Detailed Narrative Research Articles

Beyond Monolingual Norms: Analyzing the Complexity of Greek-Turkish Bilingual Children’s Written Narratives

This research explores the written narratives of Greek-Turkish bilingual and Greek monolingual children, focusing on their retelling abilities. We analyze both the macrostructure and microstructure of their narratives, utilizing the story-grammar model for the macrostructure analysis and examining lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, spelling accuracy, connectives, and word stressing for the microstructure assessment. We also examine correlations with contextual factors, including home and schooling input. Thirty-six children, comprising an equal number of bilinguals and monolinguals, participate in a picture narrative task (retelling mode). Our findings indicate that while bilingual children exhibit proficiency in constructing the story-grammar comparable to their monolingual counterparts, notable differences emerge in the microstructure of their narratives. Specifically, bilingual children produce shorter narratives. They also demonstrate lower lexical and noun diversity, syntactic complexity, and spelling accuracy (in inflectional suffixes) compared to monolingual children. These observed differences in the microstructure imply a potential trade-off between establishing the core story schema and elaborating on narrative details in bilingual narratives. Additionally, our study identifies early literacy practices (i.e., print exposure in preschool years) and current literacy practices (literacy habits outside the school setting) as predicting differently aspects of the microstructure in each group, further enhancing our understanding of how bilingualism influences narrative development. This underscores the importance of examining both the macrostructure, microstructure, and contextual factors for a comprehensive understanding of narrative development in bilingual and monolingual children.

Written Narrative in Patients with Different Mental Disorders

Language disorders are criteria of psychopathology diagnostics listed both in the 10th revision of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, structure and grammar remain understudied in this aspect, which makes structural analysis a relevant research topic. A structural analysis of written narrative may objectivize particular language disorders, thus facilitating psychodiagnostics of different mental disorders. The research objective was to describe the structural features of written narratives obtained from 127 patients with schizophrenic, bipolar, and personality disorders. The narratives were subjected to structural and statistical analyses. Schizophrenic narratives demonstrated a poor vocabulary, a low volume, and a high degree of formality with a passive narrator. Bipolar texts tended to be long, detailed, egocentric, and active, with multiple participles. Patients with personality disorders emotionally relived their memories, producing reflective written narratives with a lot of actors. The final list of written speech indicators to be used to distinguish between schizophrenic, bipolar, and personality disorders included such variables as text volume, verb tense, non-finite verb forms, first-person singular pronoun, number of actors, passive / active narrator, and laconic / detailed narration.

Living for the Moment - How Important Is It in the End of Life?

This essay investigates the role of present-moment living in end-of-life care, drawing on reflections from a personal patient encounter in a palliative care setting, Mrs. B, a 63-year-old patient with terminal squamous cell lung cancer, whose experience underscores the impact of living with a sense of fulfillment and joy despite a life-limiting diagnosis. Mrs. B's approach to her illness-marked by an optimistic acceptance of mortality and a focus on daily joys-challenges traditional palliative care paradigms that emphasize somberness and future-oriented care. Through detailed narrative and reflective analysis, the essay highlights how Mrs. B's resilience and spiritual beliefs contributed to her ability to maintain a positive outlook in the face of terminal illness. This case study illustrates the potential for joy and present-moment living to coexist with palliative care practices, offering a nuanced perspective on patient care. The discussion extends to the implications for healthcare professionals, advocating for a more adaptable and empathetic approach that aligns with individual patient values and preferences. This reflection calls for a shift in palliative care practices towards recognizing and supporting the diverse ways patients navigate their end-of-life experiences.

Impacto de los videojuegos narrativos en la percepción del patrimonio cultural: un análisis cualitativo de Assassin's Creed en estudiantes universitarios

Research on the interaction of students with educational video games that integrate elements of cultural heritage remains limited. Generally, studies focus on the mediation of educators in this interaction or on the direct analysis of the games. This has created a gap in our understanding of the meanings that students develop on their own while playing these video games. This study, based on qualitative interviews, examines the video game franchise Assassin's Creed, which recreates various historical periods and cultures through detailed narratives and settings. Participants indicated that the game offered them an immersive perspective on cultural heritage, different from the traditional educational experience in classrooms. They expressed a personal connection with non-playable characters (NPCs) and gained a more detailed and realistic understanding of the diverse perspectives in these natural, cultural, and social environments. Furthermore, they were willing to let their perceptions of cultural heritage be shaped by the game and reflected on the ethical and social implications of heritage representation in digital media. However, they showed a tendency to overlook opportunities for a more critical and in-depth analysis of these digital experiences. This highlights the need to explore strategies to foster a critical approach in the study of gaming experiences and underscores the importance of strengthening the human connection with heritage in heritage education.

Older and heavier: How obesity is experienced by older adults?

ABSTRACT The interplay between obesity and mental health in old age is complex and widely impacted by different biological, psychological, and social factors. The primary objectives of this qualitative research study are: a) To explore the influence of obesity on older adults’ well-being; b) to understand emotional experiences related to obesity in old age and; c) to explore how obesity influences the mental health of older adults. This study included 692 participants aged 65 to 84 years (M = 73.9; SD = 5.61) from three different nationalities (English, Spanish, and Portuguese). The study involved in-depth interviews conducted via telephone or online, with questions designed to elicit detailed narratives about participants’ experiences, and the data were analyzed using content analysis to identify key themes and patterns. This study identified four main themes regarding the influence of obesity on older adults’ well-being: (1) Body image dissatisfaction (66%); (2) Fat shaming (65%); (3) Increased isolation (57%); and (4) Loss of opportunities (46%). Three main themes for emotional experiences were frequently verbalized by the participants: (1) Shame (81%); (2) Guilt (78%); and (2) Worthlessness (76%). Finally, three main influences in mental health due to obesity were reported: (1) Self-esteem (88%); (2) Distress (78%); and (3) Depression (63%). These results highlighted that obesity negatively influences older adults’ well-being and emotional experiences and has serious mental health-related negative outcomes for older adults. Interventions like community-based weight loss programs can be effective in controlling weight and improving the social interaction of obese older adults.

EXPERIENCES IN THE AMAZON

The text explores the formation of family and community doctors with a specific focus on acting in rural areas and the health of the indigenous population, a frequently neglected aspect in residency programs in large urban centers. The narrative details an internship at the Macapá Indigenous Health Support House (Casai) and at the base hub of the Manga village, located in Oiapoque, Amapá. During this internship, the resident doctor of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro-RJ had the opportunity to provide medical attention directly to indigenous communities of the villages of Amapá and northern Pará. A central aspect of the text is the importance of exchange between scientific knowledge and traditional indigenous practices. The respect demonstrated by the indigenous population and the credibility attributed to their beliefs were essential to the effectiveness of the care performed. This experience offered the resident significant learning about person -centered medicine, allowing enriching contact with different cultures and traditions. These cultures have unique visions and understandings about the process of getting sick and healing, which contributed to a broader and more integrated understanding of health care. The internship stressed the importance of recognizing and respecting cultural practices in medical practice.

The Embodied Experiences of Injured Ultra-Runners: A Body-Mapping Study

AbstractThe sport of Ultra-running has seen exponential growth over the past ten years. These athletes attempt to push beyond unknown human limits by running for many hours at a time, often multiple times a week across mountains and trails. While research has begun to consider how injury impacts these athletes from an objective medical perspective, much less is known about their subjective embodied experiences. In particular, the discourses they resist and submit to when they are suddenly unable to run. This study describes the use of body-mapping and narrative interviewing as two forms of research inquiry merged together to explore the embodied experiences of eight ultra-runners who had recently experienced an injury. Plot lines were woven through the visual and textual material resulting in three master plots and eight sub plots. Stories of Body Self-transformation, Machina Carnis or the body-as-machine and senescence or the ageing body were layered by emplacing images and text onto life sized body maps creating vibrant art works. These art works were analysed alongside detailed narratives of endurance, strength, determination and loss. Through the art works participants were able to make visible the invisible, with the injury experience providing a window into former ways of being and current experiences of liminality and fear. This study provides insight into the shifting subjectivities of these extreme athletes brought about by pain and injury, and highlights the importance of using power leveling and emancipatory arts based research methods in accessing subjective experience.

