166 - WHISPERS OF CHANGE: USING NARRATIVE ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

Session: D01S042 - Work, Culture & Contexts
AUTHORS:
Baquiano Marshaley (University of Guam ~ Mangilao ~ Guam) , Teng-Calleja Mendiola (Ateneo de Manila University ~ Quezon City ~ Philippines) , Caringal-Go Jaimee Felice (Ateneo de Manila University ~ Quezon City ~ Philippines) , Ramos Raymond Edmidio Victor (Ateneo de Manila University ~ Quezon City ~ Philippines) , Manaois Jason (Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology ~ Iligan City ~ Philippines) , Calleja Josef Nikolai (Ateneo de Manila University ~ Quezon City ~ Philippines) , Perez Josephine (Ateneo de Manila University ~ Quezon City ~ Philippines)
Abstract text:
The study examined personal stories and publicly shared narratives about community transformation among beneficiaries/partners of six non-government organizations in the Philippines. We conducted 16 focus groups and three interviews to collect data, employing an integrated approach to narrative analysis for interpretation. We identified four key themes that weave together the participants' personal and public narratives of transformation within their communities: narratives of agency and empowerment, drivers of community transformation, challenges to transformation, and narratives of transformed lives. Their stories intertwine personal, interpersonal, and social dimensions, highlighting not only their understanding of community transformation but also the identities that emerge in the change process. Using narrative analysis as the theoretical lens and analytical framework allowed for an exploration of the experiences and meaning of community transformation in the stories of community members.