Readers' theatre as cancer education: An organic inquiry in Alaska awakening possibilities in a living spiral of understanding

Abstract

Organic Inquiry, as the qualitative research design method, provided for a richness of data to more fully appreciate how 24 diverse adult learners in Alaska described their experience with Readers' Theatre as cancer education both during a workshop and over time that allowed for reflection and contemplation. The six guiding principles of Organic Inquiry respect diverse ways of knowing and being: the sacred, the personal, the chthonic, the numinous, the relational, and the transformative. Readers' Theatre as a pathway for adult education nurtured healing, renewal, affirmation, and shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, which empowered action. Readers' Theatre created a respectful environment for adult learners from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds in Alaska to engage in meaningful conversations that awakened possibilities in a living spiral of understanding