Through the looking glass: perspectives on an alternative to incarceration by Utah women

ABSTRACT This study explores the research question ‘what can we learn from the narratives of formerly incarcerated women who have participated in an alternative model of justice?’ Six women were interviewed from The Other Side Academy (TOSA) in Utah. Narrative inquiry and journaling were used to document what an alternative to incarceration looked like. Each woman gave a detailed narrative about what their lives looked like before entering the program. Themes that emerged were Doing Time and Dead at the Door. Contrary to the belief that incarceration is rehabilitative the stories these women shared revealed a different outcome. This study found that viable alternatives to incarceration exist and for a small group of Utah women I discovered this to be true. Collectively these women’s shared viewpoints of TOSA exhibited what self-transformation looks like when a restorative justice framework is followed.

Vyacheslav Ivanov’s Dionysian-mysterial Plot and his Mystical Anthropology (the Concept of «Thou art»). Second Article

The purpose of the second article on Ivanov’s mystical anthropology is to demonstrate how the plot «thou art» grows out of the Dionysian-mysterial plot that developed in Ivanov’s early work. The research material was Ivanov’s poetic, philosophical, scientific and epistolary texts. Comparative, hermeneutic, structural and semantic methods were used. Ivanov’s mystical anthropology appears as a detailed narrative, the elements of which are symbols denoting mystical entities. This narrative represents the story of the relationship between Anima and Animus, feminine, irrational and masculine, rational. This story is symbolic, it can be interpreted psychologically, mystically, cosmologically. The plot of «thou art» is modeled on the Dionysian-mysterial plot and can be divided into two lines – the mysterial and soteriological ones. Each of them is divided into «male» and «female» versions. In the «male» version of the mysterial line, the Animus distorts the divine Self in itself and separates from the Anima; in the «female» version, the Anima assumes a priestly role and renounces the God-fighting Animus. In the «male» version of the soteriological plot, the Animus acquires its God-human primordial image and transforms into the son of God, Adam, who has risen from the mortal dream. This transformed Animus appears as a Godhuman Bridegroom, with whom the Anima-Bride marries, as a result of which a complete transformation of the human personality is accomplished, the reconciliation of the male and female principles and the birth of a new Dionysus-Bacchus.

The Best Practices for Designing Built Environments to Promote Healthy Food Access and Dietary Behaviors in Low-Income and Underserved Communities

Background: The built environment can influence health outcomes, including access to good dietary options. Aims: The current study intends to thoroughly evaluate the literature on best practices for building environments that promote healthy food access and nutritional behaviors in low-income and underserved communities in Indonesia. Method: To discover relevant studies on this topic, a thorough literature review was done using databases from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus extracting. Result: The final analysis included 32 studies after removing duplicates and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Extracting and assessing data from the chosen research and thematic synthesis was applied. The data was extracted and processed into a detailed narrative that provided an overview of the best practices. Conclusion: According to the findings of the literature study, built environment design can have a considerable impact on healthy food availability and eating patterns in Indonesian communities. It might be possible to develop effective interventions that enhance health outcomes for all Indonesians by addressing these gaps in the evidence.

Border Noir: Guilt, Shame and Uncanny Sexuation in Ride the Pink Horse

Although Orson Welles’s 1958 Touch of Evil is the most critically and commercially recognised film within the border noir submode, this essay instead examines Robert Montgomery’s often overlooked 1947 film noir Ride the Pink Horse because of its close attention to the borderland setting. The article utilises a psychoanalytic understanding of affect and a border-influenced reverse anthropology to examine how the deterritorialised effect of the border zone and the uncanny atmosphere of the carnival environment in the film distresses the traditional noir antihero. Specifically examined is the relationship between two major manifestations of anxiety, two major affects: guilt and shame. This attention illustrates how the relocating of the noir universe out of the confines of the conventional dark urban streets to the liminal border zone uncannily transforms the guilt usually associated with the noir protagonist into a type of shame and a stronger encounter with anxiety as, appropriately, a borderless enigma. While guilt usually provides a distance from this enigma for the conventional noir antihero, shame produces a flight into being, as illustrated in the film’s narrative details. Ultimately, Montgomery’s cocksure character (Lucky Gagin), through his encounter with the deterritorialisation of the uncanny border zone, is transported from the conventional noir hero’s masculine position (psychoanalytically conceived) into an abject position that aligns more precisely with the feminine discursive position.

