Narrative Case Study Research Articles

Organizational Analysis in Preparation for LMS Change: a Narrative Case Study

Collaboration and teamwork are concepts routinely attributed to organizational success and successful change management. Yet often the details of these collaborative experiences are limited to participants in the team involved. In this case study we highlight how a learning experience architect, as part of an organizational working group, could leverage human performance technology (HPT) principles to lead the analysis efforts surrounding an LMS platform change at a professional training organization. Human performance technology is the study and practice of improving productivity in organizations. This includes designing and developing effective interventions, processes, and methodologies that are ethical, results-oriented, comprehensive, and systemic (West, 2018). This article covers the project’s genesis, the project team’s creation, and how the analysis work was carried out. The first author’s unique access to the subject matter of this case study provides the ability to present the project’s analysis phase in the following narrative format. This article’s intrinsic case study represents an exploratory inquiry into a single case, as this article’s conclusions are inherently limited to its scope. Nevertheless, the article provides evidence that large scale change within organizations requires a balance of effective communication practices and organizational systems thinking.

‘I walk in language circles’: transnational-translocal entanglements of a refugee-background Somali-Bantu’s multilingual identity

ABSTRACT This narrative case study examines the multilingual practice and identity of Haben, a refugee-background Somali-Bantu in a larger one-year (2019-2020) ethnography with refugee arrivals in coping with new linguistic and cultural environment in a northeastern U.S. city. Framed by the entangled transnational-translocal approach to multilinguals, languages, and identities, this study finds Haben’s African languages and English were acquired and used as resources for survival and thrival and weaponized against bullying and discrimination in his early and later life in diaspora. Haben’s multilingual identity was (re)produced by the sociocultural and linguistic flows across national boundaries and his responses to local needs. This study indicates multilingual identity as a discursive spatio-temporal entanglement that blurs the boundaries between transnational-translocal, past-present, human-nonhuman. This study challenges deficit discourse that perceives immigrant multilingualism as a deficit.

Islam and Communist Power Relation in Najib Al-Kailani’s ‘Adzra Jakarta

PurposeThis study examined the battle of the arena of power between Islam and communism that occurred in the dark events in Indonesia in 1965 through the Najib al-Kailani novel’ 'Adzra Jakarta. MethodThis qualitative research applied a narrative case study design made uses of Najib al-Kailani novel’ 'Adzra Jakarta as the main unit of analysis. To analyzed the data, the study used Pierre Bordieu’s concept of power relations to dismantle the arena fight between Islam and communism in Indonesian history through the capital ownership of figures. Results/FindingsThe results showed a lame power relationship between Islam and communists. Islam in 'Adzra Jakarta is described as inferior because it has only two capitals, while communist ideology holds symbolic capital which includes the other three capitals; Cultural, social and economic capital. However, if you look further at the defeat of Az Zaim by the main character, Fatimah, and his death at the end of the story are symbols of the text's partiality to Islamic ideology. ConclusionThe study concluded that the novel 'Adzra Jakarta reaffirms the perception of the latent danger of the communist ideology constructed by the Indonesian government. Through the main female character, the novel also supports women movement emerged in Egypt.

A RETROSPECTIVE NARRATIVE STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' LANGUAGE BARRIER EXPERIENCES IN INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PRACTICUM

The present retrospective narrative study reported in this article explores the international teaching practicum program has become a new trend in a lot of university-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education programs, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. This phenomenon led to the high demand for university-based EFL teacher education programs of having international networking which aims to give more cross-cultural understanding and experience for the pre-service teachers in teaching EFL abroad. This retrospective narrative case study aims to investigate the language socialization experiences and challenges of two Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers during the teaching practicum program in Thailand. The data was collected through participants’ teaching practicum documents and semi-structured interviews. Grounded in a retrospective narrative study and Relational Turning Point Events (RTPEs) theoretical framework, this study is hoped to provide a better understanding of the EFL teaching development, particularly for preparing pre-service teachers for intercultural teaching practicum.

