"Opus Hermeneuticae." The Work of Hermeneutics: A Review of Moules, N.J., McCaffrey, G., Field, J.C., & Laing, C.M. (2015). Conducting Hermeneutic Research: From Philosophy to Practice. New York, NY: Peter Lang

book revie

Editorial: Watching My Mother Die - Subjectivity and the Other Side of Dementia

In this editorial, the authors discuss the idea of subjectivity as an often levelled criticism of qualitative reasearch, challenging the binary divide between subjective and objective. As an example of what could be "accused" of being a subjective account, Moules then discusses her experience of being at the other end of her mother's recent encounter with dementia

At the Intersections of Narrative Inquiry and Professional Education (Invited)

In this paper, we explore the intersections of narrative inquiry and professional education by making visible four common tensions we experience across the disciplines of education and nursing. The tensions are woven, inseparable, and deeply embedded in complex landscapes of self, others, time, and institutional structures. We highlight the elements of narrative inquiry that reverberate into the ways we understand professional education. In this way, we explore pedagogical spaces shaped by world travelling, calling forth experience, and the significance of relationships as we think with experiences lived, told, retold, and relived

Understanding the Impact on Healthcare Professionals of Viewing Digital Stories of Adults with Cancer: A Hermeneutic Study

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects on oncology healthcare providers (HCPs), both personally and professionally, of watching digital stories made by adults with cancer (past and present), and what HCPs envisioned for the uses of digital stories. Seven healthcare professionals from various disciplines volunteered for this study. This research took place in a large urban center in Western Canada and was done in the tradition of philosophical hermeneutics. A 90-minute focus group was used for data collection, where participants watched eight digital stories (batched in four groups of two stories) that had been created by individuals with cancer (past or present). Data was analyzed using an interpretive qualitative methodology. Findings revealed that watching digital stories made by adults with cancer was emotionally compelling, provided context, incited deep introspection, and may offer a protective effect with respect to HCP burnout

Places of Practice: Learning to Think Narratively

In the lived practices of narrative inquiry, we honour our relational ontological commitments and responsibilities as narrative inquirers. In this paper, we link these ontological commitments with our practice, which is often tension-filled because the knowledge landscape on which we live as researchers is shaped by paradigmatic rather than narrative knowledge. It is easy to get swept into thinking paradigmatically and to sustain ourselves as narrative inquirers amidst knowledge landscapes that cast narrative inquirers as not knowing when seen from within dominant plotlines. We see that not to fall into these dominant plotlines requires wakefulness to shaping places where we can practice thinking narratively

Building resilience in challenging healthcare situations

[Extract] A holistic or ecological view of health and well-being requires that nurses appreciate not only what may be affecting a person physically, but also psychologically, socially, environmentally, and politically. People with healthcare problems are social beings and are living with many strengths as well as vulnerabilities. In the contemporary world of nursing practice, nurses need to relate with their patients in a spirit of cooperation and collaborative partnership. This chapter draws upon two stories to explore resilient, collaborative actions, and practices nurses can use with patients who have complex health and social needs. Each story is discussed in respect to resilience and salutogenic theory (focusing on what supports health and well-being, rather than what causes illness and disease) and the application of resilient practices

Selecting a Grounded Theory Approach for Nursing Research

Grounded theory is a commonly used research methodology. There are three primary approaches to grounded theory in nursing research: those espoused by Glaser, Strauss and Corbin, and Charmaz. All three approaches use similar procedures, yet there are important differences among them, which implies that researchers need to make careful choices when using grounded theory. Researchers new to grounded theory need to find the most appropriate approach that fits their research field, topic, and researcher position. In this article, we compare the three grounded theory approaches. Choices of a grounded theory approach will depend on the researcher’s understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of all three approaches. Practical aspects of grounded theory approaches should match the information processing styles and analytical abilities of the researcher and the intended use of the theory. We illustrate key aspects of decision making about which method to select by drawing upon the first author’s experiences in his doctoral research

La composition du Moi sur arrière-plans narratifs de différence sexuelle : récit de sagesse et de résilience

This study draws upon recent narrative inquiry research that explored the resilience experiences of 6 young same-sex-attracted men and women (4 men, 2 women; age range = 21–27). This article elucidates the story of one participant, Joseph, a 25-year-old Canadian man. As we conducted the research, Joseph’s story stood out for us as having something important to say about resilience and same-sex attraction. Using a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space, the researchers and participants encountered Joseph’s story of resilience as a situated wisdom that arises in experience that is social, temporal, and situated. This perspective of resilience calls upon mental health professionals to enter into the client’s story and to live and practice within it.Cette étude s’appuie sur la recherche récente d’enquête narrative ayant exploré les expériences de résilience de 6 jeunes hommes et femmes homosexuels (4 hommes, 2 femmes âgés de 21 à 27 ans). L’article met en lumière le récit d’un participant, Joseph, un Canadien de sexe masculin âgé de 25 ans. Au cours de la recherche, le récit de Joseph s’est démarqué comme comportant un enseignement important au sujet de la resilience et de l’homosexualité. En utilisant un espace d’enquête narrative tridimensionnel, les chercheurs et les participants ont perçu le récit de résilience de Joseph comme une sagesse contextualisée qui survient dans le cadre d’une expérience qui est sociale, temporelle, et mise en contexte. Cette perspective de résilience incite les professionnels de la santé mentale à pénétrer dans le récit du client et à vivre et pratiquer à l’intérieur de celui-ci

The Relationship Between Critical Social Theory and Interpretive Description in Nursing Research

This paper is an examination of the methodological and theoretical perspectives of a study with an inquiry focus on the experiences and perspectives of staff who worked at an injectable opiate assisted (iOAT) clinic. Twenty-two staff members, including nurses, social workers, and peer support workers, were interviewed. The goal of the study was to uncover how the clinic staff provided care to the clients who attend the clinic, their perspectives on how the clinic program impacted both them and their clients, and their experiences with the program itself. This interpretive descriptive study was underpinned by critical social theory. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify recurring, converging, and contradictory patterns of interaction, key concepts and emerging themes. In this paper we examine and discuss how the relationship between critical social theory and interpretive description enhanced the study. Examples from the study are presented to provide insight into the relationship