Narrative Learning Research Articles

A Resident Narrative Medicine Curriculum to Promote Professional Identity Development: Story-Based Sessions Grounded in Narrative Learning Theory.

Empathy, reflection, and social connectedness are important skills for physician identity development and are increasingly challenged by burnout. Humanities-based interventions like narrative medicine (NM) are emerging in medical education to promote these skills. Only 17% of such initiatives target graduate medical learners. Furthermore, interventions are inconsistent in approach and theory representation. NM uses story-based learning to promote reflection and group discussion. Inspired by narrative learning theory, we developed NM sessions for residents to foster healthy identity development. Ninety-minute sessions were integrated into curricula for PGY 1-PGY 3 internal medicine-primary care residents at two large academic centers. Sessions involved engagement with a narrative source (stories, poems, art), personal reflection, and group discussion. Topics ranged from burnout to difficult patients. Participants completed anonymous postsession surveys assessing satisfaction, attitudes, and skills. Fifteen sessions occurred from 2021 to 2023, with three to 10 residents per session. Fifty residents completed between one and four sessions, with 68 survey responses (response rate: 88%). Over 95% ranked 4-5 out of 5 for overall impression (n = 67) and personal value (n = 65) of sessions. Sessions were highly enjoyable (M = 4.8), with mean scores of >4 out of 5 for impact on wellness, appreciation of work values, social connectedness, and patient care. NM sessions demonstrated measurable improvements in several domains of professional performance including wellness, job satisfaction, and patient care, while promoting camaraderie and emotion processing. Our materials offer tremendous potential for promoting healthy identity formation.

“Leaving No One Behind” As a New Motto for the UN System

Educational governance has become increasingly complex due to the emergence of the post-welfare state together with specialised networks acting across nations, such as the recently formed United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Group. In this context, the global circulation of policies, priorities and lifelong learning narratives impacts national agendas through frameworks and diverse multilevel policy instruments. Adopting elements of global governance theory, this article examines the 2017 Shared Framework on Leaving No One Behind and argues that it has served as a milestone in supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on the national level, while contributing to mainstreaming communication and written discourses in all sectors of the educational arena since its publication. The article reflects on aspects of Portugal’s alignment to “Leaving No One Behind” (LNOB) through critical discourse analysis (CDA) of textual evidence in two interrelated national policy documents. The findings show the impact of this global policy-speak on recent Portuguese official documents.

From constructive to critical and everywhere in between: education leaders' decision-making related to harsh feedback from learners about their teachers.

Feedback from learners is important to support faculty development, but negative feedback can harm teachers' motivation, engagement, and retention. Leaders of educational programs, therefore, need to balance enabling students' voices to be heard with maintaining teachers' enthusiasm and commitment to teaching. Given the paucity of research to explain or guide this struggle, we explored why and how education leaders grapple with negative learner feedback received about their teachers. Using an Interpretive Description methodology, 11 education leaders participated in semi-structured interviews. Discussion was stimulated by showing participants learner narratives they had previously asked to be deleted because they perceived the narrative to be overly critical. Transcripts were iteratively analyzed as codes were developed, refined, and combined into themes. Education leaders interpreted the scope, framing, and focus of the feedback to decide whether it was overly critical. Such determinations were combined with contextual considerations such as the teacher's personal circumstances, the learning environment and how the teacher might react to think through what potential damage the feedback might do to the teacher. Throughout the process, leaders struggled with whether protecting teachers risked not protecting learners and remained unsure about the ethics of censoring student voices. Our study offers direction regarding how to optimize feedback to teachers while minimizing risks inherent in sharing negative feedback with them. Implications include that there is value in: (1) extending feedback interpretation support to teachers, education leaders and learners; (2) situating upward feedback in a coaching dialogue; and, (3) applying the same principles recommended for the provision of feedback to learners, to teachers.

