L. Smythe - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by L. Smythe
The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2003
ABSTRACT
Transactional Perspectives on Occupation, 2012
This chapter draws on the stories told by elder New Zealanders as a way of illuminating the deepl... more This chapter draws on the stories told by elder New Zealanders as a way of illuminating the deeply contextual, habitual, relational and precarious nature of engaging in everyday occupations. In the telling we hear how routines matter because they give shape and structure to a day. Having a purpose, however, calls one into engaged activity with enthusiasm. Everyday occupations offer connectedness in time and with others. They can give a sense of continuity which stretches back into the distant past and which projects forward into the future. Memories and deeply held social customs matter. As such, those important to one"s life who have died still stay as part of the livings" relational context. Paradoxically, we also hear how the ordinariness of familiar occupations is the context for the unfamiliar to be made visible. Precariousness is ever-present. These and other complexities of being in the everyday in advanced age, such as aloneness, and intergenerational relationships are analyzed vis-à-vis occupation using both a phenomenological and a transactional perspective. It is only by understanding the holistic, contextual nature of engaging in everyday occupations that one comes to recognize that when working with older people one must sensitively listen and think before acting. A transactional perspective provides the conceptual tools to support this practice.
British Journal of Midwifery, 2010
ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of research which investigated what is shaping the un... more ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of research which investigated what is shaping the understanding of the public and also the practice of health professionals in relation to rising rates of intervention in childbirth. This research was carried out in response to the increasing rates of intervention in childbirth in Aotearoa, New Zealand using critical hermeneutics methodology. The particular approach used was critical interpretation as formulated by Hans Kogler. The findings revealed that the everyday world and its associated processes of socialization in the 21st century—in particular pain, choice, and technology—shapes the practice of health professionals and the understanding of the public in relation to increasing intervention. These findings are supported by the revelation that many of the social and cultural values that underpin Western society in the 21st century, such as convenience, ease, and control, correlate with intervention being increasingly sought after and used. This milieu of intervention, which increasingly surrounds childbirth, calls into question those things that have traditionally been at the heart of childbirth: the ability of the woman to birth and the clinical skills of the health professional. The research presented in this article provides insight into those things that are creating a milieu in which intervention is increasingly normalized.
Sport Management Review, 2013
Midwifery, 2012
to explore expert practitioners' methods of manag... more to explore expert practitioners' methods of managing shoulder dystocia. a qualitative interpretive study enabled a descriptive, hermeneutic analysis of data collected. Data were collected via tape recorded interviews, transcribed and analysed to explore themes and meanings. five clinicians (four midwives and one obstetrician) who have significant experience in the management of shoulder dystocia and work in high risk maternity practice. the results of this study demonstrate that the actions to be taken in the event of shoulder dystocia should be further examined and possibly reviewed. The three simple steps of McRoberts Manoeuvre - Suprapubic Pressure - Axillary Traction could revolutionise the way in which shoulder dystocia is managed.
New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, 2013
This paper reviews approaches to midwifery education from the 1900s to 2013. During this time, ed... more This paper reviews approaches to midwifery education from the 1900s to 2013. During this time, education has been influenced by various factors such as: midwifery registration, perinatal mortality rates, pain relief and technology for childbirth, educational theory, the consumer movement, midwifery autonomy and economic imperatives. The various factors have not only influenced what has been taught in midwifery education but how it has been taught (the pedagogical approach). Uncovering what has shaped the pedagogy assists in understanding assumptions about the way midwives are educated and opens the potential to consider new pedagogical approaches, such as narrative pedagogy.
Health Care for Women International, 2014
Four women who had been excised were interviewed about their experiences of giving birth. Using h... more Four women who had been excised were interviewed about their experiences of giving birth. Using hermeneutic phenomenology we analyzed their narratives to more fully understand their experiences of childbirth in the context of excision. Childbirth is characterized by silence related to excision. To ensure safe care, increased communication is needed. The onus for opening channels of communication rests with health professionals whose aim is to provide safe, appropriate care to women and their families. In this article we give voice to women's call for sensitive communication that acknowledges their excision and supports them through the challenges it presents for birth.
Community Development Journal, 2006
AbstractUnderstanding is always translated into language. The danger is we then take-for-granted ... more AbstractUnderstanding is always translated into language. The danger is we then take-for-granted a shared common meaning of language. Gadamer reminds us that we each understand according to prejudices born of our whole life experience. None of us can escape such prejudices for they are ‘how’ we understand. A hermeneutic approach calls us to strive to articulate our prejudices, recognising that
... thesis. Thanks also to Lucy Pardee for her editing skills, Sharron Jones for her formatting .... more ... thesis. Thanks also to Lucy Pardee for her editing skills, Sharron Jones for her formatting ... encouragement and support I have received from my friends Jude Hudson, Juliette Wotton, Adrienne Priday, Sarah Hodgetts and Lynn Chapman. I would also like to ...
