Sheila Trahar – författare

This unique and timely book focuses on research conducted into the experiences of students from rural backgrounds in South Africa: foregrounding decolonial perspectives on their negotiation of access and transitions to higher education.This book highlights not only the challenges of coming from a rural background against the historical backdrop of apartheid and ongoing colonialism, but also shows the immense assets that students from rural areas bring into higher education. Through detailed narratives created by student co-researchers, the book charts early experiences in rural communities, negotiations of transitions to university and, in many cases, to urban life and students’ subsequent journeys through higher education spaces and curricula.The book will be of significant interest and value to those engaged in rurality research across diverse settings, those interested in the South African higher education context and higher education more widely. Its innovative, participatory methodology will be invaluable to researchers seeking to conduct collaborative research that draws on decolonising approaches.

This unique and timely book focuses on research conducted into the experiences of students from rural backgrounds in South Africa: foregrounding decolonial perspectives on their negotiation of access and transitions to higher education.This book highlights not only the challenges of coming from a rural background against the historical backdrop of apartheid and ongoing colonialism, but also shows the immense assets that students from rural areas bring into higher education. Through detailed narratives created by student co-researchers, the book charts early experiences in rural communities, negotiations of transitions to university and, in many cases, to urban life and students’ subsequent journeys through higher education spaces and curricula.The book will be of significant interest and value to those engaged in rurality research across diverse settings, those interested in the South African higher education context and higher education more widely. Its innovative, participatory methodology will be invaluable to researchers seeking to conduct collaborative research that draws on decolonising approaches.

Ubuntu is the African idea of personhood: persons depend on other persons in order to be. This is summarised in the expression: umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, that is, a person is a person through persons.This edited collection illustrates the power of fictionalised representation in reporting research conducted on Ubuntu in Southern Africa. The chapters insert the concept of Ubuntu within the broad intellectual debate of self and community, to demonstrate its intellectual and philosophical value and theoretical grounding in known practices emanating from the African continent, and indeed how it works to unsettle some of our received notions of the self.

Narrative inquiry is growing in popularity as a research methodology in the social sciences, medicine and the humanities. In narrative inquiry, the transparency of interactions between researcher and research participants, together with rich, contextual descriptions, help to shape and structure research texts rendering them engaging and readable. Contextualising Narrative Inquiry argues that all researchers should foreground the importance of the context in which research takes place and develop methodological approaches that are grounded in their local contexts. To do so, they need to pay attention to how knowledge is constructed, shared and understood in those contexts. This is particularly important when contexts have been subjugated historically through colonialism and when local, indigenous ways of knowing have been ignored or dismissed. The contributors to this edited collection have all used narrative inquiry for a range of topics and in a range of contexts, including: Leadership styles of Asian women The Deaf community in the UK Voluntary celibacy in Malta Administrators in Ghanaian higher education Multiculturalism in primary education in Cyprus Teacher identities in Hong Kong The reflective practitioner in higher education in Malaysia. The diversity of the topics illuminates the potential for narrative inquiry to be used to investigate a broad range of issues in many contexts by people with a wide range of backgrounds. A common thread throughout is a reflexive discussion of how each contributor used narrative inquiry as a methodological approach; highlighting not only its affordances, but also the complexities of using it in specific cultural, social and historical contexts.

Narrative inquiry is growing in popularity as a research methodology in the social sciences, medicine and the humanities. In narrative inquiry, the transparency of interactions between researcher and research participants, together with rich, contextual descriptions, help to shape and structure research texts rendering them engaging and readable. Contextualising Narrative Inquiry argues that all researchers should foreground the importance of the context in which research takes place and develop methodological approaches that are grounded in their local contexts. To do so, they need to pay attention to how knowledge is constructed, shared and understood in those contexts. This is particularly important when contexts have been subjugated historically through colonialism and when local, indigenous ways of knowing have been ignored or dismissed. The contributors to this edited collection have all used narrative inquiry for a range of topics and in a range of contexts, including: Leadership styles of Asian women The Deaf community in the UK Voluntary celibacy in Malta Administrators in Ghanaian higher education Multiculturalism in primary education in Cyprus Teacher identities in Hong Kong The reflective practitioner in higher education in Malaysia. The diversity of the topics illuminates the potential for narrative inquiry to be used to investigate a broad range of issues in many contexts by people with a wide range of backgrounds. A common thread throughout is a reflexive discussion of how each contributor used narrative inquiry as a methodological approach; highlighting not only its affordances, but also the complexities of using it in specific cultural, social and historical contexts.