Theorising Later-Career as a Basis for Enhancing Inclusion and Extending Working Lives Through Human Resource Development

Population ageing in developed economies has prompted national level policies for extending working lives (EWL). However, these policies have typically failed to reduce age discrimination or premature workforce exit. Therefore, organisational policies for EWL are currently to the fore and human resource development (HRD) ‘activation’ policies are evaluated here. However, these policies are found to be of only limited effectiveness in ensuring social justice, equity, and inclusion in later-career and beyond. A Critical-HRD lens is adopted to show how the established HRD narrative of lifelong learning can inadvertently contribute to workers being disadvantaged in later-career. Social-constructionist identity theorising is developed to better understand later-career and to explain older-workers’ behaviour. The theorisation is then applied to discuss HRD interventions with potential for developing a positive sense-of-self among older-workers and retirees to thereby improve equity, inclusion, and social justice. Implications for HRD researchers and professionals and for HRD policy for EWLs are detailed.

Seeking the high ground: Exploring advocacy groups' use of policy narratives in the legalization of same‐sex marriage in Taiwan

AbstractAdvocacy groups employ narrative strategies and framing techniques to enhance societal support. However, to date, it remains unclear how the dynamics of narrative strategy evolve over time and what factors contribute to these shifts. To fill this research gap, we use the Narrative Policy Framework to analyze the competing advocacy groups' Facebook pages in Taiwan's same‐sex marriage debate from 2016 to 2019. The findings reveal that policy positions offer greater predictive power for the devil–angel shift, yet the utilization of conflict expansion and containment strategies is tied to policy issues, political events, and their intended target audience. Our findings also demonstrate that the phenomenon of policy narrative learning occurs when convergence of potential policy outcome is achieved. Furthermore, this study highlights the role of institutional mechanisms in advocacy through venue shopping, underscoring the contextual nature of advocacy groups' narrative strategies. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the utilization of narrative strategy in addressing a contentious social issue.

AI Based IT Training System

Retaining learner engagement is a major challenge in online learning environments, which is even more intensified with learning spaces increasingly built by combining resources from multiple independent sources. Narrative-centric learning experience has been found to improve learner engagement by several researchers. Towards this end, we propose an AI-based approach that generates auxiliary learning content called narrative fragments which are interspersed into the learning pathways to create interactive learning narratives. The proposed approach consists of the automatic generation of two types of narrative fragments– overviews of the learning pathway segments and reflection quizzes or formative assessments from learning resources in any format including open educational resources. The pipeline for the generation of the narrative fragments consists of various components based on different semantic models and a natural language generation (NLG) component based on a pre- trained language model GPT-2 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 2). Automation enables the generation of narrative fragments on the fly whenever there are changes in the learning pathway due to the need for reiteration of concepts, pre-requisite knowledge acquisition, etc., enabling adaptability in the learning pathways. The proposed approach is domain agnostic which makes it easily adaptable to different domains. The NLG model is evaluated using ROUGE scores against several baselines. Automatically generated narrative fragments are evaluated by human evaluators. We obtained encouraging results in both cases

Positioned as a burden: Analyzing the participation of multilingual students of color in undergraduate mathematics courses that use groupwork

More college mathematics classrooms are adopting active learning practices like groupwork. These practices typically foreground vocal communication and interpersonal interactions, both of which are mediated by language. Given that undergraduate classrooms in the U.S. are also becoming more racially and linguistically diverse, this study focuses on multilingual students of color, whose learning experiences have often been overlooked. Specifically, this study aims to learn more about the relationship between groupwork and equity in classrooms with linguistic diversity. Using positioning theory, this study analyzes the learning narratives of 26 multilingual students of color about their experiences working with peers in groups. Findings demonstrate that while multilingual students described enacting a range of different positional identities during groupwork, they were more likely to report being positioned by others in deficit ways. Results highlight how the positional identities perceived to be available to students were often constrained by normative classroom Discourses about language, participation, and mathematics.

Securing the Self, Embracing Anxiety, or Nurturing Growth? How the Pragmatism of Dewey, James, and Mead Speaks to Ontological Security Studies

Abstract A Pragmatist form of Constructivism speaks to, and encourages, an ethical/normative turn in Ontological Security Studies (OSS). Recognition that Self-securing routines are sometimes “unhealthy” implies that the subject of security is human experience and that social identities or social roles are means to that end. This resonates with John Dewey's Pragmatist focus on the practical task of ameliorating experience in environments constantly in the process of becoming. Normative value is not ontological, i.e., found in a fixed identity; it is processural, i.e., found in the practice of “learning” and the process of “growth.” A Pragmatist narrative of learning and growth offers OSS a normative focus that is more compelling than the recent calls to “embrace anxiety,” although it is important to acknowledge that even these narratives can induce anxiety. OSS can, in this instance, turn to the Pragmatist William James and his focus on the role that “faith” plays in encouraging the Self to adopt new identities. Building on this, Dewey formulated a “civic faith” to defend democratic routines (and the democratic identity) as a useful method of (social) learning. Finally, the Pragmatism of George Herbert Mead demonstrates how this democratic commitment to include “the Other” in the processes that secure the Self helps restructure an environment that otherwise demands dangerous routines. The article draws on Cold War history to demonstrate how such practices can and should be part of the “cultural repertoire” informing ontological security-seeking practices in contemporary Europe.

The “Complex Dynamic Model of Autonomy Development” in Action: A Longitudinal Multiple Case Study on Language Learners’ Trajectories

This paper explores the autonomy development in the language learning trajectories of two English major students within the complexity paradigm (Larsen-Freeman, 1997, 2017; Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008). Autonomy is viewed as a complex, evolving phenomenon shaped by life experiences, including setbacks, stability, and progress. The Complex Dynamic Model of Autonomy Development (Borges, 2022) guided this four-year longitudinal study conducted at a university in Northern Brazil. This multiple case study utilized learning narratives, diaries, and a final interview to generate data. Learning narratives depicted the participants’ profile and their learning initial conditions, while diaries captured their reflections on language learning and autonomy. An interview was conducted in the final semester to shed light on how autonomy influenced students’ empowerment and participation in the academic and professional community (Borges, 2019; Murray, 2017; Nicolaides, 2017; Oxford, 2003). The results show that the personalized and complex nature of autonomy development is manifested differently for each student in varying contexts over time. Subsystems like motivation, beliefs, identities, and emotions were found to either enhance or inhibit autonomy along their language learning journeys.

Towards a democratic curriculum: the narrative paradigm to achieve a state of viscosity

The article proposes that the goal of education should be to promote democracy in education, which can be achieved through a viscous curriculum based on narrative learning to enhance communication and inclusivity. The discussion considers different teaching and learning paradigms, including instruction, learning, and communication, to explore the conceptual relationship between curriculum, teaching, and learning. The viscosity of the curriculum ensures resistance to fluidity while allowing for some movement, also considering the dialogical relationship between its critical internal elements — knowledge, pedagogy, and assessment. It is not a prescriptive or liquid framework, but a collaborative and cooperative construction that emphasises the paradigm of communication (Trindade & Cosme, 2010) and the narrative learning approach (Goodson, 2013). These elements enable contextual adaptation and resistance to support a more democratic education. To design a curriculum that goes beyond a prescription, it is essential to recognize that learning involves cultural heritage, guided by school curricula, which must be shared, used, and recreated. Schools and educators must focus on knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing as part of the common heritage of humanity, which is, therefore, based on the collective creation of new knowledge and new worlds (UNESCO, 2021). Such knowledge is communicated through the affirmation of the personal and social worlds of students. The challenge is to rethink the social mission of the school by collectively committing to culturally significant and humanly empowering learning. This can lead to the co-creation of a more just, humanitarian, and democratic society, especially in times of great uncertainty intensified by war.

CREATING THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE FOR TEACHER EDUCATION: EVOLVING DYNAMICS

The study is devoted to the analysis of Europeanization policy in the area of teacher education in the 21st century and the characterization of mechanisms and instruments for the formation of the European Teacher Education Area. The authosr emphasize the effective roles and influences on the integration processes of European professional organizations: European Association for Teacher Education, European Association of Educational Researchers. The contribution of thematic networks to the Europeanization of teacher education, in particular, the European Policy on Teacher Education, the Thematic Network for Teacher Education in Europe, and others, is highlighted. Attention is drawn to the potential of European research projects under the auspices of the European Commission, and the experience of developing and implementing the European Doctorate in Teaching is analyzed. The political dimension of the processes of Europeanisation of teacher education is analysed through the analysis of the EC’s landmark documents on rethinking education; European principles on teacher competencies and qualifications; improving the quality of teacher education with a forecast of the development of the European teaching profession as 1) highly qualified; 2) requiring lifelong learning; 3) mobile); 4) based on partnership. A number of documents developed by the thematic working group, which directly deals with the development of national policies on education and training of teachers/lecturers throughout their professional careers and the analysis of strategies to support teacher development at the European and national levels, have been introduced into the national scientific circulation. At the level of theoretical positions, it is proved that the focus of modern European research in the field of teacher education is on the narratives of professional identity, professional learning and professional development of teachers in the context of new professionalism with a European perspective.

Estonian blues: Natural dyes as enhancers of environmental, intergenerational and heritage bonds in fashion design education

This article investigates cultural sustainability through the case of the Ethno course, offered to students in the fashion design programme at the Estonian Academy of Arts. It discusses ways to enhance bonds with the environment, heritage and traditional knowledge in fashion design. Via narratives of traditional crafts and situated learning in a textile archive, the course focuses on contemporary craft applications within the various practices that compose fashion, with particular attention to local natural dyes. In this work, we discuss the structure of the course in one of its recent iterations focusing on blue-coloured pigments, its outcomes and possible implications to the field of fashion design practice and education. The findings build on both the final presented outcomes as well as students’ feedback analysed via open coding. The resulting works raise interest in a holistic approach to design concepts, reconnecting the students with nature and strengthening bonds with previous generations. They suggest that through historical narratives and hands-on engagement with nature, students developed a heightened awareness of personal and local heritage, as well as the natural environment of Estonia. In conclusion, the work discusses how this offering adds to the course’s legacy and looks into future developments in articulation with its present applications.

Learning narratives: the paths of adults in short-term higher education

This article presents an outline of the research work carried out on the formation in the Higher Courses of Technology (CST) in relation to the search for graduation from the perspective of students entering the CST/Gastronomy of a private college in the city of São Paulo. This text aims to identify the motivations for entering the CST in emerging contexts and to answer the question about the needs of the learner for professional qualification. The research methodology adopted was qualitative in nature and investigative in the narrative mode. As a result, the discussion of learning is established from the student point of view, respecting the human formation of individuals in the search for an education that constitutes a socially inclusive process.

The “New Woman” in the Periodical Press: Portraying Usefulness at St. Stephen’s Girls’ College in Hong Kong, 1921-1941

AbstractThis paper uses the writings of European teachers and Chinese students at St. Stephen’s Girls’ College in Hong Kong—published in English periodicals of its school magazine and local English newspapers—to examine how the school tactically positioned itself as an educational site for the “useful women of China” during a period in Republican China that was simultaneously defined as a time of “cosmopolitan modernity” and “national rebuilding.” St. Stephen’s brand of usefulness responded to the “New Woman” phenomenon in Republican China, and it was defined through the narrative of science learning and a sense of service. Through its progressive science curriculum and social service branch, the school helped prepare a class of “career women” for China. It was in educating this class that St. Stephen’s, in resonance with the colonial state, envisioned its role in the shaping of modern China.

