Composing lives in transition : a narrative inquiry into the experiences of early school leavers / edited by D. Jean Clandinin, Pam Steeves, Vera Caine.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-269) and index.

This book is structured around 11 narrative accounts, each one offering glimpses into the lives of early school leavers from culturally and socially diverse backgrounds. By looking across the narrative accounts, paying attention to place, temporality, and social dimensions, the authors identified resonant threads that enabled them to reframe school leaving from a narrative vantage point. Not only are the stories about how each youth's stories shaped their leaving of school but aslo about how their leaving school continues to shape their lives after they have left schools. With a focus on identifies and transitions, the research team understood the lives of youth who leave schools, as being shaped by, and shaping, critical discourses on the role of schools an the place of education in young people's lives.

Ch. 1 Introduction / Vera Caine -- Situating Our Work -- Composing Diverse Identities -- Narrative Beginnings -- Jean's Narrative Beginnings -- I. Early landscapes -- II. High school graduation -- III. Becoming a teacher -- IV. Becoming a narrative inquirer -- Pam's Narrative Beginnings -- Vera's Narrative Beginnings -- Revisiting Our Research Puzzle -- chapter 2 Literature Review / Vera Caine -- Methodology for the Literature Review -- Coming to Terms: Shifts over Time -- Statistical Overview -- Canada -- Provincial dropout rate -- Framing Early School Leavers -- Individual Deficit Model (Risk Factors) -- Trends with dropouts -- Risk factors -- clusters -- Critique of risk factors -- Process theories of disengagement -- School Context -- Rhythms in and out of school -- continuous moving -- Voices in and outside of school -- Unquestioned assumptions -- Mismatch between education and schooling -- Positions of power -- Relational being -- Being different in schools/continuous rubbing up -- Social-Cultural Contexts -- Policies -- Consumer culture -- Social issues -- Community -- Identity formation -- Youth in Flux -- Issues and Directions for Future Research -- Primary Focus on Individual (Risk/Deficit Perspective) -- School Leaving as a Point in Time Rather than a Process -- No Coherent Framework for Early School Leaving Exists -- Missing Perspectives -- No Consideration of Early School Leavers in Context and over Time -- Methodological Considerations -- chapter 3 Methodology / Pam Steeves -- Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space -- Finding Our Participants -- Challenges in Recruiting Participants -- Research Team -- Narrative Inquiry with Participants -- Ethics -- From Field Texts to Interim Research Texts -- One Version of a Final Research Text -- Three Years Later: Another Research Text -- chapter 4 Narrative Account of Robert / Marilyn Huber -- chapter 5 Narrative Account of Scott / Marni Pearce -- chapter 6 Narrative Account of Jasmine / Yi Li -- chapter 7 Narrative Account of Andrew / D. Jean Clandinin -- chapter 8 Narrative Account of Billie Bob / Claire Desrochers -- chapter 9 Narrative Account of Kevlar / Pam Steeves -- chapter 10 Narrative Account of Ben / Vera Caine -- chapter 11 Narrative Account of Truong / D. Jean Clandinin -- chapter 12 Narrative Account of Lynn / Joy-Ruth Mickelson -- chapter 13 Narrative Account of Christian / Vera Caine -- chapter 14 Narrative Account of Skye / Sean Lessard -- chapter 15 Exploring Transitions within Lives / Pam Steeves -- Thread 1 Composing Transitions with Attention to What is "Normal" -- Thread 2 Composing Transitions while Situated in Webs of Relationships -- Thread 3 Conflicting Responsibilities in Composing Transitions -- Thread 4 Composing Forward-Looking Stories Amidst Transitions -- Thread 5 Intertwining Transitions and Identities -- Narrative Understandings of Transitions -- Qualities of a Narrative Understanding of Transitions -- Quality 1 Shifting over time and place -- Quality 2 Composing lives as a process of change -- Quality 3 Transitions as liminal spaces -- Quality 4 Improvisation as part of transition -- Feature 5 Imagination and relationship as part of transitions -- Summary -- chapter 16 Stories to Live By: Composing Identities / Vera Caine -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Multiple Narratives -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded with Familial Narratives -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Cultural Narratives -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Institutional Narratives -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Linguistic Narratives -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Geographic Narratives -- Experiencing Landscapes as Filled with Competing and Conflicting Plotlines -- Resisting the Shaping of Storied Landscapes -- Representing Their Stories to Live By -- Shifting Their Stories to Live By -- Conclusion -- chapter 17 Reflective Turn: Looking Backward, Looking Forward / D. Jean Clandinin -- Shifting Personal Justifications -- Shifting Practical Justifications -- Red Worn Runners -- Fox Den Berries -- Pow-Wow School -- Thinking about Layers ... -- Going Back to Place -- Shifting Social Justifications -- Evolving Wonders -- Contemplating Old Wonders.