1. Theoretical Framework Mixed Methods Collective Case Study
Narratives About Camp: Meaning Making by Adolescents With & Without Serious Illness
Felicia P. Fowler
Recreation Management & Policy: Therapeutic Recreation Administration
Introduction
Adolescent identity development plays an important role in how adolescents process and make meaning of their summer camp experiences. This study aims to understand and explore to what extent narrative meaning-making patterns among youth campers with and without serious illness differ within and across identity statuses. The restorative qualities of the summer camp environment coupled with the social context of camp programming provides a logical foundation to explore identity and illness within the camp experience. The results of this study will provide summer camp programmers with specific facilitation tools to produce transferable skills for adolescents with and without serious illness in different identity development stages.
RQ#1: How do adolescents with illnesses across the different identity statuses differ in meaning-making patterns?
RQ#2: How do adolescents with and without illnesses within the same identity status differ in meaning-making patterns?
Theoretical Framework
Identity/Identity Status
Erikson & Marcia’s psychosocial identity theory (Marcia, 1980)
Searching Identity Status: Adolescents are exploring life choices and have not made a commitment to values
Committed Identity Status: Adolescents have experienced a crisis and learned from experiences to commit to values
Meaning Making
How adolescents make sense of their summer camp experience according to identity development
Adolescents form an identity and sense of unity and purpose in life by integrating their life experiences into an internalized, evolving story of the self (McAdams, 2001)
Narratives
“Storying of past experiences” (McLean & Pratt, p. 715) through a Significant Camp Experience Narrative, which was solicited at the 3-6 month follow-up survey online
Open ended question designed to fully explore participant meaning making through a narrative
Mixed Methods Collective Case Study
Narrative Excerpts
WC= Word Count, ET= Event Type
2-4: No Meaning: 0, WC: 22, ET: Achievement
“This is very different especially because it was at midnight. Not scary, but fun.”
6-2 Factual Meaning: 1, WC: 42, ET: Relationship
“It was very powerful to share my story with others as well as hear theirs.”
3-3 Vague Meaning: 2, WC: 194, ET: Autonomy
“This experience changed my life for the better, making me realize what I look to strive for & what I aspire to become. It broke apart my outer shell which was full of fear & doubt & instead made it so I could open myself up and explore new possibilities I didn't know I had.”
6-6 Insightful Meaning: 3, WC: 106, ET: Achievement
“I have learned from that experience so much. I ask for help when I'm lost in class or don't know how to do anything. I am always asking for help instead of stressing myself out & not understanding or falling to a mental breakdown.”
Findings
RQ#1: Meaning Making Across Identity Statuses
Meaning Making: Adolescents with illnesses in the searching status demonstrated lower average amounts of meaning making (0.67) compared to committed counterparts (2.00) (see Figure 1 & 2).
Word Count: Adolescents in the searching status produced narratives averaging 25 words, while those in the committed status produced narratives with an average of 123 words (see Figure 1 & 2).
Summary of Findings: Adolescents in the committed status make more meaning of their summer camp experiences than those with an illness in the searching status.
RQ#2: Meaning Making Within Identity Statuses
Meaning Making: Adolescents in the searching status with an illness demonstrated lower average amounts of meaning making (0.67) compared to those without illness in the searching status (1.67) (see Figure 1). Adolescents in the committed status with an illness demonstrated similar meaning making patterns (2.00) to those without illness in the committed status (2.33) (see Figure 2).
Word Count: Adolescents in the searching status with an illness produced narratives averaging 25 words, while those without illness produced narratives averaging 80 words (see Figure 1). Adolescents in the committed status with an illness produced narratives averaging 123 words, while those without illness produced narratives averaging 72 words (see Figure 2).
Summary of Findings: Adolescents in the committed status regardless of a presence of illness make more meaning of their summer camp experiences than those in the searching identity status.
Participants
Adolescent campers age 16-18
6 with an illness (hemophilia, sickle cell, HIV, AIDS, cancer, and/or metabolic disease)
6 without illness
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp: Hero’s Journey- Ashford, CT
5 camp sessions for campers with serious illness, 1 session for campers without an illness
Quantitative
Data & Analysis
Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS) (Luyckx et al., 2008) included in 3-6 month follow-up survey administered online
DIDS latent class analysis (SAS 9.4 at Tufts Clinical & Transitional Science Institute)
Qualitative
Significant Camp Experience Narrative- open ended question administered in the 3-6 month follow-up survey
Narratives coded by three researchers for:
Meaning Making: 0=no meaning, 1=factual meaning, 2=vague meaning, 3=insightful meaning
Event Type: mortality, relationships, autonomy, achievement
Word Count
Mixed Methods
Data Analysis
(n=12)
After separately analyzing the data, quantitative and qualitative data was compared to determine if adolescent identity plays a role in meaning making of significant camp experiences.
Integration of the DIDS with the qualitative findings from the narratives was used to examine the connections between meaning making patterns and identity status and understand human behavior related to identity
Data Transformation
Figure 1: Searching Identity Status with and without Illness
Participant
1-1
2-4
3-5
6-2
6-9
6-10
Illness? Y N
avg.
Meaning Making 1 2
1.16
Event Type
relationship
achievement
Narrative Word Count 33 22 20 42 74
125
52.67
Average Meaning Making: 0.67
Average Word Count: 25.00
Average Meaning Making: 1.67
Average Word Count: 80.33
Figure 2: Committed Identity Status with and without Illness
Participant
1-4
3-3
4-4
6-4
6-5
6-6
Illness? Y N
avg.
Meaning Making 2 3
2.16
Event Type
autonomy
relationship
achievement
Narrative Word Count 89
194 87 62 49
106
97.83
Average Meaning Making: 2.00
Average Word Count:
Average Meaning Making: 2.33
Average Word Count: 72.33
Implications for Camp Programmers
Educate camp professionals on adolescent identity development and the role of meaning making Maximize opportunities for meaning making through activity debrief and program wrap up
Create programs for individuals with illness that create opportunities to participate and engage in meaning making experiences