Engaging in Narrative Inquiries With Children and Youth

D. Jean Clandinin is Professor and Director of the Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development at the University of Alberta and one of the pioneers of narrative inquiry. A former teacher, counselor, and psychologist, she is author or co-author of 10 books and numerous articles.. Clandinin is recipient of the 1993 AERA Early Career Award, 1999 Canadian Education Association Whitworth Award for educational research, 2001 the Kaplan Research Achievement Award, and a 2004 Killam Scholar. She is also winner of the 2008 Larry Beauchamp Award, the 2009 Killam Mentoring Award, and the 2010 winner of the Graduate Teaching Award at the University of Alberta. She was awarded American Educational Research Association Division B Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and served as Division B Vice President. Vera Caine is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta and a Canadian Institutes for Health New Investigator. Her research focuses on life-course perspectives in the area of health equity and social justice, particularly when it comes to advancing health equity for people whose lives are affected by HIV, poverty, social exclusion, and discrimination. Using a visual narrative inquiry approach, Vera worked in close relation with five urban aboriginal women exploring their lives with HIV. Vera has also engaged in research alongside nurses, women at risk for or living with HIV during their early mothering experience, and most recently alongside children who are at risk for sexual exploitation. She is involved in sustaining and developing initiatives that reflect primary health care, value interdisciplinary work, and advocate health equity. Sean Lessard is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory. He is a former teacher, counselor, and consultant working both within urban and community settings. His research interests include Indigenous youth, narrative inquiry, curriculum studies, and early school leaving. Sean is currently an Associate Professor in Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. His most recent research collaboration revolves around the intergenerational experiences of urban aboriginal youth in an after school program. Janice Huber is Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development, University of Alberta. Since 2001, Janice has been engaged in graduate and undergraduate teacher education. She is co-author of three earlier books, Composing Diverse Identities: Narrative Inquiries into the Interwoven Lives of Children and Teachers (Routledge, 2006), Places of Curriculum Making: Narrative Inquiries into Children’s Lives in Motion (Emerald, 2011), and Warrior Women: Remaking Postsecondary Places Through Relational Narrative Inquiry (Emerald, 2012), and chapters and journal articles. Janice has engaged in narrative inquiries with children, youth, families, teachers, principals, and Elders. Prior to completing her PhD, Janice was a primary and elementary teacher in rural northern Alberta, The Netherlands, and with Edmonton Public Schools.