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Research Design
Narrative Approach
Narrative approach was chosen as a method to do this research. Muller (2004:301) asserts that a team of narrative researchers do empirical research, based on the narrative approach. He adds, “They listen to the stories of children, parents, grandparents, and caregivers in order to gain an understanding of the in‐context experiences.” In this qualitative research, an empirical study was conducted based on the narrative approach within a participatory action research (PAR) design. Babbie and Mouton (2001: xxx) say that PAR has its roots in the special concerns and problems associated with doing research in Third World countries. They add that it aims to address issues of methodology, ethics, and power relations that arise when one conducts research in more “marginalised” settings.
Why use a narrative approach for practical theology research Muller (2003:294‐296) Muller states that “the narrative or social constructionist approach …forces us to first listen to the stories of people struggling in real situations, not merely to a description of a general context, but to be confronted with a specific and concrete situation.” This approach to practical theology, although hermeneutical in nature, is more reflexive in its approach and method. It takes the circular movement of practice‐theory‐practice seriously and brings it into operation. Practical theology, according to narrative approach, indeed becomes part of “doing theology” and takes the social‐constructions, within actual contexts seriously.
The practical theologian in this case, is not so much concerned with abstractions and generalisations but rather with the detail of a particular person’s story. To be true to the values of practical theology, I used a narrative approach to collect data in the form of stories and chapters four and five present the very detailed narratives of the research participants.
Muller adds (2009: 296) practical theology is only possible as contextual practical theology. Practical theology cannot function in a general context. It is always local, concrete and specific. The moment it moves away from the concrete specific context, it regresses into some sort of systematic theology. The very essence of practical theology demands of it to be very focused on concrete contexts. It can be argued that theology as a whole should be practical and the theology, which is unpractical, no longer is theology.
As a narrative researcher I chose the PAR design for the following reasons: First, participatory action research has emerged in recent years as a significant methodology for intervention, development and change within communities and groups. Second, Wadsworth (1998) in what is Participatory Action Research, sees Participatory Action Research (PAR) as research which involves all relevant parties in actively examining together current action (which they experience as problematic) in order to change and improve it. It aims to be active co‐research, by and for those to be helped; and it tries to be a genuinely democratic or non‐coercive process whereby those to be helped, determine the purposes and outcomes of their own inquiry. »
Third, Reason (1994) describes participative research as “research with people rather than research on people”. This then frees the researcher from an objectivist‐approach of science to research. Fourth, Reason (1994) points out that PAR brings people together with a commonroblem to (1) identify knowledge and action that are directly useful to a community and (2) support people to engage with this knowledge and action to make necessary changes in their lives, relationships, and communities. In this study all co‐researchers had a common problemexperience of trauma in their lives and we came together to find ways and processes “to make necessary changes in” our “lives, relationships, and communities.” The fifth reason for choosing PAR was, as Park (1999:141‐157) has rightly put it, “PAR design incorporates personal reflections as research data.” Thus co‐researchers’ reflections and stories were incorporated asresearch data in this study.
Longitudinal design
Although it was not my original research design to do a longitudinal study, it emerged in one of the supervision meetings I had with my supervisor that I could be a participant observer for a year then after that select a small group of co‐researchers, interview them and document their experiences of the healing process. As participants’ objectives were met, new objectives emerged. It was like I was playing soccer and each time I got close to score, someone moved the goal post farther away. However, I could not object to their new objective because Participatory Action Research tries to be genuinely democratic or a non‐coercive process whereby those to be helped, determine the purposes and outcomes of their own enquiry (Wadsworth 1998). As such, the study took about four years to “score”. Thus longitudinal research design emerged naturally. Harris (1998) says that longitudinal research examines features of the same individuals at least within two different points in time.
CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH ROAD MAP
1. INTRODUCTION
1.2. RESEARCH AIM
1.2.1. SPECIFIC RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
1.3. THE INSPIRATION FOR THE STUDY
1.3.1. THE CONTEXT/ACTION FIELD OF THE TRAUMA SURVIVORS IN SOUTH AFRICA
1.3.2. CONTEXT OF REFUGEES’ TRAUMA
1.3.2.1. INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT OF REFUGEES’ TRAUMA
1.3.2.2. SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT OF REFUGEES’ TRAUMA
1.3.3. SEARCH FOR MEANING FOR TRAUMA SURVIVORS
1.4. EPISTEMOLOGICAL POSITIONING OF THE RESEARCH
1.4.1. NARRATIVE RESEARCH
1.4.2. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM
1.4.4. POSTFOUNDATIONALIST PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
1.4.5. MY POSITION AS A PRACTICAL THEOLOGIAN
1.5 SEVEN MOVEMENTS DESCRIBED:
1.5.1 A SPECIFIC CONTEXT IS DESCRIBED
1.5.2 IN‐CONTEXT EXPERIENCES ARE LISTENED TO AND DESCRIBED
1.5.3 INTERPRETATIONS OF EXPERIENCES ARE MADE, DESCRIBED AND DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH CO‐RESEARCHERS.
1.5.4 A DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCES AS IT IS CONTINUALLY INFORMED BY TRADITIONS OF INTERPRETATION
1.5.5 A REFLECTION ON THE RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS, ESPECIALLY ON GOD’S PRESENCE, AS IT IS UNDERSTOOD AND EXPERIENCED IN A SPECIFIC SITUATION
1.5.6 A DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIENCE, THICKENED THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION
1.5.7. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS THAT POINT BEYOND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
1.6. SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER
2.1. INTRODUCTION
2.2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
2.2.1. RESEARCH DESIGN .
2.2.1.1. NARRATIVE APPROACH
2.2.1.1. LONGITUDINAL DESIGN
2.2.2. POPULATION .
2.2.3. RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
2.2.3.1. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
2.2.3.2. SELF‐ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE
2.2.3.3. FOCUS GROUPS
2.2.3.4. INTERVIEWS
2.2.4. ADMINISTERING THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
2.2.6. EVALUATION OF THE RESEARCH METHOD
2.2.5 BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA..
3.1. INTRODUCTION
3.3. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO TRAUMA
3.4. TRAUMA AND RECOVERY
3.5. SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER
CHAPTER 4: THE LIFE NARRATIVE OF CHARLES
CHAPTER 5: LIFE NARRATIVES OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
CHAPTER 7: INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION
