of formal and informal music learning processes, and (c) broadened her community’s definition of school music. Nicole used the metaphor of a bruise to describe how she believed some in her undergraduate studies would judge her interest in popular music and creative musicianship, but as she became a music teacher she had agency to incorporate the informal learning she valued. Nicole exhibited a duality in her use of formal and informal learning processes, which were not integrated in her teaching. Ultimately, she developed a broadened definition of school music that she believed was beneficial for students but perceived negatively by other music teachers. Music teacher education should support teachers’ diverse identities and continue to explore the teaching strategies used in facilitating informal music learning experiences.

Identity challenges and \u2018burden of normality\u2019 after DBS for severe OCD: a narrative case study

BackgroundDeep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an emerging and potentially powerful biological treatment for severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but the wider impact of the intervention and the sometimes dramatic reduction in symptoms need greater attention in research and practice. The aim of this case study is to explore the subjective experience of preparing for and undergoing DBS as a treatment for severe and treatment-refractory OCD and the experience of the impact of the treatment.MethodsThis study of subjective experience before and after DBS is based on narrative analysis of two in-depth interviews conducted in November 2014 (1 year after DBS surgery) with a 30-year-old man and his father, utilizing Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) criteria.ResultsThe parallel stories show how OCD posed severe challenges to identity and social milestones, with profound positive and negative impact on the person and family. Yet symptom remission was accompanied by expanded horizons, but also by uncertainty and intense distress associated with the changed identity.DiscussionThe concept of ‘burden of normality’ is discussed, in light of a treatment experience with DBS for OCD that gives rise to a new array of life challenges and opportunities, with implications for clinical care.ConclusionsThe concept of burden of normality has, thus far, not extended to evaluations of people who have had DBS for severe OCD and that of their lived experience and recovery trajectory thereafter. This concept highlights that there is work to be done on expectations of normal living and on the transitioning self-concept, in the post-surgical period.

Teaching Rural Indonesian Schools Students: Effective Strategies

“Building Indonesia from the periphery by strengthening the regions and villages within the framework of a unitary state” is the third agenda of Nawacita (Nine priorities of national development agenda). This commitment reflects the current Indonesian government's concerns that prioritize development in the disadvantaged, outermost, and frontier regions (3T). It is implemented in various programs, one of which is the SM-3T program enacted by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education of Indonesia. The SM-3T, which stands for Sarjana Mendidik di daerah Terdepan, Terluar, dan Tertinggal (Graduates Educating in the Disadvantaged, Outermost, and Frontier Regions), is a year program for teacher education graduates to teach in rural areas of Indonesia. This study aims to investigate teaching strategies used by SM-3T teachers in rural Indonesian schools. This research employs a narrative case study. The techniques of data collection comprise questionnaire and in-depth interview. This study can extend the existing knowledge about ELT in rural Indonesian schools, especially teaching strategies, and to improve teachers’ professionalism as they could experience conditions in rural Indonesian schools which are different from the conditions in urban schools.