A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Approach

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by SHAREOK repository UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SAFE SCHOOLS: A HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By CINDI ATKINSON Norman, Oklahoma 2012 TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SAFE SCHOOLS: A HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES BY ____________________________________ Dr. Courtney Vaughn, Chair ____________________________________ Dr. John Chiodo ____________________________________ Dr. Gregg Garn ____________________________________ Dr. Susan Laird ____________________________________ Dr. Jeffrey Maiden © Copyright by CINDI GALE ATKINSON 2012 All Rights Reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My dissertation has been a personal journey for me. Words cannot express my appreciation to my husband David, to our children Heather and Matt, to their spouses Nathan and Audrey, to my Mom, and especially to my GRANDchildren Brien and Kylie. You believed in me, encouraged me, and patiently listened as I verbally processed what I was learning. You never once suggested I abandon the process, understanding intuitively that to do so would be untrue to myself. To the chair of my committee, thank you Courtney for introducing me to restorative practices and for willingly opening up and sharing your personal story. You are an educator that teaches from within and is using your life story to encourage others to teach with heart. To all of my committee thank you for challenging me; yet supporting me throughout this process. My appreciation is extended to all the mentor teachers in my life that led me to this profession, some that I was not even aware of at the time. Besides the caring teachers I had in elementary and high school, I am especially grateful to professors in my graduate classes that pushed me out of my comfort zone requiring me to dig deeper into my life story, to appreciate different people and cultures, and to listen to other teacher stories. Most importantly, thank you God for your direction along a path you eminently are responsible for. I sensed your leading and leaned on your creative spirit. Although I resisted the pain, this pilgrimage has helped me understand myself better and to extend that understanding to others. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Background for the Study ...................................................................................... 3 Need for Study ..................................................................................................... 13 Significance of the Study ..................................................................................... 21 Procedures ............................................................................................................ 25 Summary .............................................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER II: RESTORATIVE PRACTICES AS THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE STUDY OF SAFE SCHOOLS.......................... 30 Restorative Practices versus Retributive Justice .................................................. 30 Needs Based ......................................................................................................... 32 Forgiveness .......................................................................................................... 34 Shame……………………………………………………………………………37 Restorative Practice Processes ............................................................................. 38 Fair Process .......................................................................................................... 40 Restorative Practices in Schools .......................................................................... 41 School Programs by Other Names ....................................................................... 48 Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 50 v CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................ 54 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 54 The Question ........................................................................................................ 56 Husserl’s Phenomenology ................................................................................... 57 Heidegger’s Hermeneutic Phenomenology ......................................................... 58 Gadamer’s Hermeneutic Phenomenology ........................................................... 59 Intrepretivist Framework ..................................................................................... 60 Hermeneutic Circle .............................................................................................. 61 Interviewing ......................................................................................................... 63 Sample Selection .................................................................................................. 63 Ethical Conduct .................................................................................................... 66 Trustworthiness .................................................................................................... 67 Insider Researcher ................................................................................................ 68 Researcher Reflexivity ......................................................................................... 70 My Story .............................................................................................................. 71 Summary .............................................................................................................. 75 CHAPTER IV: PHENOMENOLOGICAL NARRATIVES: PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS ................................................................ 76 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 76 Phenomenological Narrative: The Uncovering of the Life-worlds ..................... 76 Participant One............................................................................................... 76 Participant Two .............................................................................................. 81 Participant Three ............................................................................................ 90 Participant Four .............................................................................................. 96 vi Participant Five ............................................................................................ 100 Participant Six .............................................................................................. 109 Participant Seven ......................................................................................... 117 Participant Eight........................................................................................... 121 Participant Nine ........................................................................................... 125 Participant Ten ............................................................................................. 130 Aggregate Analysis of the Existential Life-worlds ............................................ 136 Temporality (lived time) .............................................................................. 136 Corporeality (lived body) ............................................................................. 137 Relationality (lived others) .......................................................................... 138 Spatiality (lived space) ................................................................................. 142 CHAPTER V: DISCUSION AND INTREPRETATION OF FINDINGS................... 144 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 144 Shame ................................................................................................................. 145 Vulnerability ...................................................................................................... 149 Isolation.............................................................................................................. 151 Empathy/Relationship ........................................................................................ 153 Hope/Involvement.............................................................................................

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