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Ml 48106-1346 USA 313.'761-4700 800.521-0600 THE NARRATIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF TEACHING PRACTICE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL CASE STUDY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By William C Pasters, B.A., M.Ed. ***** The Ohio State University 1995 Dissertation Committee: Gail McCutcheon, Chairperson Approved By: Robert Backoff Gisela Hinkle Amy Shuman Advisor College of Education UMI Number: 9544662 DMI Microform 9544662 Copyright 1995, by DMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 In Memory Of My Parents, John M. and Eleanor A. Pasters. Their Spirits Created The Idea For This Work. To Susan and Zack Whose Patience and Tolerance Made This Work a Reality. Thank You. To The Teachers At Lila Belle Elementary School Whose Participation Gave This Work A Voice. 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank all the teachers at Lila Belle Elementary School who made this dissertation possible. They shared more than I expected and more than I have brought to voice in this work. Their time and willing cooperation and their stories will be with me forever. I wish to thank all those who have contributed to my growth and development as graduate student and researcher at The Ohio State University. I am especially grateful to the following Professors : Dr. Gail McCutcheon, who has provided inspiration, and personal support for this project, and acted as gentle critic and trusted confidant throughout ny work at The Ohio State University. She will never be forgotten; Dr. Robert Backoff, whose wise and spiritful counsel taught me to step "within iry circle" during my course work. His wisdom, leadership, and voice will be heard throughout this dissertation; Dr. Gisela Hinkle, who changed the lens through which I view the world. It is a much deeper and fascinating place now that I see with "both eyes." Thank you for the "storyful" iii idea which, in novice sculpting, has found a form in this dissertation; Dr. Amy Shuman who gave me the "gift of story" and many of the narrative concepts which appear in this work. Her ability to bring to language those issues which remained a mystery to me is a gift I will carry forever; Dr, Gerald Reagan who taught me the importance of human dignity and respect for persons; Dr, Antoinette Errante for being an incredible listener and mentor. All of the above have made rty stay at The Ohio State University a rewarding, challenging and exciting experience. IV VITA April 8, 1946.................. Born, Marion, Ohio 1968...........................B.A. Otterbein College Westerville, Ohio 1969-1974...................... Special Education Teacher Westerville, Ohio 1974-197 5 ...................... M.Ed.-Kent State University Kent, Ohio 1975-197 7 ...................... Special Education Supervisor Richland County Schools 1977-1979...................... Ohio Department of Education Columbus, Ohio 1979-1984...................... Director, Special Education Programs, Delaware City Schools, Delaware, Ohio 1984-1991...................... Principal, David Smith Elementary School, Delaware, Ohio 1991-1993...................... Graduate Research Associate The Ohio State University 1993-1995...................... Graduate Teaching Associate The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Pasters. W. (1979). Learning Disabilities Guidelines. State of Ohio Department of Education. FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Education TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION...............................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......................................... iii VITA..................................................... V Chapter I. INTRODUCTION.................................... 1 Standing In Wonderment to the Problem................. 1 A Confessional Tale: Establishing the Background for the Study-Introduction of Key Concepts............ 3 Overview of the Study................................ 5 Research as Surrender to the Lived Experience......... 6 Questioning as Standing In Wonderment to the Lived Experience..................................... 8 Interpretation and the Authority of Naming........... 10 Methodological and Interpretative Considerations..... 12 The Development of an Epistemology of the Engaged-Respecting the Human Dignity of Persons...... 15 Justification for Researching the Nature of Teaching Practice Through Story......................21 Words as Sign of Voice.............................. 26 Naming the Lived Experience-Selection of Participants and Site............................... 30 The Research Questions.............................. 32 Storytelling and Practical Knowledge of the Lived Experience-Framing the Study................... 34 A Stipulative Definition of Reason................... 38 An Argument for Understanding as a Dialectic Between the Personal and the Lived Experience........ 41 The Personal Experience Stories of Craig Hastings............................................46 II. LITERATURE REVIEW...............................79 Thinking and Knowing................................ 79 The Use of Story in Research.........................83 Narrative as a Practical Means of Studying the Achievement of a Teaching Practice................... 87 The Development of Teacher Thinking Research......... 88 vi A Discussion of Teacher Practical Knowledge........... 94 The Importance of Language in Teacher Thinking and the Achievement of Teacher Practical Knowledge.......................................... 102 Understanding the Achievement of Practical Knowledge as Connection Between Individual and Community.......................................... 107 Teacher Practical Knowledge as an Engagement in the Lived Experience............................ 116 Narrative Ways of Knowing and the Importance of Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research.............. 131 The Nature of a Narrative Lived Experience......... 135 The Personal and the Lived Experience Cannot Be Separated From Narrative........................... 148 A Discussion-Qualitative Research as Framework for This Dissertation.............................. 159 The Personal Experience Stories of Abby Mayfield.......................................... 170 III. METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN............... 204 Introduction...................................... 204 The Lived Experience as Touchstone for Hermeneutic and Phenomenological Research.......... 2 07 German Phenomenology............................... 208 Understanding as the Basis for Reasoned Action......214 The German Phenomenological Perspective of Kurt Wolff............................................. 217 Claim for the Ontological Significance of Hermeneutics and Phenomenology..................... 219 Leveling the Research Playing Field................ 223 Reasoning as Essence of the Lived Experience........227 Justifying a Connection Between Reason and Understanding in the Lived Experience.............. 231 Beginning to Wonder About the Lived Experience......237 Narrative Knowledge of the Lived Experience.........240 The Research Design................................ 245 Framing Questions About the Lived Experience........249 Standing In Wonderment to the Lived Experience......252 Investigating the Lived Experience-A Personal Reflection........................................ 254 The Researcher Examines His Domain Assumptions...... 256 Establishing a Starting Point for Surrender to the Catch; My Personal Experience Story.............2 60 The Nature of Interpretation in the Catch...........265 Nature of Knowledge in the Lived Experience.........2 68 Moving Toward the Catch of Lived Experience.........271 General Research Question.......................... 273 Guiding Questions.................................. 274 vii Preparing for the Catch............................ 274 It Is Difficult If Not Impossible to Engage a Catch of the Lived Experience Without Human Resources..........................................277 Opposition to the Catch. Dealing With Gate­ keepers