P36 - Registration experiences of Middle Eastern qualified midwives in Australia: A narrative case study analysis

Migrating to Australia to work as a midwife can be challenging, particularly for those from non-English speaking backgrounds, since they must achieve strict qualification standards, English language skills, and professional competence to be eligible for registration. The purpose of this study was to explore the registration experiences of Middle Eastern qualified midwives in Australia. Multiple case narrative study underpinned by structuration theory was undertaken with 19 Middle Eastern qualified midwives from different states of Australia. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2020 and September 2021, digitally recorded and then transcribed. Transcriptions were analysed in three stages, with categories generated in the second stage and core categories developed in the third. This study found that Middle Eastern qualified midwives’ registration experiences were significantly impacted by evolutions in policies in Australia. The accounts of participants who applied for registration at varying stages suggested the process became more complicated over time. Overall, four categories emerged with varying prominence from the accounts of participants who applied for registration at different times including: “ demanding requirements”, “variation in the process”,” inadequate orientation”, and “misdirection”. Systemic issues were identified as significant barriers for the registration of Middle Eastern qualified midwives in Australia. With Australia's reliance on internationally recruited health professionals, strategies should be developed to identify the support and regulatory adjustment necessary to reduce underutilisation of Middle Eastern qualified midwives and sustain the diversification of the Australian health system.

Environmental justice is exhausting: five decades of air pollution and community advocacy at Ezra Prentice Homes in Albany, New York

ABSTRACT This narrative case study used semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research to document the ongoing environmental injustices faced by the predominately Black residents of Ezra Prentice Homes, a public housing complex adjacent to the Port of Albany in the South End of Albany, New York. We highlighted the context of the relocation of minorities to this public housing complex for the construction of the Empire State Plaza, and impacts to residents from polluting port industrial activities and heavy-duty diesel trucks. Using a social justice Theory of Change framework, we evaluated the diversity of outcomes and relevance of an innovative suite of advocacy tools employed by policy activists and discussed the factors constraining the resolution of continued environmental injustices. We observed a complex legacy of environmental racism, power struggles, and an ongoing mindset of expendability of marginalised public housing residents targeting this community for hosting locally unwanted land uses and delayed long-term solutions. While policy activists employed a diversity of advocacy tools instrumental in winning lawsuits, expanding their base of support, attracting media, and bringing widespread state and national visibility to the struggles and necessary solutions for protecting residents, this “middle coalition” facilitated successful yet temporary policy outcomes in terms of long-term protections for residents. This research fills an important gap in the environmental justice literature that explores the phenomenon of public housing complexes inappropriately sited adjacent to polluting port facilities. Future research is needed to better understand community risk perceptions related to public housing and long-term public policy responses.

Language learning in transition: narrative case studies of two provincial Korean high school students

ABSTRACT What drives provincial students in Korea to choose a college in Seoul? What role does English language learning play in their choices? This study focuses on two young academic migrants to Seoul, Joon and Lynn, to explore how macrocultural phenomena shaped their psychology and contributed to their language education. Previous studies have focused on how the culture of English learning in Korea encourages study abroad. Less understood are nation-level migration trajectories and what drives this form of mobility. Participants’ narratives showed different values and opportunities assigned to different regions. ‘In-Seoul’ discourse and a sense of belonging in the imagined communities impacted their college choices and learning experiences. Both shared that their final goal of moving between regions was to expand their horizons: Joon perceived Seoul as a propitious place for his occupation, and Lynn saw it as an interim place where she could communicate freely with people from different cultural backgrounds. Joon showed voluntary alignment with the ideals sought by colleges in Seoul. Lynn negotiated her way into communities of fluent language speakers and academic pursuits within her major. This study shows how these migrants made sense of English language learning within their broader regional migration and learning experiences.

Lima Pendekatan dalam Penelitian Kualitatif

Qualitative research is research in a natural setting and researchers are directly involved in it. Research is descriptive, paying more attention to the process than the results. The language of this research is empirical. Data analysis is done inductively, and meaning is essential. In the study of social sciences, qualitative research has several types of approaches which are described in detail as follows: (1) narrative research, (2) phenomenology, (3) grounded theory, (4) ethnography, and (5) case study. Each approach is described from the definition, history, types, how to use it, advantages and challenges. The similarities and differences between the five approaches are also described.

