The Journey Between There and Here: Stories of a Faculty Writing Group

Reflecting, sharing, and producing knowledge about the process of writing and collaboration in a writing group is the focus of this qualitative project, in which we explore a complex weaving of knowledge, subjectivity, and representation. In this group are eight women faculty, all of whom are individually working on writing projects in their own areas of expertise. Using a method of writing as inquiry, each person was asked to keep a reflective journal; an autoethnographic account of their experiences of writing during a three-month period. The group met weekly and each individual shared their reflections and writing experiences. In this project, our intention is to decentre notions of the alienated, isolated academic by writing and constructing knowledge as a collective. Using the metaphor of here and there, we ask how can a relational culture grow out of writing? How can competitive, hidden barriers be broken down and replaced by open, encouraging spaces

Relationships between anxiety, hostility, startle, and guilt in Vietnam veterans suffering from PTSD: a path analytic study

Anxiety, hostility, guilt, and an exaggerated startle response are common symptoms experienced by Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the present study, several theory based path models of possible causal relationships among these symptoms and exposure to trauma (combat) were developed and assessed in two samples of Vietnam veterans with PTSD. A total of 39 Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD and 34 Vietnam combat veterans without PTSD took part in the study. All subjects completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and either the Legacies Combat Scale-Revised or the Combat Exposure Scale (CES). Auditory startle data was also available for 15 of the veterans with PTSD and 10 of the veterans without PTSD. Assessment of an initial model indicated that intensity of combat exposure per se is not predictive of PTSD symptomatology. Given that the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual states that an individual's perception of an event as traumatic is equally as important as the objective severity of the trauma, the initial model was modified to include a trauma factor that represented those aspects of combat that accounted for the variability in PTSD diagnosis. The good overall fit indices and significant paths obtained when the modified model was applied to a test sample of veterans replicated when the model was applied to a second data sample. Alternative models of the relationships among the relevant variables, with literature based rationale, were constructed and assessed in the two data samples. These alternative models differed from the initial model in terms of the relationships predicted between trauma, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. Of the four alternative models tested, two were found to fit the two data samples as well as the hypothesized model. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the increased levels of hostility seen in veterans with PTSD may be due to increases in anxiety that result from exposure to trauma. Increases in hostility then lead to increased guilt. In addition, the models tested supported the idea that the exaggerated startle response observed in many individuals with PTSD is the result of elevated levels of state anxiety. Implications of each of the models for therapy are discussed

Writing Relationships: Collaboration In A Faculty Writing Group

Our faculty writing group in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada began in 2009 and over the past three years it has grown into a successfully publishing community of practice. When we have presented papers on the writing group at conferences, we have found that the first question asked tends to be: How did you get the writing group to work? It is a deceptively simple question but the answer taps into many issues surrounding the difficulty of faculty writing and publishing in academic contexts. For many academics, the challenge of navigating the competitive discourse demands of conducting research and publishing journal articles, while at the same time navigating teaching and administrative loads, often leads to anxiety and stress. Situated within the literature on writing groups and research productivity, we contribute by narrating and analysing the evolving story of our group. The purpose of this paper is to explore why members continue to participate and why we have been able to successfully write and publish both individually and as a group. This study used ‘the self as data’, a qualitative methodology particularly relevant in the analysis of writing processes and groups. The data collected consisted of weekly written reflections, additional written narratives by each group member, and recordings of meeting discussions. We analysed the data qualitatively using the constant comparison method of analysis to generate themes. Results indicate that members attended the group because they were looking for a place to get support for research and writing and to cope with negotiating academic cultures. We argue that the ethos of a ‘non-competitive environment’ and ‘relationships-first’ were crucial in fostering collaboration and productivity despite diverse individual differences. We offer this analysis of our experiences, not only in terms of practicalities but also as an alternative way of working in the academy