Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1996

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Robert F. Kronick

Committee Members

Robert Gorman, Donald Dessart, Dianne Whitaker

Abstract

Using narrative fiction as a vehicle, this dissertation examines themes pertinent to the practice of education and psychology. It is an allegorical novel populated by five main characters who, speaking in first person, tell stories that blend together to form the plot. The author's intent is to raise questions and explore themes related to the application of educational and psychological interventions in the schools and community. Fictional narrative analysis is proposed as a creative research activity -- a teaching/learning process through which the author reviews ideas as they emerge in the voices and through interaction between the characters. The story is a medium through which the reader may interact with issues presented by the characters. There are no final truths to be found in this dissertation, only a milieu in which critical issues in education and psychology can be examined and perspectives considered. The work is entirely fictional. None of the characters are intended to resemble actual persons. Footnotes are applied to explicate concepts and salient ideas related to educational psychology. The novel is followed by five essays that explain the motive and foundation for the project. References and a Vita are included.

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