Joshua Robinson Literature Review

Narrative Learning Literature Review

Written By	Commented On
Joshua Robinson	Kaylah Bell

Introduction

A glance around oneself can reveal the unbelievable amount of information that people are constantly consuming. A smartphone is likely in close proximity to whoever is reading this literature review, just as it was inches away from the laptop of the graduate student who wrote this paper. Texts, breaking news, and social media updates are merely a sliver of the information circulating throughout society, and stories are the threads that tie it all together.

As Anglo-Afghan author Tahir Shah famously wrote in his book In Arabian Nights, “Stories are a communal currency of humanity” (2009, p. 138). Narratives are an intrinsic element of the human experience, so their presence should be an intrinsic element of adult education as well.

General Themes

Not to be written off solely as sources of entertainment or dispensaries of pertinent information, narratives have immense educational value. Through analyzing narratives, learners can find and make meaning in various ways by different types of stories as
"vehicle[s] for learning” (Merriam, Caffarella, Baumgartner, 2007, p. 209). Merriam et al. (2007) deconstruct three forms of narrative – including storying curriculum, storytelling, and autobiographies – and explain the transformational nature of narrative learning.

For this literature review, the main themes of storytelling, autobiographies, and transformational learning in narrative learning are addressed and weighed with additional sources.

Storytelling

Storytelling presents scenarios, accounts, and situations through a fictitious or factual lens, and it is a form of narrative that learners can produce or engage with. Merriam et al. (2007) mirror that literature, saying, “Whether these stories are generated by students themselves, are case studies, or are fictional accounts, they draw us in, they allow us to see from another’s perspective” (p. 210).

From Lord of the Flies to Romeo and Juliet, adult learners have at some point interacted with storytelling and subsequently discovered complex understandings such as historical context or social dynamics. Randall (2010) credits narratives with socially conscious meaning-making, saying, “We do not textualize our lives within an existential vacuum but within an intricate web of narrative environments – of larger stories – that run the gamut from our family to our community, culture, class, and creed” (p. 27).

However, there is additional educational value in storytelling when positioning learners from consuming narratives to producing them. By creating and presenting narratives, learners of all ages can express themselves, critically make meaning, and creatively participate in their learning process.

Autobiography

A more hands-on aspect of narrative learning is formulating one’s autobiography. The andragogical approach typically involves journaling, blogging, and storying the events of one’s life, educational/professional experiences, or transformative events. As a result, the autobiography is one of the most personal components of narrative learning. “By honoring the narrative complexity of personal identity, adult educators can assist [learners] in the process of autobiographical learning, that is, learning about themselves and from themselves by reflecting on the stories through which they have defined themselves across the years” (Randall, 2010, p. 25).

The power of autobiographical learning is not rooted in merely regurgitating one’s personal accounts. Learners can make meaning from analysis and critical thinking of their past experiences and use that meaning when moving forward in their lives. Also, Merriam et al. (2007) suggest that autobiography can be helpful for making meaning of educational coursework and professional experiences and applying it to one’s life organically.

Transformational Learning

As mentioned in the previous section, narrative learning can be transformational. When considering that stories can be shared orally, visually, and physically, narrative learning intersects with embodied learning, making it more influential on the adult learner. Touching on how narrative learning, and autobiographies specifically, can be transformative for the individual learner as well as a group of learners, Lohr (2018) argues:

By composing our biographical stories, we capture meaningful events. Upon critical reflection of these storied events, we are reminded of important aspects of our identity, examples of feeling empowered, and times of personal growth. When we share these stories with others, we confirm our authenticity as well as our mutuality (p. 165).

Furthermore, narrative learning can allow a learner’s cultural identity to have a heavier role in their learning. Incorporating oral narratives can be beneficial for learners whose dialects and languages aren’t represented or generally accepted in traditional Western education. For example, Bonnie J. Williams-Farrier argues against code-switching in favor of a narrative approach to including African American Language in traditional writing and educational discourse, noting that “narrativizing is characteristic of general Black discursive practices, or when everyday conversational talk may be rendered as a ‘story’” (2016, p. 226). Therefore, adding a focus on narrative learning can emphasize learner’s cultural identities and encourage spiritual learning as well.

Implications for Practice

Storytelling

For practical application, encourage active, critical thinking in storytelling (Ohler, 2013). Adult educators can apply this tactic in two connected ways: the creative production and the active consumption of storytelling. First, prompt the learners with the “Why” video assignment, an activity from Don Goble that presents an opportunity for learners to become comfortable with digital storytelling (Hobbs, 2011). Set parameters around the digital stories, such as exact time length and subject matter, with the immovable task of asking and answering a “why” question through storytelling (Hobbs, 2011).

