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Advancing Social Transformation Through Occupation: a Critical Examination of Epistemological Foundations, Discourses and Contex

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Advancing Social Transformation Through Occupation: a Critical Examination of Epistemological Foundations, Discourses and Contex Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 9-28-2017 12:00 AM Advancing Social Transformation Through Occupation: A Critical Examination of Epistemological Foundations, Discourses and Contextual Factors Shaping Research and Practice Lisette Farias Vera The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Prof. Debbie Laliberte Rudman The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Lisette Farias Vera 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Occupational Therapy Commons Recommended Citation Farias Vera, Lisette, "Advancing Social Transformation Through Occupation: A Critical Examination of Epistemological Foundations, Discourses and Contextual Factors Shaping Research and Practice" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4955. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4955 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Widespread appeals to advance a social justice agenda have emerged within health-related fields. However, expressing a commitment to social justice has created tensions within occupational science and therapy as scholars attempt to enact social transformative scholarship while at the same time having roots within health sciences, a field largely dominated by positivist/postpositivist thinking. The broader intent of this thesis is to inform further development of occupation-based social transformative scholarship aligned with the critical paradigm. This doctoral dissertation is comprised of five integrated manuscripts, in addition to introduction and discussion chapters. Chapter two examines the increasing use of critical perspectives and outlines the ways in which these perspectives have challenged the assumptions underlying occupation. Chapter three introduces critical reflexivity and critical epistemology, illustrating their importance in examining the beliefs guiding occupation-based work that attempt to promote occupational justice. Chapter four introduces transformative scholarship and raises three problematics to illustrate the dangers of relying on positivist/postpositivist assumptions in frameworks promoting social transformation. Chapter five presents a critical dialogical approach as one way forward in expanding research that can inform social transformation by incorporating dialogue and examination of taken-for-granted understandings that shape practice. Chapter six examines the experiences of individuals attempting to enact occupation-based social transformative practices by using a critical dialogical approach. A critical discourse analysis that deconstructs and situates participants’ experiences within larger discourses is presented. The findings illustrate how discourses and contextual forces create tensions for social transformative practices, and how individuals negotiate and/or resist these tensions. Chapter seven highlights the implications of this thesis for occupational science and therapy, other professions, and critical qualitative inquiry. This thesis contributes to the ongoing discussions about the theoretical underpinnings and approaches that occupational science and therapy need to embrace to move forward in i critically-informed and socially responsive ways. It adds to this body of knowledge through illustrating how knowledge and practice are shaped by broader forces that can frame attempts to enact transformative work in ways that obscure the structural causes of inequities. Additionally, it contributes to epistemological and methodological discussions that seek to develop appropriate ways to move in transformative directions. Keywords: Critical social paradigm, critical epistemology, critical reflexivity, transformative scholarship, occupation-based social transformative practices, critical dialogical approach ii Co-Authorship Statement I, Lisette Farias Vera, acknowledge that this thesis includes five integrated manuscripts that evolved as a result of collaborative endeavors. In the five manuscripts, the primary intellectual contributions were made by the first author who: researched the methodology, designed the research, developed the ethics application, conducted the literature reviews, established relationships with participants, undertook data collection, coded the data, led the data analysis, and led the writing of the manuscripts. The contribution of the co-author, Prof. Debbie Laliberte Rudman (in chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6), was primarily through supervision of the research, theoretical and methodological guidance, reflexive dialogue and intellectual and editorial support in crafting the work for publication. The contribution of the co-authors, Prof. Lilian Magalhães (in chapters 3 and 4) and Dr. Denise Gastaldo (in chapter 4), was primarily through theoretical and methodological guidance, and reflexive dialogue. The contribution of the co-authors, Drs. Nick Pollard, Sandra Schiller, Ana Paula Malfitano, Kerry Thomas & Hanneke van Bruggen, H. (in chapter 5), was primarily through methodological guidance, and editorial support of the first draft of the manuscript. iii Dedication Para mi hija, Matilda, quien con su presencia ha moldeado esta tesis, al igual que todos mis intereses y esfuerzos. Gracias por llegar a nuestras vidas. To my daughter, Matilda, whose presence shaped this thesis, as well as all my interests and endeavors. Thank you for coming into our lives. iv Acknowledgments It is very difficult to put into words the amount of appreciation I have for everyone that in some way has contributed to this work directly or indirectly. Over the past four years, I have appreciated the opportunity to engage in discussions with colleagues in conferences and scholarly meetings that in many ways have challenged and shaped my assumptions and work. To begin, I must express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Debbie Laliberte Rudman. This work would not have been possible without your support, generosity, and ability to challenge me to grow and expand my thoughts. I greatly appreciate that you encouraged me to explore different paths and define my own journey. Thank you for your insightful feedback and questions that have helped me to develop a thesis that I did not think was possible to put together. I would like to extend a special thanks to my comprehensive and advisory committee including Prof. Lilian Magalhães and Dr. Denise Gastaldo. Thank you for your feedback and ongoing support over the last years. Your energy and provoking questions have shaped this thesis and helped me to make this a true learning process. I would also like to extend my appreciation to the members of my examining committee, Dr. Sandra Galheigo, Prof. Jan Polgar, Dr. Liliana Alvarez, and Dr. Melody Viczko. Thank you for your time and interest in this work. I would like to acknowledge the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy faculty and staff for their ongoing support in and out of the classroom. Thank you for your encouragement, interest in my work, and advice over the past four years. I would also like to extend appreciation to my doctoral colleagues for all the conversations and time spent together. To my family, thank you for your unconditional love and support throughout the years. To my parents, Eloisa Vera and Eduardo Farias, thank you for always believing in my potential and for your support and motivation. Your faith in me has made me who I am today, and I cannot be more proud of my roots and background because of the two of you. To my sister Alejandra and brother Aaron, thank you for being who you are and making me feel like I am v at home every time I talk or chat with you, your presence in my life keeps me grounded and helps me to move forward. A special thanks to my husband Erik Dybner for literally doing anything you possibly could to make this journey easier. Thank you for believing in me unconditionally and for being my biggest fan. Thank you for listening and for reading my work. Thank you for coming with me to Canada and supporting my decision to pursue a PhD. I could continue for pages, but I think that you know how important you are in my life and that this work would not have been possible without your support. Last, but certainly not least, my sincere thanks to each of the participants who engaged in the critical dialogical study. You have each contributed numerous hours engaging in dialogical sessions, email conversations, and reviewing my reflections. Thank you for providing me with an opportunity to grow as a researcher and person. Funding Acknowledgements: This work was generously funded by the Ontario Trillium Scholarship, the Western Graduate Research Scholarship, the Society for the Study of Occupation USA Student Research Grant in Occupational Science, and the Canadian Society of Occupational Scientists Award in Student Scholarship. vi Table of Content Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Co-Authorship Statement................................................................................................... iii Dedication .........................................................................................................................
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