African and Asian Studies, 2007
When people from one culture visit the transformational development work in another country the q... more When people from one culture visit the transformational development work in another country the question of 'understanding' is raised. This paper draws on the philosophical writings of Heidegger and Gadamer to show how interpretations are made in an experience of 'being there'. We argue that understanding is always on-the-way, influenced by past experience, interest, and mood. 'Being-there' affords an opportunity to move beyond taken-for-granted assumptions, to become more attuned to the hermeneutic 'as' that reveals the complex nature of 'meaning'. At the same time, we recognise that understanding always comes with the possibility of misunderstanding. Dialogue, where partners seeks to understand the experience of 'other, opens the way forward.
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 2009
ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the kno... more ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the knowledge that informs the 'know-how'of practice, offers guidance. Phronesis, the dynamic wisdom that trusts the 'play'of relationship in the supervision encounter, ...
Midwifery, 2016
To ponder afresh what makes a good birth experience in a listening manner. Design A hermeneutic a... more To ponder afresh what makes a good birth experience in a listening manner. Design A hermeneutic approach that first explores the nature of how to listen to a story that is already familiar to us and then draws on Heidegger's notion of the fourfold to seek to capture how the components of a 'good birth' come together within experience. Setting Primary birthing centre, New Zealand Participants The focus of this paper is the story of one participant. It was her second birth; her first birth involved a lot of medical intervention. She had planned to travel one hour to the tertiary birthing unit but in labour chose to stay at the Birth Centre. Her story seems to portray a 'very good birth'. Findings In talking of birth, the nature of a research approach is commonly to focus on one aspect: the place, the care givers, or the mode of care. In contrast, we took on the challenge of first listening to all that was involved in one woman's story. We came to see that what made her experience 'good' was 'everything' gathered together in a coherent and supportive oneness. Heidegger's notion of the fourfold helped reveal that one cannot talk about one thing without at the same time talking about all the other things as well. Confidence was the thread that held the story together. Key conclusions There is value in putting aside the fragmented approach of explicating birth to recognise the coming together of place, care, situation, and the mystery beyond explanation. Women grow a confidence in place when peers and community encourage the choice based on their own experience. Confidence of caregiver comes in relationship. Feeling confident within 'self' is part of the mystery. When confidence in the different dimensions holds together, birth is 'good'. Implications or Practice One cannot simply build a new birthing unit and assume it will offer a good experience of birth. Experience is about so much more. Being mindful of the dimensions of confidence that need to be built up and sheltered is a quest for wise leaders. Protecting the pockets where we know 'good birth' already flourishes is essential.
British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Feb 1, 2009
ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the kno... more ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the knowledge that informs the 'know-how'of practice, offers guidance. Phronesis, the dynamic wisdom that trusts the 'play'of relationship in the supervision encounter, ...
Feminism & Psychology, 2012
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
International Journal of Childbirth, 2015
Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice, Jan 25, 2015
Health professional educators have long grappled with how to teach the more elusive art of practi... more Health professional educators have long grappled with how to teach the more elusive art of practice alongside the science (a term that encompasses the sort of professional knowledge that can be directly passed on). A competent practitioner is one who knows when, how and for whom to apply knowledge and skills, thereby making the links between theory and practice. They combine art and science in such a way that integrates knowledge with insight. This participatory hermeneutic study explored the experience of teachers and students of implementing a narrative-centred curriculum in undergraduate midwifery education. It revealed that when real life narratives were central to the learning environment, students' learning about the art of midwifery practice was enhanced as they learned about midwifery decisions, reflected on their own values and beliefs and felt an emotional connection with the narrator. Further, art and science became melded together in the context specific wisdom of pr...
Australasian journal on ageing, 2014
To offer a perspective when research narratives about how ageing is lived in everyday life are th... more To offer a perspective when research narratives about how ageing is lived in everyday life are the primary data. A literature search explored the garnering of narratives about everyday life in advanced age in qualitative research. Narrative examples from the authors' research, and supervised student research, are drawn on to illustrate the experiences of ageing when going about an ordinary day. Stories show the lived experience of ageing is both ordinary and complex. Notions revealed are: age as constructed, as assumed by others, as being engaged every day, and as living the day my way. Understanding what it means to be older is in part shaped by which stories are told, who tells the stories and what sense is made of them. In gerontology research, 'story telling' can be a potent means of knowing what it means to be 'older' and of being worthy to self and others.
