Lana van Niekerk

Narrative Inquiry: Theory and Practice

This article offers an overview of the method of narrative inquiry and explores competing trends in the use of the approach. It not only examines the theories relating to the method but also offers practical guidance on using narrative inquiry, including an exploration of what might count as a narrative and ways of analysing narrative data. The final section of the article presents two different examples of how narrative inquiry has been used. The first example is the use of narrative inquiry as a reflective learning process for students in an undergraduate curriculum. The second example is a narrative inquiry into staff experiences of role change in problem-based learning. Suggestions are also made as to how narrative inquiry might be adapted for use in geography in higher education.

Participation in work: A source of wellness for people with psychiatric disability

BACKGROUND Not enough is known about the relationship between work and health, particularly for people with psychiatric disability. A review of research investigating variables that predict success at work showed inconsistent and contradicting results. The voice of people with psychiatric disability was found to be largely missing from literature. A study was therefore undertaken to explore the influences that impacted on the work-lives of people with psychiatric disability. This paper elucidates the importance of participation in work as an essential ingredient in the promotion of occupational justice, in identity construction and in the process of recovery for persons with psychiatric disability. METHOD Interpretive biography was utilised to explore the experiences of people with psychiatric disability in the Western Cape, South Africa. Seventeen participants were identified using maximum variation sampling. Life story narratives were elicited during an average of three individual interviews per participant. Processes of analysis and interpretation were informed by a combination of paradigmatic narrative analysis and narrative analysis strategies. FINDINGS A complex interplay of influences that shaped the identities of participants in ways that can assist or hinder their participation in work was revealed. Participation in work was perceived to be a means of recovery and a source of wellness for participants. CONCLUSIONS More conscious effort is needed to promote the use of work as source of support and resource for health for persons who live with psychiatric impairment.BACKGROUND Not enough is known about the relationship between work and health, particularly for people with psychiatric disability. A review of research investigating variables that predict success at work showed inconsistent and contradicting results. The voice of people with psychiatric disability was found to be largely missing from literature. A study was therefore undertaken to explore the influences that impacted on the work-lives of people with psychiatric disability. This paper elucidates the importance of participation in work as an essential ingredient in the promotion of occupational justice, in identity construction and in the process of recovery for persons with psychiatric disability. METHOD Interpretive biography was utilised to explore the experiences of people with psychiatric disability in the Western Cape, South Africa. Seventeen participants were identified using maximum variation sampling. Life story narratives were elicited during an average of three individual interviews per participant. Processes of analysis and interpretation were informed by a combination of paradigmatic narrative analysis and narrative analysis strategies. FINDINGS A complex interplay of influences that shaped the identities of participants in ways that can assist or hinder their participation in work was revealed. Participation in work was perceived to be a means of recovery and a source of wellness for participants. CONCLUSIONS More conscious effort is needed to promote the use of work as source of support and resource for health for persons who live with psychiatric impairment.

The first WFOT Congress in Africa: History in the making:

As a founding member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa is honoured to be co-hosting the 17th WFOT Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, from 21–25 May 2018. It marks an historic moment, as the first WFOT Congress to be held on the African continent. The congress theme, Connected in diversity: positioned for impact, will address key international areas, including social and occupational injustice and health and well-being. The theme acknowledges the multiple interpretations and inter-connectedness of occupational therapy in relation to human relationships and human occupation. As occupational therapy perspectives continue to evolve internationally, and especially in the Global South, new directions for research and practice are emerging. Developments grounded in critical perspectives are increasingly creating spaces for reflexivity and dialogue. The WFOT 2018 Congress provides an international platform to further theorise about human occupation and investigate the ways in which it ‘has translated into research, practice and curricula reform’ (Ramugondo et al., 2015: 1). The WFOT 2018 team acknowledges the financial constraints, and also the consequences of language barriers that exist in accessing and attending the congress. With this in mind we are exploring having keynote addresses available via podcast. And, recognising that congress participation may in itself be viewed as a collective occupation (Ramugondo and Kronenberg, 2015), the WFOT 2018 team aspires to further promote access to the congress through presentations reflecting issues relevant to diverse contexts. The Congress programme affords opportunities for delegates to discuss research and practice issues relating to human occupation in context and the roles of occupational therapy and its partners in shaping participation in societies. Together with exploring the impact of practice and research and processes of engagement, it provides the opportunity to examine and celebrate the profession’s positions in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education, research and practice. While occupational therapy in South Africa, and in many African countries, has Eurocentric origins, the profession is increasingly being repositioned through contextually relevant research and