Once stories are completed, share them in an environment that supports classroom discussion and engagement, encouraging learners to be as active in the consumption process as they were in the production process. This prevents the activity from solely being entertaining. “Active viewing feels very much like an unnatural act for TV watchers, but it opens up a more effective way to mine [storytelling] for academic utility” (Ohler, 2013, p. 28). Collective questioning, discussion, and reflection is the key to successfully implementing storytelling activities in practice.

Autobiography

As mentioned earlier, autobiographical learning consists of learners detailing events throughout their life, so learners should understand the difference between slice-of-life happenings and life-spanning occurrences, as they might be interconnected (Lohr, 2018). In order to reflect, analyze, and make meaning from those experiences, introduce the W2R (writing to remember) process, a “somewhat linear [process of] remembering, composing, and sharing” (Lohr, 2018, p. 166). After introducing those concepts, present learners with a Life History assignment that explains their story and the meaning that they have found from it.

Transformational learning

Transformational learning experiences are dependent on how the learner makes meaning from the learning experience, so instead set out to plan a narrative activity that encompasses spiritual and embodied learning. For example, facilitators can task learners with a cultural storytelling assignment, giving all parties involved “the opportunity to explore what has been called a ‘global turn’ in composition, in which critical language literacies are linked to global citizenship” (Williams-Farrier, 2016, p. 229). The format can be flexible – visual, physical, oral, or written – as long as it captures the learner’s culture throughout the story.

Reflection

The uniqueness of the concepts within narrative learning is how in-depth and inextricable from day-to-day life they can be. Storytelling and narrativizing is a part of the human experience, so it is interesting that narrative learning can help learners further engage with course material, themselves, and the society around them. That is why narrative learning is often transformative in nature, and that characteristic makes it a highlight on its own merit.

I completed the assignment by first reading the section about narrative learning in Learning in Adulthood. Afterward, I extracted the most important themes before doing further research using Ball State’s online database as well as Georgia State’s online database. I then constructed an outline and then filled the sections in overtime. A major tip would be to spend more time on researching because then you will write the rest of the literature review quicker more efficiently. Find resources that truly serve you instead of writing and then searching for sources that can fit in the paper. Of course, the assignment does take time, so at least give yourself a few days to complete it. While I didn’t learn anything new technology-wise, I learned how narrative learning can be spiritual and embodying, with plenty of practical lesson plans, approaches, and processes to compliment making it so transformative.

Summary Table

The following table summarizes the themes and theories of meaning-making through narrative learning.

	Main Theoretical Ideas	Implications
Theme 1	Through storytelling, learners can examine, create, and engage with narratives that allow them to express themselves, critically make meaning, and creatively participate in their learning.	Encourage active, critical thinking in storytelling through production and consumption. - Utilize the “Why” digital storytelling assignment. - Question, discuss, and reflect on finished videos as a class.
Theme 2	Autobiographies of one’s life, educational/professional experiences, and transformative events are powerful analytical tools for meaning-making.	Encourage reflection, analysis, and meaning-making of minor and major events throughout the learner’s life. - Introduce the W2R process. - Assign a life history project.
Theme 3	Narrative learning intersects with embodied and spiritual learning, making it an incredibly transformative learning experience.	Plan a narrative activity that encompasses spiritual and embodied learning. - Have learners create a cultural storytelling product, with a flexible format.

References

Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: connecting culture and classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lohr, K. D. (2018). Tapping autobiographical narratives to illuminate resilience: A transformative learning tool for adult educators. Educational Gerontology, 44(2-3), 163–170. doi: 10.1080/03601277.2018.1432529

Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in Adulthood: a Comprehensive Guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Ohler, J. (2013). Digital Storytelling in the Classroom: New Media Pathways to Literacy, Learning, and Creativity (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Randall, W. (2010). Storywork: Autobiographical learning in later life. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2010(126), 25–36. doi: 10.1002/ace.369

Shah, T. (2009). In Arabian Nights: a Caravan of Moroccan Dreams. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Williams-Farrier, B. J. (2016). Signifying, Narrativizing, and Repetition: Radical Approaches to Theorizing African American Language. Meridians, 15(1), 218–242. doi: 10.2979/meridians.15.1.12