1706 Introducing geriatrics to medical students through film

Abstract Introduction There is an urgent need to increase the workforce of geriatricians. Geriatrics is not a popular specialty amongst medical students due to limited education and training opportunities in this discipline. Nurturing positive attitudes towards ageing, and early engagement with older people and their social networks could address this challenge. Film can be creatively employed to introduce the lived experience of older generations to medical students. Methods An 8-weeks film-based educational intervention, a student-selected module (SSM) was offered by a clinical-academic geriatrician to 11 first year medical students at Brighton and Sussex Medical School to enable them: to appreciate the diversity of older people, to understand the bio-psycho-social model of ageing, to develop skills in history taking, and present a focused narrative learning from film aesthetics, and to learn how to analyse a life narrative in a non-judgemental, compassionate, and empathic manner. Over 6 weeks, students watched and discussed a selection of short films, and a feature ‘Radiator’ with its director Tom Browne, all films depicted ‘old age’. During the last 2 weeks, students delivered a short presentation on a film they choose and gave feedback on the module. Results In their presentations, students discussed short, feature, and animated films portraying successful ageing, institutionalisation, dementia, and terminal illness. Examples included ‘Ikiru’ (Japan, Akira Kurosawa, 1952), ‘Drving Miss Daisy’ (Bruce Beresford, USA, 1989), ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2004), ‘Amour’ (Michael Haneke, France, 2012), ‘Echoes’ (Ben Bradbury, UK, 2018), and ‘The Father’ (Florian Zeller, UK, 2020). Students demonstrated insight into the heterogeneity of senior citizens, and the burden experienced by carers of dependent adults. The module, as a platform for interactive learning, was positively perceived by students. Conclusions Conversations with medical students around films portraying ‘old age’ could enhance the possibilities of them choosing ‘Geriatrics’ as a future career.

Using the power of narratives in e-learning for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy conversations

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed an e-learning resource to support medical students in having effective conversations with COVID vaccine hesitant patients (an urgent challenge). Development of information and communication skills elements was underpinned by narrative learning theory; learners interact with three fictional characters whose stories run through the resource in activities and role-plays. We co-developed the resource and characters with students, colleagues and local community. Methods We evaluated the resource using a survey of pre- and post- module self-confidence scores, and by thematic analysis of a focus group with seven final year medical students to explore their perceptions of how the story elements influenced their learning. Results All students surveyed reported an improvement in their confidence in having effective conversations with vaccine-hesitant patients. The focus group analysis suggests that character-based narratives can promote learning online, particularly through improved memory, relatability, and emotional connection. Conclusions This study suggests that the potential value of character-driven stories described in other healthcare education settings also applies in the online learning environment. Further research is needed to establish the nature of their impact on different aspects of learning including patient-related outcomes.

Įkūnijimas ir bendrystės jausmas kalbų mokymosi nuotoliniu būdu kontekstuose

This paper studies how embodiment is realised in distance and online language learning. Eleven students from the University of Helsinki Language Centre participated in the study. The interviews conducted were thematic, and the research question was as follow: How is embodiment evident in students’ narratives about online language learning? I apply nexus analysis (Scollon & Scollon 2004, 2007, 2009) as the analytical method of this study. Focusing on the connections between narratives of historical bodies and language learning in online contexts, four distinct discourses emerged in the data: 1) the lack of embodiment; 2) embodiment as a matter of power; 3) private, safety-giving embodiment; and 4) embodiment in relation to the material and social world.

