This thesis uses analytic philosophical inquiry and autobiographical narrative inquiry to identify a conception of critical thinking (CT) that is “most adaptable” for teaching History 12, and then discusses the strengths and limitations. The CT literature includes several conflicting conceptions of CT, and I use two specific types of analytic philosophical inquiry, (conceptual analysis and conceptual structure assessment), to identify which conception is “most adaptable” for teaching History 12. After considering the degree to which each conception meets the criteria developed for the “most adaptable” conception of CT, I conclude that the Critical Thinking Consortium’s (TC²) conception is the most adaptable. Of all the conceptions developed thus far, the TC² approach is unique because it is designed solely as a pedagogical model for embedding CT throughout the curriculum of each subject and grade level. In the second section of the thesis, I use autobiographical narrative inquiry to reflect on the strengths and limitations of the TC² model after using the model to teach History 12 for a year. One of the foundational principles of the TC² conception is the notion that embedding CT throughout the curriculum is a powerful way of improving understanding. I determine that this contention is accurate because students improved their knowledge of the curriculum, the epistemology of history, and the adoption of CT in their everyday lives. Furthermore, use of the TC² conception helped improve my planning and assessment practices, and initiated a positive change of my role in the classroom.

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While the story of teaching makes plenty of room for academic and social learning, the telling often leaves out some of the most important details. In this thesis, I tell the stories of four teachers — how they practice and make sense of the caring relationship in the school and how such relationships lead to moral good in people, schools, communities, and the world. The moral is centered in the ongoing dialogue about what is best in schools and the world — the good, and the relationships in which the stories are set. The method is narrative analysis and the format is a series of free verse poems. The characters tell stories of knowing and being known, meaningful dialogue, modeling, authentic care, struggle and tension, individualized attention, hope, and transformation. The conclusion is a deep imagining of possibilities, implications, and outcomes.

Parents of a child who undergoes cochlear implantation typically go through an incredibly difficult and lengthy process. Mothers tend to carry the brunt of this stress because they are the most likely parent to be the main caregiver of children, particularly children who have special needs. Many aspects of cochlear implantation have been researched; however little is known about the experiences of the primary caregivers of children who make use of this technology. Using Narrative Inquiry this study explores the experiences of mothers whose children have undergone the cochlear implantation process as told through their stories. A thematic analysis revealed three interrelated themes: (a) struggling with new realities, (b) feelings of uncertainty and isolation, and (c) moving on. The findings suggest that the mothers experienced a personal transformation: they found new ways of thinking and being. Implications for practice focus on supporting mothers’ health and well-being so that they may ultimately provide for and support their children’s needs. Specific recommendations for practice have been made.

This narrative inquiry uses the talking circle, a discourse process indigenous to the North American prairies, to explore the experiences of recent international migrants to rural Alberta. The immediate intention is to address questions of rural revitalization and the creation of welcoming communities. At a deeper level, it explores the role of history, cultural negotiation, and power relations in community development. It examines place as a critical element of human experience, which has been severed under modern economic regimes. Recommendations for how we might best respond to rural migration challenges include processes for listening and responding to needs, for building trustworthy relationships, and a call to recognize Aboriginal history. Findings also point to the importance of facilitating options for migrants with temporary status in a transient global context. The study advises that learning through attentive intercultural discourse could be integral to recreating democratic communities and establishing sense of place. / Adult Education

This research project is concerned with workers’ narratives, specifically those who have been employed in paid work below the national minimum wage in New Zealand. As a graphic designer who has direct experience of exploitation through employment, I am interested in researching the subjective experience of underpaid workers in New Zealand. In doing this I have sought to creatively synthesize experiences into artworks that provide a deeper insight into the impact of underpaid work. Through this investigation I have attempted to contribute to a broader discussion of underpaid work than what is currently provided, through the analysis of statistical data. In undertaking this project I have also been concerned with investigating new potentials in serigraphy (a graphic medium traditionally associated with working-class politics). I have inquired into how it might be used to create a visual ‘voice’ for contemporary workers’ narratives. Accordingly, this project has employed audio recordings of three personal stories. The research has led to the production of a series of serigraphic prints that artistically interpret the journeys and experiences of the participants. These images sit in discourse with looped audio excerpts of their recorded interviews. In this approach, narratives of marginalisation that have often been muted through their presentation as written records, have been re-conceptualised as an artists' images, with which the recordings are in discussion.

This research project is concerned with workers’ narratives, specifically those who have been employed in paid work below the national minimum wage in New Zealand. As a graphic designer who has direct experience of exploitation through employment, I am interested in researching the subjective experience of underpaid workers in New Zealand. In doing this I have sought to creatively synthesize experiences into artworks that provide a deeper insight into the impact of underpaid work. Through this investigation I have attempted to contribute to a broader discussion of underpaid work than what is currently provided, through the analysis of statistical data. In undertaking this project I have also been concerned with investigating new potentials in serigraphy (a graphic medium traditionally associated with working-class politics). I have inquired into how it might be used to create a visual ‘voice’ for contemporary workers’ narratives. Accordingly, this project has employed audio recordings of three personal stories. The research has led to the production of a series of serigraphic prints that artistically interpret the journeys and experiences of the participants. These images sit in discourse with looped audio excerpts of their recorded interviews. In this approach, narratives of marginalisation that have often been muted through their presentation as written records, have been re-conceptualised as an artists' images, with which the recordings are in discussion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-188).

Parents of a child who undergoes cochlear implantation typically go through an incredibly difficult and lengthy process. Mothers tend to carry the brunt of this stress because they are the most likely parent to be the main caregiver of children, particularly children who have special needs. Many aspects of cochlear implantation have been researched; however little is known about the experiences of the primary caregivers of children who make use of this technology. Using Narrative Inquiry this study explores the experiences of mothers whose children have undergone the cochlear implantation process as told through their stories. A thematic analysis revealed three interrelated themes: (a) struggling with new realities, (b) feelings of uncertainty and isolation, and (c) moving on. The findings suggest that the mothers experienced a personal transformation: they found new ways of thinking and being. Implications for practice focus on supporting mothers’ health and well-being so that they may ultimately provide for and support their children’s needs. Specific recommendations for practice have been made.

The aim of this master thesis is to examine the Swedish term for reading promotion, läsfrämjande, and gain a greater understanding for the meanings inherent in the word. To do this, narrative theory in the form if Harding's typology of six different types of narratives arranged on a scale from general to particular has been used for the analysis.The study focuses on librarians that work with children and young adults in public libraries and their rela-tionships with reading promotion. On the surface the Swedish word for reading promotion is simple, but exam-ined closely it becomes apparent that it is in fact multifaceted. The word consists of many different narratives that interact and in different ways change and affect each other. This study has identified five different types of collective narratives connected to the word läsfrämjande. These are the democratic narrative, the narrative of qualitative litterateur, reading for the soul, the enabling narrative and the literacy narrative. Together with the other types of narratives these form the basis of the personal narrative the librarians form around their reading promotion work and the word läsfrämjande.The personal narrative connected to the word will always be unique to the individual librarian, and it is be-cause of this that the word is so hard to define. The meaning will differ in small ways between different people, but because the personal narratives are built from the same collective narratives there will appear to be consensus in the meaning.This study has been produced as a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.