Personal Narratives: Women with Anorexia Share Their Educational Experiences
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PERSONAL NARRATIVES: WOMEN WITH ANOREXIA SHARE THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES By TIMOTHY PAUL NELLER Bachelor of Fine Arts Webster College Webster Groves, MO 1969 Master of Fine Arts St. Louis University St. Louis, Missouri 1971 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University In partial fulfillment of The requirements for The Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December, 2014 PERSONAL NARRATIVES: WOMEN WITH ANOREXIA SHARE THEIR EDUCATIONALEXPERIENCES Dissertation Approved: Dr. Lucy Bailey Dissertation Adviser Dr. Guoping Zhao Dr. Hongyu Wang Dr. Kerri Kearney ii Name: Timothy Paul Neller Date of Degree: December, 2014 Title of Study: PERSONAL NARRATIVES: WOMEN WITH ANOREXIA SHARE THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES Major Field: Social Foundations of Education Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide individual women who have been affected with anorexia with a voice to express how they narrate and understand their school experiences in order to explore the role that school has played in their lives. Ten women ranging in age from 21 to 66 participated in the study. Data sources included individual interviews, short follow-up interviews, participant written reflections, and researcher field notes and reflections. The study was grounded in an interpretivist theoretical perspective. The methodology of narrative inquiry guided the development of the study’s design, data collection, and analysis processes. Data were analyzed through primarily thematic and some structural narrative analysis (Reissman, 2008) and concepts from feminist theory to explore both what was said and how the stories were structured in order to detect common themes. The women’s stories described the various educational spaces in which they learned lessons about their bodies, formed their self-image, and adopted their gendered roles. Data analysis revealed many of the women were high- achievers and perceived a thin female figure as an attractive ideal that would make them more socially acceptable. Most women in the study developed their anorexia during early adolescence after experiencing a broad spectrum of influential events. The study also revealed that peer pressure was a significant source of educational lessons for women in forming their perspectives on food and exercise. The women’s educational experiences suggest that women had few, if any resources in their schools and in other educational spaces to learn about preventing or addressing anorexia. Their experiences also suggest that the curriculum of schools, written and unwritten, could have a major influence on young women’s eating behaviors and self-image. This study contributes to understanding of the intersections between education and eating problems, demonstrates the need for schools to assume a more active role in prevention and aid, and provides additional insight into ways schools can help. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY…………………………………………..……..1 The Need for Narrative .................................................................................................5 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................7 Purpose of the Study .....................................................................................................8 Research Questions ......................................................................................................9 Definition of Terms ....................................................................................................10 The Clinical Perspective .............................................................................................10 The Perspective of a Woman with Anorexia ..............................................................12 Theoretical Perspective ..............................................................................................12 Methodology ..............................................................................................................13 Organization of the Study ...........................................................................................14 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE.....................................................................................17 Personal Narratives .....................................................................................................19 Mixed Messages in Educational Institutions ..............................................................31 Education, Eating Disorders, and Programs ...............................................................34 Perceptions of Weight .........................................................................................36 Controlled Education in Public Schools .....................................................................39 The Weigh to Eat! Program ........................................................................................41 Controlled Education on University Campuses .........................................................43 Recovery Treatment Centers ......................................................................................49 The Medical Field Stance ...........................................................................................49 Summary ....................................................................................................................52 III. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................54 Personal Perspective ...................................................................................................55 Purpose of Study ........................................................................................................57 Research Questions ....................................................................................................58 Epistemology and Guiding Theme .............................................................................59 Study Design ..............................................................................................................59 Narrative Inquiry ........................................................................................................61 Data Collection ...........................................................................................................64 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................68 Participants .................................................................................................................70 iv Chapter Page Diagnoses and Treatment ...........................................................................................71 Site Selection ..............................................................................................................74 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................................75 Quality Criteria ...........................................................................................................77 Credibility ...........................................................................................................77 Transferability .....................................................................................................77 Dependability ......................................................................................................78 Validity ...............................................................................................................78 Reciprocity ..........................................................................................................78 Authenticity.........................................................................................................79 Conclusion ................................................................................................................79 IV. NARRATIVE PORTRAITS ....................................................................................81 Introduction ...............................................................................................................81 Linda ...................................................................................................................83 Jan .......................................................................................................................87 Kim .....................................................................................................................90 Nicole ..................................................................................................................92 Rhonda ................................................................................................................94 Joan .....................................................................................................................97 Sally ..................................................................................................................100 Patricia ..............................................................................................................103 Alex ...................................................................................................................106 Sarah .................................................................................................................108 Summary .................................................................................................................111