Heritage of Albanian children literature - Creator and Researcher Astrit Bishqemi

Abstract This study aims to analyze the monographies of “Astrit Bishqemi” an Albanian creator and researcher of children and young literature, which highlights the figure and rich literature activity of the writer, novelist, narrator, story teller, translator of Italian, French, of this multidimensional researcher. Facing this humongous literature and scientific work, this monography required a serious work, persistent and challenging, in order to present all the data for the author and his creativity. That is why the realization of this study comes in its own originality, regarding the methodology, scientific writings, interviews or declarations during conversations; the research method to collect works, articles, reviews and many more writings held in conferences and scientific symposiums from Albanian researchers in the area of children literature. Thus, this study presents not only a wide variety of the work of Bishqemi, but also a detailed narration of the children literature during the time.

Police officers’ perceptions of a training course designed to enhance open-ended questions with adult witnesses

This study evaluated police officers’ perceptions of a new training program aimed at improving interviewing skills for adult interviewees. Drawing from successful strategies used in interviewing child complainants of abuse, the program focused on enhancing the use of open-ended questions. The investigation aimed to identify effective aspects, limitations, the practicality of open-ended questions in real-world scenarios, and avenues for enhancing post-training interviewer performance. Through diverse qualitative data collection methods including email feedback, discussion boards, questionnaires, and follow-up interviews, officers’ feedback was thematically analysed. Four key themes emerged: the utility of open-ended questions, improved skills due to course content, variability in narrative detail needs across contexts, and opportunities for enhancing learning outcomes. These findings have implications for both research and practical applications, highlighting the effectiveness of the training program and suggesting areas for further improvement in enhancing police officers’ interviewing skills with adults.

Kinship and Cultural Strengths—Learning from an Aboriginal Perspective

ABSTRACT Kinship is core to Aboriginal culture, values and wellbeing. However, the strength of culture and relationships is often not fully recognised or respected by Westernised systems. This article highlights cultural strengths through use of a detailed case study narrative illustrating the importance of community self-determination when an Aboriginal child needs to be relocated to other carers/family members. Situated within an Aboriginal participatory action research methodology, we utilised a case study method where a participant and co-author (*Amelia) collaborated with two academics to tell her story as an illustration of the strengths of community and kinship that can support vulnerable children. Through this partnership we learn the importance of Aboriginal community involvement in Amelia’s progression from early childhood experience of family violence to thriving young adulthood. We confirm the importance of including Aboriginal knowledges and practices in raising at-risk Aboriginal children and we contribute to social work practice knowledges by learning from Indigenous experience. We conclude that social work needs to build on the strengths of Aboriginal communities’ abilities by valuing kinship support systems. IMPLICATIONS When faced with adversity such as family violence, Aboriginal culture can be a protective factor. Social workers need to understand the importance of culture in the healing process for Aboriginal children. Keeping Aboriginal children connected to culture is paramount for long-term recovery and the ability to create healthy relationships.

Preventing Pediatric Opioid Poisoning: Unusual Sources and Scenarios

This retrospective study analyzed 230 pediatric opioid exposures from a statewide poison control center over a 5-year period. Most exposures involved pharmaceutical opioids and children under two-years-old. Narrative details were reviewed to identify uncommon sources of opioids involved in poisoning and highlight the need for tailored prevention strategies and guidance.

