Date of Award
5-29-2008
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN)
Department
Nursing
Abstract
Although many Lao refugees have adapted to the American lifestyle in the wake of the Vietnam War, others have had difficulty assimilating to mainstream society. Phayvanh, a Lao American woman, has struggled with living in both the traditional Lao world and the modem American world. I wanted to help Phayvanh share her life story but found that narrative research, a relatively new qualitative phenomenon within nursing, does not offer a concrete methodology. Therefore I decided to use a multifaceted approach, including ethnography, Newman's hermeneutic-dialectic methodology, and documentation of my process, while supporting Phayvanh in telling her personal narrative in order to find a narrative research process. The results revealed three focal schemes that are complex and interrelated to one another. The themes of relationship, support, and timing are described as components of a narrative research framework that can guide a researcher in supporting a participant in telling their personal narrative.
Identifier
SC 11.MAN.2008.Freborg.K
Recommended Citation
Freborg, Kaija, "An Inquiry Into the Narrative Research Process: Supporting a Lao American Woman Tell Her Story" (2008). Theses and Graduate Projects. 487.
https://idun.augsburg.edu/etd/487