Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Alchemy Of The Wounded Healer & Becoming "Good Company For The Journey": Integration Of Counselors’ Grief Experiences Within Professional Identity Development, Sarah E. Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Counselor professional identity development (PID) involves integrating the counselor's personal attributes with the roles and standards of the counseling profession, a primary goal of counselor training and supervision. Despite extensive research on PID, understanding how grief impacts this process and how one integrates loss within their professional identities remains underexplored. To address this, I conducted a 20-year scoping review to map the literature on counselors' grief experiences and their effects on PID within mental health professionals. Using the PRISMA-ScR protocol, I reviewed twenty empirical studies, revealing themes on the impacts of loss and grief on personal and professional identity. In …

The Narratives Of Successful Conflict Resolution Entrepreneurs: Evolving Career Pathways And Determinants Of Business Success, Eileen Paige Petzold-Bradley

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the narratives and best practices of 33 Successful Conflict Resolution Entrepreneurs (SCREs) in the United States. In doing so, the study helps to fill an essential gap in the literature, where research on conflict resolution entrepreneurship with experienced practitioners is rare. Given the focus of the study on narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, this methodological approach achieved an in-depth qualitative analysis of conflict resolution entrepreneurial experiences. The narrative insights gathered from the 33 SCREs provided detailed descriptions of the career pathways, personal motivations, business challenges, and successes of running a conflict resolution business. The research illuminates the …

Once Upon Online: Conversations With Professional Storytellers About Adapting From In-Person To Virtual Storytelling Performance, Leticia Pizzino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how professional storytellers negotiated a new storytelling stage—the videoconference platform—as they pivoted their careers during mandated shutdowns due to COVID-19. An examination of the literature reveals extremely limited research involving either professional storytellers or live virtual storytelling. After interviewing five professional storytellers, I analyzed their stories through narrative inquiry. Analysis revealed that the storytellers negotiated the limitations and affordances of Zoom and adapted their storytelling to successfully connect with their audiences. Through crafting a narrative of their stories, I was able to represent their emotions, unique experiences, and abilities to adapt to the online environment. Their stories …

Equalizing Community Voice In An International Service-Learning Project: A Narrative Inquiry Of A Social Entrepreneurial Peruvian Women's Group, Monica D. Hernandez

Theses & Dissertations

Traditionally, international service-learning (ISL) programs are created and led by host groups, which frequently overlook the international communities’ learning process and perspectives and the long-term impact of service missions on the community. Fundamentally, ISL is meant to address community needs. With the principal focus being on enriching students’ learning, community voice is often eclipsed. The research aim was to investigate the empowerment and efficacy of an ISL project to strengthen relationships between engaged scholars and international communities and improve future service-learning trips. Using a qualitive narrative research design, I investigated a 2021-2022 ISL Based Photovoice Project applying Kolb’s Experiential Learning …

A Narrative Inquiry Study Of Adult Female Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse And Their Journey Into Individual Counseling, Alex Houseknecht

Dissertations

The purpose of the narrative inquiry is to investigate the journey of adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in seeking out and obtaining individual counseling. The goal is to understand why survivors seek individual counseling and how the process of obtaining and utilizing counseling unfolds over time.

This qualitative study is conducted with convenience and criterion sampling selection. The participants used for the study are two adults who identify as female, aged 18 or older, who are survivors of more than one incident of CSA and are current clients of therapists in the investigator’s existing professional network. Additionally, …

Connecting Their Stories: Black Educators’ Experiences Within Cultural Heritage Institutions That Document The Long Arc Of The Civil Rights Movement, Constance Marie Caddell

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to examine Black educators’ experiences within cultural heritage institutions that are documenting topics that include the long arc of the American Civil Rights Movement. Black educators are powerful conduits of the African American story because they align with African American cultural heritage institution’s goals to foster equality, identity, pride, and honor in the community. These shared goals lead to Black educators using teaching methods that liberate, advocate, and empower students. This allows them to share new knowledge, strategies, techniques, and concepts on diverse topics. Considering their fundamental mission, it is essential to gain an awareness of the …

Strength, Beauty, And Resilience: The Impact Of Self Reflection & Exploration Of Memory On Postmodern Feminist Educators, Inside And Outside The Classroom, Maryjo M. Rosania-Harvie