Interprofessional Education Integration in Lehman College’s Undergraduate Social Work Program: A Case Study of Transformative Implementation and Student-Centered Impact

Background:This case study explores the dynamic inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) in Lehman College Undergraduate Social Work Program, a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Bronx.Objectives:We aim to contextualize the case within social work’s historical engagement in healthcare and evolving interprofessional practices, with an emphasis on the role of social work in healthcare.Methods:A comprehensive literature review was conducted to connect theoretical foundations to practical implementation, highlighting IPE’s significance as a student-centered pedagogy and its potential impact on patient care. The narrative details the transition from individual classroom use to widespread adoption in the practicum seminars in the undergraduate program.Results:The program demonstrates a proactive response to healthcare changes, underscoring a commitment to comprehensive education.Conclusion:This case study makes Lehman College’s program a valuable resource for educators, practitioners, and policymakers by showcasing its effective incorporation of IPE, ultimately enhancing patient care through improved interprofessional collaboration.

Narrative reconstruction in deaf and hearing children: A comparative study in the context of Arabic diglossia

This study explores the narrative skills of deaf and hearing children within the context of Arabic diglossia, a linguistic environment characterised by significant differences between spoken dialects and formal written language. Using Stein and Glenn's (1979) and Bruner's (1991) frameworks, the research analyses the narrative constructions of 13 hearing and 13 deaf children in Kuwait. The findings reveal that hearing children, benefiting from consistent exposure to spoken and formal Arabic, produced more coherent and detailed narratives compared to deaf children. Hearing participants also demonstrated greater vocabulary diversity. Age-related improvements in narrative skills were more pronounced among hearing children, while the impact of sign language exposure on narrative abilities was significant among deaf children. The study underscores the critical role of early language exposure and educational support in fostering narrative development, particularly in a diglossic context. These findings highlight the need for specialised educational strategies to support the unique narrative development needs of deaf children.

Soldiers and Prisoners in Motion in Mesopotamian Iconography during the Early Bronze Age

Military images of the ancient Near East during the Early Bronze Age are characterized by one of their main features: the serial reproduction of soldiers and prisoners, side by side, the former clearly identifiable by the visual signs of power they bear and the latter by their humiliation. These images are usually and almost naturally conceived as the ideological prerogative of city-states in conflict for territorial domination or as signs of visual identity intended to reinforce the powers that be. However, the end of the Early Bronze Age is marked by the hegemony of the Akkadian dynasty and the iconographic changes that it generated. While strongly maintaining the military iconographic theme in its visual discourse, it broke with the motif of static parades of prisoners and introduced many details intended to clearly identify the protagonists, the enemies, or the environment of the battles. It could represent a transition from a discourse based on evocative repetition in order to present an ideal to one founded on detailed narration in order to assert the authenticity of an event. This paper investigates the phenomenon of repetition through soldiers and prisoners on images. Analyzing the message lying behind the series of hindered prisoners and battalions of soldiers also underlines the way the change of iconographic discourse during the Akkadian period can be understood, particularly given that the power of the Akkadian dynasty mainly rested on its military victories.

The cost to education development: A personal story

This personal narrative details the experiences of the founding director of the Institute of Education at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, reflecting on the development of educational precedents in post-Soviet Russia. The text outlines the establishment and rise of a few new innovative educational organizations, marking their impact through innovative practices rather than conventional policy reforms. The author argues that creating educational precedents—specific, practical examples of successful education strategies—is more resilient and effective than broad policy reforms or regulatory innovations. These precedents, once established, tend to endure through their intrinsic merits and practical success, despite shifting political landscapes and regulatory environments. The personal story underscores the complex interplay between educational innovation and political reaction in Russia.

Exploring Resilience and Post-traumatic Growth Among Bereaved Adults in Kosovo.

The study explores resilience and posttraumatic growth in adults in Kosovo who have experienced grief, using the Resilience Portfolio Model as a guiding framework. Twelve participants shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews, aiming to capture detailed personal narratives and insights into coping with loss. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three main themes: "Reaction to Loss," "Navigating through Loss and Embracing Adaptations," and "Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth." The findings highlight the transformative experiences contributing to personal development and resilience, emphasizing the significant role of cultural dimensions in shaping resilience and posttraumatic growth. The study underscores the importance of considering cultural context in therapeutic approaches to better support individuals in their recovery and growth from experiences of loss.