Representation of Voice: A Narrative Inquiry of Indonesian EFL Learners in Poetry Writing Experience

This study was conducted to identify the students' voices and the challenges in writing the poetry from the narratives behind their poetry writing. Since the primary source of the study data was the students' narratives, this study was conducted by following the narrative inquiry method. Fifteen EFL learners who took poetry classes were taken as the study samples. The study data were collected from the students' poems, journals, and interviews. Those three different methods were applied to ensure the data validity and reliability. To identify the voices, the researchers interpreted the voices from the dictions that the students chose to write the poetry. Then, the researchers confirmed the voice's interpretation by comparing them with the students' journals and interview results. To identify the challenges, the researchers qualitatively analyzed the students' journals and the interview results using cross-case analysis. This study found that behind the narratives of learners, there are voices that have been unheard for years, the unspoken words that are kept for themselves. The voices are trauma, anxiety, and hope. The trauma includes the trauma of paranoia, bullying, and past life, and the anxiety includes anxiety of the past, present, and future. Meanwhile, the voice of hope covers optimism and enthusiasm. Besides, this study also identified that the students found some challenges in writing poetry, and they overcame those challenges by practicing more, reading more literature, finding new words, accepting more information, being more flexible, and being open to new contexts.

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) training in social education degree: Believing and creating play and narratives for learning

Game Based Learning (GBL) has demonstrated its efficacy in education by addressing issues such as student boredom, motivation, and active learning. This article specifically focuses on the implementation of a cooperative training workshop to assess university students’ satisfaction, motivation, and attitudes towards transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. The project involved the participation of 36 students who engaged in a cooperative video game that promotes LGBTQI+ inclusivity. This immersive experience not only facilitated their learning but also fostered teamwork and familiarity with information and communication technology (ICT) programs and resources crucial to their future professional pursuits. The primary objective of the workshop was to enhance the training of students pursuing social education degrees and better prepare them for their future careers. The findings underscore the advantages of this cooperative workshop, which serves as a platform for students to develop practical skills, deepen their understanding of social issues, and cultivate positive attitudes towards TGD individuals. The study highlights GBL’s potential in reducing boredom, enhancing motivation, and promoting active learning. In conclusion, GBL offers promising prospects for transforming educational practices. The integration of cooperative workshops into teaching methodologies can have a positive impact on student engagement, learning outcomes, and attitudes. Further research is required to comprehensively comprehend and effectively incorporate GBL (digital game learning) into teaching practices. By harnessing the educational potential of games, we can create more engaging and effective learning environments that equip students with the necessary skills for their future careers in social education.

Moral learning through caring stories of nursing staff.

Implementing person-centred care (PCC) in nursing homes is challenging due to a gap between theory and practice. Bridging this gap requires suitable education, which focuses on learning how to attune care to the values and preferences of residents and take moral, relational, and situational aspects into account. Staff's stories about the care they provide (i.e. caring stories) may deliver valuable insights for learning about these aspects. However, there is limited research on using staff's narratives for moral learning. This study aims to provide insight into the perspectives of nursing staff on using their caring stories to learn about PCC. In this qualitative research, we conducted two rounds of interviews with 17 participants working in nursing homes. We wanted to obtain nursing staff's perceptions of working with their caring stories and the impact on PCC. Participation was voluntary, and participants provided written consent. The study protocol is approved by The Institutional Review Board of the Medical Ethical Committee Leiden-Den Haag-Delft. Working with caring stories enables nursing staff to provide PCC and improves job satisfaction. It increases awareness of what matters to residents, fosters information rich in context and meaning, and enhances voice and vocabulary. Through in-depth team reflections, nursing staff discussed the significant moments for residents, which centralizes the discussions on the moral quality of care. Working with caring stories fosters dialogue on PCC and enhances reflection on ethical situations in daily encounters, contributing to the moral development of nursing staff. Putting nursing staff's narratives at the centre of learning suits their daily practice and intrinsic motivation. Therefore, the outcomes of this study are an addition to the existing literature about using narratives in long-term care. Using nursing staff's narratives contributes to PCC and positively impacts nursing staff. We recommend using staff's caring stories as a vehicle for moral learning in the transition to PCC.