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This study utilizes an autoethnographic methodology, informed by narrative inquiry, to explore the impact of memories on feminist educators. The participants in the study included two of the researcher’s former colleagues and one former student. The study's goal was to examine how the relationships between researcher and participant and the memories they shared impacted them as educators; in the process, the concept of authenticity in educators was examined in relation to the research and the participants’ feminist and postmodern approach. The researcher collected qualitative data through interviews, personal journals, timelining, and an epistolary writing exercise to define authenticity and explore …

Integrating Social-Emotional Learning And School Climate With A Sociocultural Narrative Inquiry Approach, Isabella Fante

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study introduces a novel application of sociocultural narrative theory and method to integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) and school climate research. Extensive research has demonstrated the importance of SEL and school climate in promoting student success (Cohen et al., 2009; Durlak et al., 2011; Rivers et al., 2013). However, few studies examine SEL and school climate as interrelated concepts; they are frequently studied separately, most often using quantitative, survey-based methods (Brackett et al., 2012). Furthermore, despite the wealth of research on SEL and climate, there is a dearth of studies in the context of high school settings. This study employed …

Narrative Experiences Of Fathers Of Children With Down Syndrome, Corey Rose

Educational Studies Dissertations

This dissertation explores the narrative experiences of fathers raising children born with Down syndrome. The study joins a recent stratum of research on parents of children with Down syndrome which is grounded in critical disability theory, adheres to a social model of disabilities, and adopts narrative methodology, but which thus far has not investigated fathers’ experiences. 22 fathers, recruited by means of snowball sampling, participated in a two-question, semi-structured interview with a follow-up conversation. Findings from question one indicated that, in the initial moment of diagnosis, fathers experienced adverse encounters with medical personnel, intense negative emotions about the diagnosis, distressing …

Grandparent Caregiver Well-Being And Identity Development, Brittany Torelli

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand the experience of grandparent caregivers in the United States, exploring well-being and identity development as grandparents navigate their roles, both familiar and different at the same time. The investigation of well-being and identity development as they intersect and interact is crucial to understanding the complex and multilayered shifts this population faces as they transition into different roles. Grandparent caregivers experience impacts to their emotional well-being, physical health and financial status while simultaneously experiencing an impact to their identity development, carrying with it unique challenges.

This narrative inquiry obtains rich narratives from 9 participants, recruited from …

Navigating The “Blind World”: The Psychosocial And Occupational Experiences Of Parents Of Adolescents With Visual Impairments, Peiwen Cao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using a constructivist narrative inquiry approach, this research study sought to explore how parents of adolescents with visual impairments story their psychosocial and occupational experiences. Participants of the study consisted of four parents who were currently raising adolescents with visual impairments between the ages of 14 to 17. Participants took part in two in-depth narrative interviews, in which they answered several open-ended questions about their experiences of raising their adolescent children who were visually impaired. Participants also participated in a brief concluding interview session, in which they provided feedback on the narrative that I constructed based on their interview responses. …

Understanding Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Perspectives Of Reconciliation: A Case Study, Kaitlyn Watson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Reconciliation in the Canadian context is difficult to define (Graeme & Mandawe, 2017; Martin, 2009), but is often linked to the residential school system (Chrisjohn & Wasacase, 2011; Nagy, 2012). This instrumental case study examines how reconciliation is understood and activated among a group of educators and community members involved with a professional learning event held in Southern Ontario inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Employing narrative inquiry, and informed by decolonizing methodologies, seven event organizers, four presenters, and five attendees participated in conversational interviews. Two main themes were uncovered from the interview data. The first, reconciliation …

The Beginning : Exploring Educational Experiences Of Black Boys In State-Funded Preschools, Keisha M. Wint

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Understanding their early educational experiences may provide valuable information for supporting optimal development. However, there is limited research to account for the subjective relational experiences of young children in school. Through a life course perspective, this qualitative study explored the educational experiences of four preschool-aged Black boys attending a state-funded program in an urban district in New Jersey. Using a narrative inquiry approach, their stories captured positive aspects of their relational experiences with their teachers by highlighting the individual, relational, and contextual aspects of child well-being. Their voices offer unique considerations for supporting Black boys in preschool and will enrich …

“It’S A Broken System That’S Designed To Destroy”: A Critical Narrative Analysis Of Healthcare Providers’ Stories About Race, Reproductive Health, And Policy, Brianna Rae Cusanno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Constructions of race, reproductive health, and gender have been inextricably linked in the United States since the beginning of the nation. Today, these linkages remain evident in the marked racial and gender inequities in reproductive health outcomes that persist in the U.S. To better understand how these meanings and material outcomes are negotiated and produced by actors on the ground, this study asked: “How do reproductive healthcare providers (RHPs) communicate about the intersections of race, reproductive health, and policy?” I conducted semi- structures interviews with 24 RHPs, resulting in over 35 hours of recorded interviews. Drawing on critical-cultural communication, Reproductive …

Processing Youth Adventure Wellness Experiences: Poetic Representations Of Youth’S Peace Bus Experiences, Ty Th Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This narrative inquiry explored how youth are processing their Peace Bus program experiences two and a half years after program completion. The purpose was to gain an understanding of (1) what program components the participants reflect on, (2) how they conceptualize their program experiences, and (3) what factors contribute to their reflection processes. This research sought to address the gap in literature where little is understood about the ongoing experiences of program participants of adventure wellness programs and the processes that lead to positive changes. As the researcher, I conducted a qualitative study using narrative inquiry and poetic representation methods. …

Parents Frame Childhood For The World To See In Digital Media Postings, Aysenur Benevento

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

With the wellbeing of children being at the center of contemporary media discourse (Livingstone & Bovill, 2013), developmental studies are ever more challenged to understand both children’s and adults’ behavior in online spaces. Parents and children are involved in the human development process in complementary ways (Johansson, 2010; Uprichards, 2008) while using media platforms. As the development and use of innovative media technology are accelerating at a fast pace, theory and methods for analyzing uses of digital media for human development have lagged behind. This study examines adults’ postings of photos of their children on social media and offers a …

Everything Is Fine: Self-Portrait Of A Caregiver With Chronic Depression And Other Preexisting Conditions, Erin L. Scheffels

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents the joys and terrors of caring for my father throughout my twenties and early thirties. The story is autoethnographic and demonstrates the value of narrative research in fostering understandings of self, other, and the world around us. I call this reflexive practice of writing narrative education because as I engaged in it, I learned what it means to care, and how mental health and illness factor into the ways in which care is expressed and provided in my own relationships and beyond. In addition, throughout the story I was a member of the academic community, which makes …

The Desert's Canary: A Narrative Examination Of The Socio-Political Role Of The Threatened Desert Tortoise, Halle Rayn Kohn

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Through story, personal experience is connected to broader meaning. The stories that individuals tell about a flagship species contribute not only to the animal’s role in conservation, but also to collective human imagination and culture. The purpose of this research is to reveal the roles (social, cultural, political, and ecological) that the desert tortoise plays in the California Desert, and to uncover how these roles are demonstrated through conservationist’s narratives. This study utilizes mixed qualitative methods with the goal of discovering why the Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), an iconic and threatened species, has particular significance within the …

Second-Generation Bruja: Transforming Ancestral Shadows Into Spiritual Activism, Lorraine E. Monteagut

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to develop and illustrate a spiritually centered narrative method for transforming disorder into agency and action. I use my own position as a second-generation Hispanic female immigrant to show how training in a spiritual practice that mirrors my ancestral traditions helped me productively move through a sense of displacement, illness, and lack of purpose. My research includes travel to Havana, Cuba, and immersion in a five-week shamanic counseling training program in Tampa, Florida, during which I learned how to narrate my experiences as I engaged in shamanic journeying. As I reflect on these …

“They Ate Macaroni-And-Cheese Or Tv Dinners; My Mother Made Curry Instead ”: A Narrative Inquiry Of South Asian American Writers’ Identity Negotiation, Su Yin Khor

Theses and Dissertations

As the demographic and linguistic landscape in the United States is shifting—the Asian population has increased significantly in the last decade, particularly the South Asian population—these changes are reflected in the classrooms all over the country. As such, it becomes imperative to investigate who these multilinguals are, and as several scholars have pointed out, the Asian population has not been studied to the same extent as other minorities. In addition, the notion of a homogenous Asian identity persists and hides the internal differences that exist within the Asian population.

Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to challenge the notion …

Exploring The Educational Experiences Of Students Of Mexican Descent With Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Status, Elizabeth A. Holbrook

Theses & Dissertations

In 2012, an Executive Order created DACA, providing some youth with undocumented citizenship status access to post-secondary options and a way to avoid deportation. With DACA, a student population previously hidden and lacking entrée became more visible and gained ways to seek post-secondary options. The newness of this population created a lack of research about students who have experienced the transition from having undocumented to DACA immigration status. Researchers, educational practitioners, and non-profit organizations needed knowledge of how this impacted their student identity development and how they navigated education processes. This study examined the unique strategies these students used to …

Chinese Nursing Students At Australian Universities: A Narrative Inquiry Into Their Motivation, Learning Experience, And Future Career Planning, Carol Chungfeng Wang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study presents a narrative inquiry of Chinese nursing students at Australian universities in order to examine these students’ motivations, learning experiences and future career planning. Australia seeks to attract international nursing students from China to maintain its economic advantage and alleviate its projected nursing shortage. In contrast, China desperately needs its best and brightest citizens who have trained abroad as nurses to return to China in order to cope with its current challenges in the healthcare system and nursing education. Little is known about the underlying factors that motivate Chinese nursing students to study in Australia, these students’ learning …

A Pilot Project Of Art And Eating Disorders: A Self-Advocacy Campaign Through Video Narratives, Sarah Pray

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This pilot project of Art and Eating Disorders was approved by The Emily Program Foundation (TEPF) (Emily Program Foundation, n.d.), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit working to eliminate eating disorders through advocacy, social outreach, and collaboration with community partners. TEPF recruited five artists. Artists were interviewed by Sarah Pray and artwork digitally recorded at various locations, filmed and edited by videographer, Eve Daniels. Artists brought artwork and other creative work related to their recovery. The resulting videos were uploaded to the TEPF website (www.theemilyprogramfoundation.org) weekly. The goal of the pilot project was to measure the project's ability to document …

Breaking The “At Risk” Code: Deconstructing The Myth And The Label, Kara Christine Allen

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The term “at risk” is a label that is used to describe students who encompass a host of prominent socially and politically constructed titles that are intended to simplify student understanding and awareness and allow for clear reporting. The purpose of this study was to demythologize the concept of “at risk” by creating the conditions for student voice and critical dialogue to emerge, through the use of narrative inquiry. This research hoped to provide an outlet for young people to find and use their own voices, while finding their own place within their lived histories. The research also aimed to …

A Narrative Study Of Latinas' Experiences With The Leadership Pipeline In Higher Education, Ana Cecilia Marrero-Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to report the stories of Latina’s experiences with the leadership pipeline in higher education, and determine what venues within that pipeline facilitate or impede access to executive level administrative positions. The practical significance of this study would include expanding the quantity of academic research on Latinas’ interest and inclusion in obtaining executive leadership positions in higher education, where little has been recorded of their presence or successes (Lopez-Mulnix, Wolverton & Zaki, 2011). In addition, though many studies have been conducted on racial and ethnic minority faculty (Eddy, 2009; Moses, 2009; Green & …

From Their Perspective: How Adolescents And Young Adults Experience And Conceptualize Life And Occupation Surrounding Parental Divorce Or Separation, Laura R. Hartman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parental divorce affects adolescents’ emotions, routines, habits, occupations and relationships. The current body of research indicates that parental divorce leads to many unfavourable social, behavioural, and mental health outcomes for adolescents. This dissertation explores the daily lives and occupations of adolescents and young adults surrounding the transition of a parental divorce or marital separation.

This thesis contains four manuscripts in addition to the introductory and final reflection chapters. The first manuscript explores the current North American literature relating to adolescent life surrounding a parental divorce or marital separation, ranging form 1998 to 2014. The second manuscript provides an overview of …

Caring Work: Opening A Space Of Possibility For Exploring Transnational Feminist Solidarity Between Privileged And Marginalized Women, Beverly Romero Natividad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neoliberalism, through its emphasis on personal responsibility and individual freedom in accelerating economic development globally, has only pushed women further into the margin of society. Structural adjustment programs (SAPs), which impose state budget cuts on healthcare and welfare programs, particularly have kept poor women and women of color in poverty and generally, have exploited women's labor. However, in this age of neoliberalism, women's solidarity becomes more significant. Because neoliberalism is founded on individualism, its downfall rests on alliance-building. Against this backdrop, I explore the possibility of fostering transnational feminist solidarity between privileged and marginalized women engaged in formal caring work. …