Narrative Content Research Articles

Beyond memory: The transcendence of episodic narratives.

Humans have a proclivity for storytelling and narration. Although a lot of attention in the field of episodic memory focuses on the mnemonic content of narratives, memory narratives are not just for conveying the past. Instead, narratives provide a vehicle for meaning-making, social connection, and other complex facets of human cognition and thinking. This short reflection piece discusses the importance of narratives in these diverse realms. In addition, it briefly touches on the role of memory narration in the modern digital era. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Violence Risk or Writing Quality? Predicting Relief Outcomes from Protective Order Narratives.

Civil orders of protection (OPs) are the only victim-initiated legal intervention for intimate partner violence. The OP process is unique because victims write a narrative account of abuse to inform judges' decision-making. Historically, feminist scholars have considered OPs as empowering to victims, as they can signal strength-based change and requesting needed relief. OPs also serve as an important tool for some mothers who need temporary protection related to child custody and visitation. Studies of OP narratives have found that content related to future risk is associated with securing an OP, including allegations of physical and severe violence, suggesting that OPs provide needed protection. At the same time, the OP process is disempowering for some women. The content and quality of survivors' OP narratives vary greatly, and studies have found that well-written accounts are positively associated with securing OPs, uncovering the potential influence of judges' implicit biases. This study used logistic regression to explore how violence risk and writing quality related to the receipt of emergency OPs in a sample of 90 petitions filed by women with minor children in a large Midwest County. As expected, violence severity was positively associated with securing an OP, controlling for the mention of other cases/orders and legal representation. However, the association was no longer significant when writing quality was considered; specifically, greater readability was associated with being granted an OP. Linear structure and appearance of narratives were not related to OP outcomes. Findings underscore the ongoing need to explore how the written narrative requirement of the OP process (dis)empowers survivors and the role implicit biases may play in judicial decision-making in civil OP proceedings.

Paratextual mediation and (re)framed narratives: a case study of Ganxiao liuji

ABSTRACT Translation is not merely a textual transformation but involves paratextual mediation. Linking Genette's notion of paratext to Baker's narrative theory, this paper examines Yang Jiang's Ganxiao liuji, a personal narrative set during the Cultural Revolution but focusing on everyday occurrences, to uncover how three publishing houses mediate paratextual materials (titles, prefaces, blurbs, notes and afterwords, and visual images) in their translations of this book, and what larger narratives are (re)framed and reinforced in this process. It discloses that while the Hong Kong publishing house prioritises the original personal narrative content and style in its paratextual presentation, its American counterparts foreground the political background while overshadowing Yang's personal narrative and reframing it as part of the larger narratives of a repressive, inhumane China with an authoritarian government and suppressed masses. Such mediation responds to and reinforces Western narratives of the problematic, dystopic China, and directs readers to understand it through a skewed angle, thereby perpetuating established stereotypes of this non-Western country. This research further unveils how paratextual mediation resonates with and contributes to the larger narratives circulating beyond the immediate text, guiding receivers into (re)framed narratives which impact their perceptions and behaviour in the society, and ultimately shape the social world.

Using Civic Service Design Methods to Redevelop a Data Communication Website With a Health Literacy Lens.

Public health agencies routinely publish data in hopes that data influence public health policy and practice. However, data websites can often be difficult to use, posing barriers to people trying to access, understand, and use data. Working to make data websites easier to use can add value to public health data communication work. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) redesigned its Environment and Health Data Portal, a website used to communicate environmental health data, with the goal of making data more accessible and understandable to a broader audience. The DOHMH used Civic Service Design methods to establish priorities and strategies for the redesign work, to build a data communication website that emphasizes a high level of usability, and content that explains data. By following a Civic Service Design process, the DOHMH synthesized findings from health communications, data visualization and communication, and web usability to create an easy-to-use website with explanations of data and findings alongside datasets. On the new site, automated dataset visualizations are supplemented with narrative content, explanatory content, and custom interactive applications designed to explain data and findings. Web analytics showed that, in its first year of operation, the site's web traffic grew substantially, with the last 12 weeks recording weekly page views 150% higher than the first 12 weeks of operation (7185 average weekly page views compared with 2866 average weekly page views). Two-thirds (66.3%) of page views include recorded user engagement. Additional evaluations to measure specific aspects of usability compared with the previous version of the site are planned. By following a Civic Service Design process, the DOHMH redesigned a vital data communication platform to increase its usability and saw significant increase in engagement in its first year of operations. By designing data material with usability in mind, public health departments have the potential to improve public health data communication work.