To function in the diverse world of the twenty-first century requires a crucial ability to navigate its international and interconnected environments effectively. Such a skill may be defined as cultural capability and developing it is at the forefront of this book, as it guides readers in considering their own experiences of learning and teaching in culturally varied contexts of higher education.Using information that builds upon data gained from several years of practice, across a range of countries and institutions the author considers in detail four main themes:Learning, teaching and assessment as a cultural product of higher educationPersonal and professional interactions between staff and studentsThe political and personal dimensions of the internationalisation of higher educationMethodological and ethical considerations when conducting research across culturesThese themes provide for rich opportunities to learn from and about others, about our similarities and differences. In this way, Developing Cultural Capability celebrates a world that is multicultural and interdependent, encouraging operation beyond local and national perspectives.Conducting cross-cultural research is not new, but this book shows how narrative inquiry may be a particularly rich – and sensitive - approach in such research in higher education.By writing as a practitioner researcher who has reflected, extensively and critically, on her own practice, the author here gathers together empirical research, case studies and personal reflections, beliefs and assumptions into an innovative account of cultural capability. Through these rich accounts, this book stimulates researchers or practitioners grappling with the cultural complexity of higher education today to reflect on their own practices, proposing some ways to create environments that are more inclusive.

To function in the diverse world of the twenty-first century requires a crucial ability to navigate its international and interconnected environments effectively. Such a skill may be defined as cultural capability and developing it is at the forefront of this book, as it guides readers in considering their own experiences of learning and teaching in culturally varied contexts of higher education.Using information that builds upon data gained from several years of practice, across a range of countries and institutions the author considers in detail four main themes:Learning, teaching and assessment as a cultural product of higher educationPersonal and professional interactions between staff and studentsThe political and personal dimensions of the internationalisation of higher educationMethodological and ethical considerations when conducting research across culturesThese themes provide for rich opportunities to learn from and about others, about our similarities and differences. In this way, Developing Cultural Capability celebrates a world that is multicultural and interdependent, encouraging operation beyond local and national perspectives.Conducting cross-cultural research is not new, but this book shows how narrative inquiry may be a particularly rich – and sensitive - approach in such research in higher education.By writing as a practitioner researcher who has reflected, extensively and critically, on her own practice, the author here gathers together empirical research, case studies and personal reflections, beliefs and assumptions into an innovative account of cultural capability. Through these rich accounts, this book stimulates researchers or practitioners grappling with the cultural complexity of higher education today to reflect on their own practices, proposing some ways to create environments that are more inclusive.

Narrative inquiry is being used more widely in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Northern European countries to conduct research across a range of disciplines. It is gaining popularity in Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, but research in these contexts continues to be dominated by quantitative and more traditional qualitative approaches. Narrative inquirers in these areas can, therefore, find it problematic to have the value of their work acknowledged. This book demonstrates creatively, accessibly and rigorously the ways in which narrative inquiry as a methodological approach, already more firmly established in Australia and New Zealand, is gaining a foothold in other parts of the Asia Pacific region. Contributors to the book write about their use of narrative inquiry in, for example, the Confucian heritage cultures (CHC) of Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Macao and the Anglo-Celtic cultures of Australia and New Zealand. Chapters in the book include: Creative Non-Fiction Across Cultures in Asia Pacific Contexts Riding the Wave of Education Reform: Using a Reflecting Team to Explore the Professional Identities of School Counsellors in Hong Kong Is the Silent Mode On? Re-searching Teachers' Voices in Macao through Narrative Research Narrative Inquiry and the Exploration of Culture for Improving Teacher EducationThis book will appeal to researchers across all sectors of education, in particular those who are exploring, the use of qualitative research methods in their context. Those interested in comparative education and cross-cultural studies will also find this book valuable.

Narrative inquiry is being used more widely in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Northern European countries to conduct research across a range of disciplines. It is gaining popularity in Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, but research in these contexts continues to be dominated by quantitative and more traditional qualitative approaches. Narrative inquirers in these areas can, therefore, find it problematic to have the value of their work acknowledged. This book demonstrates creatively, accessibly and rigorously the ways in which narrative inquiry as a methodological approach, already more firmly established in Australia and New Zealand, is gaining a foothold in other parts of the Asia Pacific region. Contributors to the book write about their use of narrative inquiry in, for example, the Confucian heritage cultures (CHC) of Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Macao and the Anglo-Celtic cultures of Australia and New Zealand.Chapters in the book include:Creative Non-Fiction Across Cultures in Asia Pacific ContextsRiding the Wave of Education Reform: Using a Reflecting Team to Explore the Professional Identities of School Counsellors in Hong KongIs the Silent Mode On? Re-searching Teachers' Voices in Macao through Narrative ResearchNarrative Inquiry and the Exploration of Culture for Improving Teacher EducationThis book will appeal to researchers across all sectors of education, in particular those who are exploring, the use of qualitative research methods in their context. Those interested in comparative education and cross-cultural studies will also find this book valuable.