Identity and heritage language learning: a case study of two mixed-heritage Korean university students in New Zealand

Abstract This narrative case study examines the identity development of two mixed-heritage (Korean/White and Korean/Japanese) university students in relation to Korean as a heritage language (HL) in New Zealand. The narratives of the two participants (Mia and Hannah) revealed that they grew up with different levels of exposure to the HL, which impacted their HL proficiency, and experienced different struggles with identity construction. While Mia’s White appearance helped her explore multiple ethnic/cultural identities, Hannah was deemed completely non-White by White New Zealanders, assigned a minority “Asian” identity, and subjected to racial discrimination. The dominant group’s confusion about intra-race mixedness and perceptions of Hannah as non-mixed complicated her situation. Hannah had little access to a majority heritage (New Zealander) identity, but also found her specific heritage identities occluded by an imposed single (“Asian”) identity. Nonetheless, on entering university both participants showed a strong desire to embrace their Koreanness through HL education or socialization with coethnic peers. HL learning played a crucial role in their construction of mixed-heritage identity; for Mia, the HL was valuable social capital, while for Hannah, the HL was a means of claiming her ethnic identity. This study highlights the complexity and plurality of mixed-heritage identities and offers implications for educators.

“This Is Going to Be a Learning Curve, Especially Because You're White”: Becoming an Anti-Racist Music Teacher in a Majority Indigenous Classroom

Abstract This narrative case study explores the practices, experiences, and perceptions of Charlie, a White music teacher in upstate New York, who is striving to do anti-racist work in a majority Indigenous teaching context. Through the philosophical lens of White music teachers as “becoming”—growing, striving, changing, learning—the author suggests that White teachers can and should strive to do anti-racist work. Employing narrative inquiry, the author highlights ways in which Charlie grapples with his Whiteness while striving toward anti-racist practices by seeking Indigenous knowledge from culture bearers, collaborating with an Indigenous musician, problematizing surface-level multiculturalism within the school, and reaching for deeper curricular engagements with students’ lives inside and outside of school.

A Concept Analysis of Moral Injury in Ukrainian National Guard Service Members’ Narratives: A Clinical Case Study

Moral injury is a relatively new construct which is strongly associated with PTSD but which also has distinctive features that may not overlap with PTSD. There is a growing body of literature that recognises moral injury as emotional distress and sufferings arising from a transgression of one’s core moral principles or ethical beliefs and aligned with feelings of shame and guilt. A great number of moral injury research is represented by theoretical and qualitative studies vs biopsychosocial approach towards conceptualizing PTSD. However, a systematic understanding of how potentially moral injurious events contribute to moral injury symptoms is still lacking. Of particular concern is moral injury of military personnel exhibiting PTSD symptoms during and after wartime. This study utilizes the concept analysis model (Walker & Avant, 2011) to explore and assess the attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents of moral injury in Ukrainian National Guard service members, who are protecting the northern Ukrainian border with Belarus and defending military objects during the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. The research uses narrative case studies collected from National Guard soldiers in Ukraine as part of our combatants' moral injury broader project. Initial results of this study indicate mechanisms of developing moral injury symptoms with comorbidity of depression, generalized anxiety, and PTSD in National Guard service members during wartime. The findings of the current study have important theoretical and practical implications in terms of better understanding the causal relations of moral injury and enhancing clinical practice and holistic treatment approach for National Guard soldiers.

Making history matter more in evolutionary economic geography

AbstractOur focus in this paper is on a somewhat curious feature of evolutionary economic geography, namely that although concerned withevolution – with processes ofhistoricalchange and transformation – evolutionary economic geography seems not to take history as seriously as it would be expected to do. We argue that evolutionary economic geography is inescapably an historical social science, and that as such would benefit from exploring the different ways in which history can be used in causal investigation, from problematising the different temporalities of economic change and transformation, and from giving more attention to appreciative theorising and narrative case study over variable-centred approaches.

How does Mind–Body Bridging support professional identity development?

This narrative case study is an exploration of Mind–Body Bridging (MBB), an emerging mindfulness-based approach, and its impact on university students’ professional identities. MBB was used as content and an intervention tool in a psychology course. The study provides an in-depth analysis of two students’ narratives to illustrate and discuss the usefulness of MBB in the university setting. The findings demonstrate that MBB helped students develop their professional identity with regard to self-confidence, self-awareness, social relationships, and professional future. Moreover, the link between the development of students’ professional identities and their abilities to cope with work-related stress is found.

Where have I been all these years? A narrative case study on the impact of western (mis)conceptions of musicality on a generalist classroom teacher’s music teacher identity construction

This article reports a narrative case study on Sanne, an experienced 46-year-old early childhood teacher who considered herself unmusical and therefore unable to teach music, caused by (1) few childhood musical experiences, (2) teacher training that focused on musical performance skills and (3) a professional context with minimal music education. These experiences reinforced her belief that musicality equates to musical performance skills, rendering her ‘unmusical’ – a western conception of musicality which had prevented her from teaching music. Participating in a professional development (PD) programme on musical play, however, positively influenced her music teacher identity (MTI), resulting in confidence to teach music. This article explores what factors contributed to this identity shift. The PD programme was set up according to criteria for effective PD as argued by literature, such as collective participation, demand-driven content, long-term duration and a focus on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Data were collected by means of surveys, interviews and e-mails containing video images. Assisted by a three-dimensional space narrative structure, text excerpts were selected from the data and ‘re-storied’ into a narrative. Analysis revealed how a combination of newly acquired PCK and existing general play guidance skills enabled Sanne to facilitate musical play successfully, thereby neutralizing the obstacles raised by her self-perceived non-musicality, and positively affecting her MTI. In the discussion, we reflect on how our current western conception of musicality may negatively affect individuals’ musical identity and provide some further thoughts on the implications of our findings for music educational practice.

Aboriginal Community Co-Design and Co-Build—Far More than a House

There is urgent need for a new model to address the housing crisis in remote Australian Indigenous communities. Decades of major government expenditure have not significantly improved the endemic problems, which include homelessness, overcrowding, substandard dwellings, and unemployment. Between 2017–2020, Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (FISH) worked with the remote Kimberley Aboriginal community, Bawoorrooga, by facilitating the co-design and co-build of a culturally and climatically appropriate home with community members. This housing model incorporates a program of education, health, governance, justice system programs, and land tenure reforms. Build features incorporate sustainable local/recycled materials and earth construction, and ‘Solar Passive Design’. The project faced challenges, including limited funding, extreme climate and remoteness, cultural barriers, and mental health issues. Nevertheless, the program was ultimately successful, producing a house which is culturally designed, climatically/thermally effective, comparatively cheap to build, and efficient to run. The project produced improvements in mental health, schooling outcomes, reduced youth incarceration, and other spheres of community development, including enterprise and community governance. Co-design and co-build projects are slower and more complex than the conventional model of external contracting, but the outcomes can be far superior across broad areas of social and emotional wellbeing, house quality and comfort, energy consumption, long-term maintenance, community physical and mental health, pride, and ownership. These factors are essential in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, trauma, and engagement with the justice system. This paper provides a narrative case study of the project and outlines the core principles applied and the lessons learned.

A Retrospective Narrative Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Language Barrier Experiences in International Teaching Practicum

The present retrospective narrative study reported in this article explores the international teaching practicum program has become a new trend in a lot of university-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education programs, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. This phenomenon led to the high demand for university-based EFL teacher education programs of having international networking which aims to give more cross-cultural understanding and experience for the pre-service teachers in teaching EFL abroad. This retrospective narrative case study aims to investigate the language socialization experiences and challenges of two Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers during the teaching practicum program in Thailand. The data was collected through participants’ teaching practicum documents and semi-structured interviews. Grounded in a retrospective narrative study and Relational Turning Point Events (RTPEs) theoretical framework, this study is hoped to provide a better understanding of the EFL teaching development, particularly for preparing pre-service teachers for intercultural teaching practicum.