Stylization of Oral Elements in the Novel Women. Voices. By Jasmina Musabegović

This paper aims to analyze and interpret the linguistic and stylistic means by which the world of the novel Women. Voices. by Jasmina Musabegović is built. The paper analyzes and interprets the novel’s spoken language stylization, as its main stylistic feature. It is based on the assumption that orality, as a linguistic-stylistic feature of the novel, is primarily realized at the syntactic-stylistic level. In this direction, the elements of expressive syntax, such as spoken (oral) sentence length, elliptical, nominative, and fragmented sentences, as well as syntactic repetitions and accumulations, are especially explored. The mentioned syntactic-stylistic means are investigated to point out their stylistic potential in the revitalization of the tonal, rhythmic, intonation, and intensity values of the spoken language, based on which novelistic voices are generated as the narrative subject of the novel. Also, exclamatory and expressive interrogative sentences are explored in the paper as significant means of conveying emotional-expressive (affective) and intensifying the semantic values of a sentence. In doing so, it is particularly indicated that interrogative sentences, in addition to appearing as elements of expressive syntax, have a significant opening (cataphoric) value in developing the novel's narrative content. In addition, the paper points out the stylistic possibilities and values of the vernacular idiom in the stylization of novelistic expression with folk expression.

Assessing the potential integration of large language models in accounting practices: evidence from an emerging economy

This research intends to demonstrate the potential integration of large language models (LLMs) in accounting practices in Jordan. It is a mixed methods study that employs semi-structured interviews and content analysis of published financial reports. A total of 13 semi-structured interviews are conducted with various accounting professionals, such as accountant, financial analyst, financial controller, auditor, tax consultant, and finance manager. In addition, the study includes a thorough content analysis of financial reports, which reveals a compelling pattern highlighting the distinct narrative content richness prevalent across financial, industrial, and service sectors. The results emphasize the need for sector-specific adaptation, suggesting a paradigm shift in financial reporting practices. This study represents the initial empirical exploration in Jordan. It serves as a bridge between theory and application, offering both theoretical insights and practical guidance for accounting professionals. Ultimately, the study envisions a future where LLMs significantly enrich financial reporting practices across diverse sectors.

"BATTLE OF NARRATIVES" AS A MARKER OF HYBRID WARFARE (CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE INFORMATION SPACE OF THE KHARKIV REGION)

Since the Russian Federation’s full-scale incursion into our country, there has been a notable shift in the narrative landscape at the systemic, national and local levels. By analyzing the content of narratives, it may be possible to make predictions about what will happen in the real world. These could include things like the military situation, the possibility of shelling, and the topics and directions of communication at the international level. The aim of this article is to study the Ukrainian and pro-Russian narratives that have emerged in response to certain events of the hybrid war, with a view to gaining insights into how these narratives are shaping the information space of the Kharkiv region. The object of this study is to examine the battle of narratives as a potential marker of hybrid warfare. The subject is the cognitive confrontation between pro-Russian and Ukrainian narratives in the information space of the Kharkiv region. The study is based on the findings of a content analysis of the information space of the Kharkiv region carried out between January and March 2024, which involved the analysis of over 500,000 items. It is a significant contribution to the field of study that this is the first time the battle of narratives in a specific region of Ukraine has been analyzed in order to predict events (military and socio-political) in the real world. The study offers a theoretical contribution to the field by demonstrating the practical significance of scientific linguistic research in the context of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The practical significance of scientific research may be seen in the development of an algorithm for analyzing the battle of narratives" in order to predict events in reality. The research methodology involved a content analysis conducted on the basis of Big Data technology and a set of analytical algorithms from the Attack Index information and analytical service. This approach allowed us to determine the degree of information resonance or danger of information flows on selected topics/personalities. It has been proven that Russian propaganda tries to transport a number of destructive narratives from the Russian media space into the Ukrainian one: "The Russian Federation is occupying Kharkiv, repeated attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv are possible"; "A large-scale mobilization will take place in Ukraine to replenish the “catastrophic” gates"; "Russia seized the initiative on all fronts" and others. Kharkiv media during the mentioned period won the battle of narratives, using the following strategies: ignoring Russian narratives aimed at causing citizens a sense of hopelessness and a desire to surrender the city to the enemy; promotion of positive regional therapeutic narratives "Kharkiv is my city", "Kharkiv will stand, it is necessary to unite to oppose the enemy" and national — "Shocking of Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine is a war crime". It seems that further study of the systemic organization and use of narrative discourse in hybrid confrontation could prove beneficial.

