Casey Schultz - Literature Review

Narrative Learning: A Literature Review

Casey M. Schultz

Ball State University

EDAC 634

September 23, 2013

Abstract

This paper aims to examine literature related to the subject of narrative learning in adult education. There will be a summary of the topic of narrative learning as well as an examination of what the author considers to be the central themes within this theory. Research by various theorists within the field of narrative learning will be used to demonstrate the themes presented. The implications of themes on the field of adult education will also be examined.

Narrative Learning: A Literature Review

Introduction

“After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Phillip Pullman

            Narrative learning at the core is storytelling. Authors like Clark(2010) have even decided that the terms “narrative” and “story” are actually interchangeable. Research by Hopkins suggested that learning through stories has been incorporated into many fields over the years, including education (as cited in Merriam, Caffarella, & Baumgartner, 2007). Clark (2010) suggests that we are able to make sense of what we have experienced in life by turning that experience into a story. Once these narratives have been developed, they can be used for several different purposes. Riessman (2008) gives examples of different ways that narratives are used including, arguing a point, persuading an audience, bringing the audience into the experience that the storyteller is sharing, entertainment, misleading the audience, and as a catalyst for social change. Clark (2010) believes that experience exists as a separate entity from language. When we are trying to reflect upon this experience to find the meaning and what we should learn from it, we must find a way to communicate it by finally giving it a language, or narrating it.

Themes

            I believe that the common theme of narrative learning is that there are different levels at which we learn from narratives. Clark (2010) gives three different ways that students can learn through stories:

1.      “We learn from hearing stories” (Clark, 2010, p. 5). We can use the experiences of others to help us better understand the topics being presented or to help gain a different perspective on events that have occurred.

2.      “We learn from telling stories” (Clark, 2010, p.6). When we are the storyteller, we must find a way to put our experience into words. Narrating these stories can help us find out why the experience is important to us.

3.      “We learn from stories by recognizing the narratives in which we are positioned” (Clark, 2010, p.6).Once we realize that we are in a narrative, we can then reflect critically on our actions and decide how we should react and what we may be teaching others through our actions.

Clark and Rossiter (2008) believe that one of the most common ways that students learn by hearing stories is through case studies. They state that a case has “the usual elements of story: characters, setting, and plot” (Clark & Rossiter, 2008, p. 68). The plot will typically contain a problem that requires a solution. Students reading the case studies do not have to develop the solution to the problem, but are encouraged to instead decide which steps should be taken. The authors believe that case studies allow students to include themselves in the narratives as both the audience and the author to the possible endings. Case studies help learners to put their theoretical learning to use as they attempt to create a solution to the problem presented much like they would if they were a professional practitioner.

Michelson (2011) provides an interesting perspective on the theme of telling stories, or using autobiographical narratives in adult education. She hypothesizes that the autobiographical narratives that are used within classrooms could be considered fiction as opposed to a free way to express feelings and experience. Michelson argues that the constraints placed on the ways stories must be presented in the classroom can take away from the uniqueness of the stories being told. She suggests that stories told within the classroom will typically have a plot and will lead into a resolution of this plot that culminates in some kind of personal growth. However, allowing only this type of autobiographical narrative may eliminate important narratives that do not always have a positive outcome. Michelson proposes that adult educators be more open to experiences that may not fit into the particular mold of narrative that is used within courses. It is important to allow students to speak of experiences that did not resolve in a positive way or that may not have yet ended in a resolution at all. Michelson believes that allowing all types of narratives will lessen the prevalence of fiction within autobiography in the classroom.

Clark and Rossiter (2008) suggest that situational awareness within narratives is much more abstract topic. The example given by the authors refers to an American who finds his or herself in a country outside of Western society. Once the American distinguishes that he or she is in a different cultural narrative, he or she will be able to assess the situation in a much different way. The American learner will then be able to critique the distribution of power in this new narrative, for instance identifying the people whose needs are met as well as identifying those parties who are treated poorly or exploited. In this particular example, because the learner becomes aware of the situation within the narrative, the learner is able to create an entirely new, more critical narrative on a different perspective than if he or she had never identified the different culture in the first place.

Rossiter (1999) came up with four points regarding the implication of narrative learning in adult development. The first point points expresses that no one will know more about the development of adults than the learners themselves. It is important for adult educators to provide theories and perspectives for students, but it is equally as important for the learners to develop the remainder of their understanding for themselves. The second point Rossiter makes is that narratives help learners cope with change. Each adult learner will be at a different place in his or her life, and the topics presented by educators may require different levels of adjustment in the ongoing narratives of each individual learner. The third is that learners may need to share their narratives with others in order for development to occur. Rossiter writes that, “telling one’s story externalizes it so that one becomes more aware of the themes and topics that dominate one’s life” (1999, p.83). The fourth and final point is that it may be necessary for student to re-story their lives as they are working through transformative learning. The act of re-storying can describe the process of a shift in perspective that can occur during transformational learning.

Implications

Within the adult education classroom, it is important to be sure that educators are addressing all three of the levels of narrative learning. It is important for adult learners to hear stories. Listening to the experiences of others can lead to better understanding of the topics that are being presented by educators. Trying to master the many different theories and perspectives that accompany adult education can be a much simpler process if learners have an experience or case study to which they can relate the theory. Additionally, it is important for educators to allow students to tell their stories. Not all narratives are going to have a happy ending or an ending at all. Just because a narrative may not fit into the traditional model of a story, that does not make it any less important to the development of the learner. If educators have students adhere to a specific model of storytelling, they run the risk of eliminating narratives that played a very important part in the development of the learner. Finally, it is important for educators to encourage students to be more aware of their situational position within their own narratives. When the student is able to identify that he or she is in a cultural situation different from his or her own, it can lead to a shift in perspective that may have otherwise gone ignored.

Themes in Narrative Learning	Implications in practice
1.      We learn from hearing stories.	It is important for educators to include narratives to accompany the theories and perspectives presented within the classroom to foster a deeper understanding of the information for learners.
2.      We learn from telling stories.	Educators need to allow opportunities for learners to share their own narratives related to topics presented. Even if these narratives do not fit the common layout of a story or do not have a happy ending.
3.      We learn from stories by recognizing the narratives in which we are positioned	It is important for educators to encourage learners to examine their surroundings in the narratives that they develop. By doing so, it can allow learners to identify that the situation they were in dealt with very different cultural perspectives from those to which they are accustomed. This leads to a broadening of the narrative as well as the perspective of the learner.

References

Clark, M.C. (2010). Narrative learning: Its contours and its possibilities. New Directions for          Adult and Continuing Education, 126, 3-11. doi: 10.1002/ace.367

Clark, M.C., & Rossiter, M. (2008). Narrative learning in adulthood. New Directions for Adult      and Continuing Education, 119, 61-70. doi: 10.1002/ace

Merriam, S.B., Caffarella, R.S., & Baumgartner, L.M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A    comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-B ass.

Michelson, E. (2011). Autobiography and selfhood in the practice of adult learning. Adult             Education Quarterly, 61(1), 3-21. doi: 10.1177/0741713609358447

Rossiter, M. (1999). Understanding adult development as narrative. New Directions for Adult       and Continuing Education, 84, 70-85.