Leveraging capabilities for digitally supported process improvement: a framework for combining Lean and ERP

PurposeEnterprise resource planning (ERP) and Lean are both widely used approaches to business process improvement. However, research is limited on their interactions when implemented in combination, leveraging the advantages of both. The purpose of this paper is to propose a generic framework for implementing ERP and Lean in combination to develop digitally supported business process improvement capability and improved competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachPrinciples and elements for the framework were derived from the extant literature and subsequently applied as input for solution incubation using design science research (DSR) in a five-year case study. Study results and learnings enabled solution refinement and the development of a generic framework for digital supported process improvement capabilities.FindingsThe paper presents a case study narrative and proposes a framework for digitally supported business process improvement capability based on Lean and enabled digitally by ERP. The framework delivers tangible productivity and quality improvements deployed, and an increase of continuous improvement capability.Originality/valueThis paper provides a novel generic framework and a set of guidelines for implementing Lean and ERP in SMEs and/or service companies to improve their business process excellence. The paper contributes to the scientific literature by providing insights on how SMEs and service operations can integrate Lean and ERP methods, digitalize and streamline processes in the organization and build continuous improvement capabilities.

Challenges to the integration of the Platfontein San in South Africa between 1990 and 2003

This article is based on a narrative case study that explores the controversy in the history surrounding the Platfontein San. During the South African border war, San soldiers joined the South African Defence Force in their fight against African liberation movements in Angola and Namibia. Shortly before Namibian independence, these soldiers and their families were evacuated to a military base in South Africa. Amidst the concurrent political changes in South Africa, the fate of this small San community came to be uncertain and insecure. In their quest for a place to settle permanently, the group experienced different racial, socio-economic and cultural problems. Eventually in 2003, they settled permanently in Platfontein. Overall, the government’s resettlement project was a “quick-fix” decision, not an integrated solution. It shaped many chronic socio-economic problems among the Platfontein community. The article thus seeks to understand how the small group of indigenous inhabitants has been affected by major changes in Southern Africa and reveals the key factors that favoured and hindered its integration in South Africa.

Putting the Puzzle Back Together—A Narrative Case Study of an Athlete Who Survived Child Sexual Abuse in Sport

Denunciations of child sexual abuse (CSA) in the sport context have been increasing in the last decades. Studies estimate that between 14 and 29% of athletes have been victim of at least one form of sexual violence in sport before the age of 18. However, studies suggest that many do not disclose their experience of CSA during childhood. This finding is alarming since studies have shown that the healing process usually starts with disclosure. Moreover, little is known about the healing process of CSA experienced in the sport context. The aim of the study is to present a single case study of a CSA in sport to better understand the global experience over time from the perspective of the athlete. A narrative inquiry approach was adopted. Three non-structured interviews were conducted with the participant. Three pathways in the survivor journey have been identified through inductive thematic analysis: (a) pathway to understanding, (b) pathway to disclosure, and (c) pathway to healing. These pathways represent distinct processes but are intertwined as they are dynamic and iterative. Indeed, the survivor explained how she had been, and is still, going back and forth between them. Results are consistent with those found in the literature on CSA in the general population. It suggests that theoretical models of CSA in the general population could be applied to CSA in sport. Practical implications include a need for education and clearer boundaries in the coach-athlete relationship. Sport stakeholders also need to be better equipped to recognize the signs of sexual violence in sport. Our results indicate that qualitative research could be a potential avenue to help victims heal from CSA. It gives them the chance to talk about and make sense of their abuse in a safe space. Finally, our results demonstrate the importance of reviewing the current justice system for victims. It should be based on a trauma-informed approach that places the victim at the center of the judicial process.

Exploring lecturers’ experiences in developing EFL material at English Education Department in Three Different Universities

This study aims at exploring the lectures’ way to develop EFL materials; strategies for developing EFL materials; and challenges in developing ELT Material. This study was conducted in English Education Department of three different universities namely STKIP Paracendekia Sumbawa, Makassar State University, and Halu Oleo University. In collecting the data, the researchers used narrative case study design. The instrument of this study was the researchers themselves. The result showed that firstly the lecturers who developed English material only implemented some steps in developing teaching material such exploring students’ need, contextualizing material, and use the material in teaching and learning process. In this case, the material developer disregarded some other steps such as material trials in small group and evaluation of teaching material. Secondly, the strategies used by the lecturers in developing teaching material is by using analysis, Imitation, and modification, determining the aim of developing teaching material, knowing the number of students and time duration is available, and team teaching. Lastly, in developing teaching materials, the lecturer found some challenges such as difficulties of finding text and sources based on local wisdom, appropriated material, changeable lesson plan, and cost and time