Evaluating the perceived impact and legacy of master’s degree level research in the allied health professions: a UK-wide cross-sectional survey

BackgroundPost graduate master’s degree qualifications are increasingly required to advance allied health profession careers in education, clinical practice, leadership, and research. Successful awards are dependent on completion of a research dissertation project. Despite the high volume of experience gained and research undertaken at this level, the benefits and impact are not well understood. Our study aimed to evaluate the perceived impact and legacy of master’s degree training and research on allied health profession practice and research activity.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey design was used to collect data from allied health professionals working in the United Kingdom who had completed a postgraduate master’s degree. Participants were recruited voluntarily using social media and clinical interest group advertisement. Data was collected between October and December 2022 and was analysed using descriptive statistics and narrative content analysis. Informed consent was gained, and the study was approved by the university research ethics committee.ResultsEighty-four responses were received from nine allied health professions with paramedics and physiotherapists forming the majority (57%) of respondents. Primary motivation for completion of the master’s degree was for clinical career progression (n = 44, 52.4%) and formation of the research dissertation question was predominantly sourced from individual ideas (n = 58, 69%). Formal research output was low with 27.4% (n = 23) of projects published in peer reviewed journal and a third of projects reporting no output or dissemination at all. Perceived impact was rated highest in individual learning outcomes, such as improving confidence and capability in clinical practice and research skills. Ongoing research engagement and activity was high with over two thirds (n = 57, 67.9%) involved in formal research projects.ConclusionThe focus of master's degree level research was largely self-generated with the highest perceived impact on individual outcomes rather than broader clinical service and organisation influence. Formal output from master’s research was low, but ongoing research engagement and activity was high suggesting master’s degree training is an under-recognised source for AHP research capacity building. Future research should investigate the potential benefits of better coordinated and prioritised research at master’s degree level on professional and organisational impact.

A - 13 Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity in Return to Learn Following Sport-Related Concussion

Abstract Purpose We conducted a narrative review and content analysis to (i) determine the extent to which research on return to learn (RTL) following sport-related concussion (SRC) has considered social determinants of health (SDoH) or health equity and (ii) provide recommendations to enhance the incorporation of SDoH and health equity into considerations of how best to support concussed students as they RTL following injury. Data Selection We coded 32 studies from a systematic review focused on clinical recovery following SRC, including RTL (Putukian et al., 2023). The review informed the latest Concussion in Sport Group consensus statement (Patricios et al., 2023). We examined studies to determine whether the SDoH domains and subcategories, derived from the US Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 and 2030 websites, were addressed. Pairs of raters coded articles independently and resolved disagreements through discussion. Conclusions SDoH remain largely unrepresented in studies on return to school following concussion. Future research is needed to better characterize how SDoH and health equity factors influence return to school following concussion to ensure that concussed and recovering students are supported.

Pericles VR: towards pedagogical innovation through gamified adaptation of classic literature

ABSTRACT Our paper seeks to investigate how mediation using emerging technologies can increase student engagement within the context of teaching English Literature in Singapore. Through a discussion of our ongoing project to create an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre as an animated game in virtual reality, we focus upon the interdependencies between narrative content, style of visualization and interactive engagement to demonstrate the potential of fully immersive media in an educational context. Pericles is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays: in five acts, it tells the dramatic story of a family separated at sea and reunited by fate. Our findings will highlight the opportunities that works of Shakespeare that fall outside the group of texts commonly studied offer for innovation within the classroom, as well as the benefits of taking a practice-led approach to research that draws together Shakespeare scholars, artists, researchers, and technical developers to adopt a playful yet meaningful approach towards educating secondary-level students. Most importantly, however, we will focus on demonstrating how our adaptation facilitates conclusions regarding employing animated immersive media for novel ways of teaching “boring”, complex, canonical literary texts. We suggest our adaptation prompts a reconsideration of means of student engagement for classical literature in general, and Shakespeare’s work in particular.

Resisting and disrupting neoliberal subjectivity in self-directed education: what can we learn from black homeschoolers

PurposeFrom the in-group status as a former homeschool parent, the goal is to problematize the entanglement of neoliberalism within self-directed education (SDE) pedagogies. Further and importantly, this study aims to bring attention to and examine the neoliberal resistant practices found in Black homeschooling.Design/methodology/approachA narrative literature review, content analysis and autoethnographic reflection to critically examine the neoliberal subjectivity of SDE and identify neoliberal-resistant SDE practices of Black homeschooling families.FindingsThis paper identifies SDE’s vulnerability to neoliberal subjectivity despite the neoliberal oppositional ethos of many of its practices and its antiestablishment historical context and rhetoric. It analyzes conceptions of self, autonomy and freedom (the ideas that underwrite self-direction) that can inform a critical self-directed learning (SDL) approach. It explores contemporary Black homeschooling and SDE practices for evidence of these conceptions, arguing that this demographic, at the margin of the discursive homeschooling community, instantiates an authentic resistance and disruption to neoliberal subjectivity in SDE.Originality/valueVery little research has been done on neoliberal subjectivity in the discursive SDE community. The vulnerability of SDE to neoliberalization is important to SDL homeschoolers, unschoolers and other SDE facilitators who want to practice alternative-to-mainstream values or social justice-oriented pedagogy. Without awareness of this vulnerability, neoliberal hegemony can be reproduced by SDE practices.

Why do individuals in democratic societies support stringent policies? A narrative policy framework analysis

Why do individuals in democratic societies voluntarily request and support stringent policies? What factors contribute to variations in support for different restrictive measures among citizens? This study examines the micro-level impact of the securitisation narrative on individuals’ voluntary support for stringent policies within a democratic context, using the narrative policy framework. Based on evidence from a conjoint experiment conducted in Taiwan, the study finds that agreeing with the narrative ‘COVID-19 is a national security threat’ does not translate into support for all types of restrictive measures. The contents of the securitisation narrative matter significantly; individuals who are more persuaded by the narratives are more likely to support border containment measures and mask mandates because of how narrative contents were structured. These findings highlight the importance for researchers and policymakers to carefully consider policy narrative contents to effectively communicate and garner support for a range of policies during times of crisis.

Finding one’s Occupational Path – Identity Content in Repeated Narratives Across Early Adulthood

ABSTRACT Early adulthood comprises an important period for occupational identity development; therefore, the aim of this study is to understand which occupational experiences continue to be a stable part of the narrative identity across early adulthood. In interviews with 59 individuals about their occupational identity at ages 25, 29, and 33, 544 narratives and 142 sets of repeated narratives were found. A thematic narrative analysis of the repeated narratives was conducted. The experiences that continued to be a stable part of the occupational identity across early adulthood concerned the birth of an interest that led to occupational orientation, different outcomes of occupational exploration, having a compass for occupational direction, and passively ending up in an occupation. External influences on occupational decisions also continued to be a part of the occupational identity. The results are discussed in relation to different levels of identity content, highlighting how the importance of societal structures and cultural norms, as well as social roles, for occupational identity can be revealed through repeated narratives.

Is personal recovery a transdiagnostic concept? Testing the fit of the CHIME framework using narrative experiences

Background Personal recovery is operationalized in the CHIME framework (connectedness, hope, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment) of recovery processes. CHIME was initially developed through analysis of experiences of people mainly with psychosis, but it might also be valid for investigating recovery in mood-related, autism and other diagnoses. Aims To examine whether personal recovery is transdiagnostic by studying narrative experiences in several diagnostic groups. Methods Thirty recovery narratives, retrieved from “Psychiatry Story Bank” (PSB) in the Netherlands, were analyzed by three coders using CHIME as a deductive framework. New codes were assigned using an inductive approach and member checks were performed after consensus was reached. Results All five CHIME dimensions were richly reported in the narratives, independent of diagnosis. Seven new domains were identified, such as “acknowledgement by diagnosis” and “gaining self-insight”. These new domains were evaluated to fit well as subdomains within the original CHIME framework. On average, 54.2% of all narrative content was classified as experienced difficulties. Conclusions Recovery stories from different diagnostic perspectives fit well into the CHIME framework, implying that personal recovery is a transdiagnostic concept. Difficulties should not be ignored in the context of personal recovery based on its substantial presence in the recovery narratives.

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.

Édouard Louis´s novel The End of Eddy: A representation of hegemonic masculinity?

Background In this paper we analyse the novel The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis. The motivation for this paper is Bourdeau’s (2020) observation that Louis’s book explores working class politics, sexuality, and masculinity. Methods We analysed the amendment through narrative content analysis, the application of which allows us to answer the following question: Édouard Louis’s novel The End of Eddy: A representation of hegemonic masculinity? Results We conclude that this narrative is built on contradictions that can be summarized as a conflict between a socio-cultural norm anchored in a French village and a person who does not fulfil this concept, who is outside of it. We believe that hegemonic masculinity, that is, one part of the cultural norm of a given village, causes Eddy’s inclination or consciousness of homonationalism. Thus, on the one hand, hegemonic masculinity is undoubtedly present in this novel; on the other hand, it forms a kind of background or socio-cultural environment which, although it defines itself against the given, unconsciously causes the “birth of the conscious homosexual”. Conclusions Thus, we dare to claim that the narrative under analysis is not only a representation of hegemonic masculinity, but also an accentuation of its external and internal influence on one’s own perception of (sexual) difference.

The trend towards anti-capitalist dystopia in contemporary serials: Narrative analysis of the Korean tragedy Squid Game

Nowadays, the spectator lives surrounded by television series in which increasingly complex, depressing and denouncing themes proliferate. About this, the Netflix hit Squid Game (2021) is a clear representation of a mass culture increasingly virtuous in staging, as well as more horrifying, preachy and sensationalist. Based on the observation of the phenomenon that the series has meant, narrative content analysis has been carried out in which we have sought to find evidence of how mainstream culture continues to popularize and stylize audio-visual abjection in the context of the third golden age of television and the fascination with the plots of torture porn or postmodern cinema of cruelty. The results show that Squid Game is a faithful product of its time: as a current prestige series, it is dark, depressing, pessimistic and has an artistic aura without neglecting entertainment and explores human complexity in themes such as suicide, genocide and violence.

Shadows of wisdom: Classifying meta-cognitive and morally grounded narrative content via large language models.

We investigated large language models' (LLMs) efficacy in classifying complex psychological constructs like intellectual humility, perspective-taking, open-mindedness, and search for a compromise in narratives of 347 Canadian and American adults reflecting on a workplace conflict. Using state-of-the-art models like GPT-4 across few-shot and zero-shot paradigms and RoB-ELoC (RoBERTa -fine-tuned-on-Emotion-with-Logistic-Regression-Classifier), we compared their performance with expert human coders. Results showed robust classification by LLMs, with over 80% agreement and F1 scores above 0.85, and high human-model reliability (Cohen's κ Md across top models = .80). RoB-ELoC and few-shot GPT-4 were standout classifiers, although somewhat less effective in categorizing intellectual humility. We offer example workflows for easy integration into research. Our proof-of-concept findings indicate the viability of both open-source and commercial LLMs in automating the coding of complex constructs, potentially transforming social science research.

Analisis Elemen Visual Pada Komik “Pupus Putus Sekolah”

Digital comics are currently gaining popularity among many people, especially teenagers. Not only serving as a form of entertainment, they can also be utilized as a means of conveying information. The objective of this research is to understand the use of visual elements in conveying messages and information through the comic "Pupus Putus Sekolah." This study employs a descriptive method, illustrating specific situations and describing facts and their relevance to the researched visual elements applied in the comic "Pupus Putus Sekolah" in a factual, detailed, sequential, and precise manner. The research relies on illustrative data, and the data collection technique involves observation or scrutiny of the visual elements used. The researcher utilizes the method of observation, listening, and reading the entire season and episodes of the comic "Pupus Putus Sekolah," noting essential information for data collection. Meanwhile, the analysis involves classifying the collected data into its types, analyzing and interpreting the data, presenting the analyzed data, and drawing conclusions. Based on the conducted analysis, the findings reveal that visual elements such as panels, perspectives, gutters, speech balloons, sound effects, illustrations, story, splash, motion lines, symbolism, and storytelling play a crucial role in influencing how the comic's narrative content is conveyed.

Anxiety on the internet: Describing person, provider, and organization online posts

Anxiety is a pervasive phenomenon in contemporary society. With increased internet use in recent years, more people in the general population are seeking and providing help and participating in community online. The goal of our study was to evaluate the content of internet narratives among those who post about anxiety and determine what stakeholder groups are saying online. We used the bifurcated method; it is a multi-method (qualitative) approach with inductive, thematic analyses, and with quantification of content-related words via a computer program that crawls websites and counts the occurrences of specified terms (for cross-checking purposes). Themes of posts and webpages about anxiety were: using/reporting treatment strategies (83.3% saturation), providing help (77.8% saturation), telling personal stories (72.2% saturation), seeking help (61.1% saturation), and illustrating interpersonal impact (50% saturation). We argue that anxiety stakeholders may take part in health co-inquiry online (i.e., cooperating with others) in many of the same ways that they might collaborate in person. We recommend that clinicians query their clients about use of the internet in ways related to their anxiety (e.g., seeking information/treatment strategies, offering help to others, telling their personal stories, etc.) so that they might help them process what they experience online.