The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2003
ABSTRACT
Transactional Perspectives on Occupation, 2012
This chapter draws on the stories told by elder New Zealanders as a way of illuminating the deepl... more This chapter draws on the stories told by elder New Zealanders as a way of illuminating the deeply contextual, habitual, relational and precarious nature of engaging in everyday occupations. In the telling we hear how routines matter because they give shape and structure to a day. Having a purpose, however, calls one into engaged activity with enthusiasm. Everyday occupations offer connectedness in time and with others. They can give a sense of continuity which stretches back into the distant past and which projects forward into the future. Memories and deeply held social customs matter. As such, those important to one"s life who have died still stay as part of the livings" relational context. Paradoxically, we also hear how the ordinariness of familiar occupations is the context for the unfamiliar to be made visible. Precariousness is ever-present. These and other complexities of being in the everyday in advanced age, such as aloneness, and intergenerational relationships are analyzed vis-à-vis occupation using both a phenomenological and a transactional perspective. It is only by understanding the holistic, contextual nature of engaging in everyday occupations that one comes to recognize that when working with older people one must sensitively listen and think before acting. A transactional perspective provides the conceptual tools to support this practice.
British Journal of Midwifery, 2010
ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of research which investigated what is shaping the un... more ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of research which investigated what is shaping the understanding of the public and also the practice of health professionals in relation to rising rates of intervention in childbirth. This research was carried out in response to the increasing rates of intervention in childbirth in Aotearoa, New Zealand using critical hermeneutics methodology. The particular approach used was critical interpretation as formulated by Hans Kogler. The findings revealed that the everyday world and its associated processes of socialization in the 21st century—in particular pain, choice, and technology—shapes the practice of health professionals and the understanding of the public in relation to increasing intervention. These findings are supported by the revelation that many of the social and cultural values that underpin Western society in the 21st century, such as convenience, ease, and control, correlate with intervention being increasingly sought after and used. This milieu of intervention, which increasingly surrounds childbirth, calls into question those things that have traditionally been at the heart of childbirth: the ability of the woman to birth and the clinical skills of the health professional. The research presented in this article provides insight into those things that are creating a milieu in which intervention is increasingly normalized.
Sport Management Review, 2013
Midwifery, 2012
to explore expert practitioners' methods of manag... more to explore expert practitioners' methods of managing shoulder dystocia. a qualitative interpretive study enabled a descriptive, hermeneutic analysis of data collected. Data were collected via tape recorded interviews, transcribed and analysed to explore themes and meanings. five clinicians (four midwives and one obstetrician) who have significant experience in the management of shoulder dystocia and work in high risk maternity practice. the results of this study demonstrate that the actions to be taken in the event of shoulder dystocia should be further examined and possibly reviewed. The three simple steps of McRoberts Manoeuvre - Suprapubic Pressure - Axillary Traction could revolutionise the way in which shoulder dystocia is managed.
New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, 2013
This paper reviews approaches to midwifery education from the 1900s to 2013. During this time, ed... more This paper reviews approaches to midwifery education from the 1900s to 2013. During this time, education has been influenced by various factors such as: midwifery registration, perinatal mortality rates, pain relief and technology for childbirth, educational theory, the consumer movement, midwifery autonomy and economic imperatives. The various factors have not only influenced what has been taught in midwifery education but how it has been taught (the pedagogical approach). Uncovering what has shaped the pedagogy assists in understanding assumptions about the way midwives are educated and opens the potential to consider new pedagogical approaches, such as narrative pedagogy.
Health Care for Women International, 2014
Four women who had been excised were interviewed about their experiences of giving birth. Using h... more Four women who had been excised were interviewed about their experiences of giving birth. Using hermeneutic phenomenology we analyzed their narratives to more fully understand their experiences of childbirth in the context of excision. Childbirth is characterized by silence related to excision. To ensure safe care, increased communication is needed. The onus for opening channels of communication rests with health professionals whose aim is to provide safe, appropriate care to women and their families. In this article we give voice to women's call for sensitive communication that acknowledges their excision and supports them through the challenges it presents for birth.
Community Development Journal, 2006
AbstractUnderstanding is always translated into language. The danger is we then take-for-granted ... more AbstractUnderstanding is always translated into language. The danger is we then take-for-granted a shared common meaning of language. Gadamer reminds us that we each understand according to prejudices born of our whole life experience. None of us can escape such prejudices for they are ‘how’ we understand. A hermeneutic approach calls us to strive to articulate our prejudices, recognising that
... thesis. Thanks also to Lucy Pardee for her editing skills, Sharron Jones for her formatting .... more ... thesis. Thanks also to Lucy Pardee for her editing skills, Sharron Jones for her formatting ... encouragement and support I have received from my friends Jude Hudson, Juliette Wotton, Adrienne Priday, Sarah Hodgetts and Lynn Chapman. I would also like to ...
African and Asian Studies, 2007
When people from one culture visit the transformational development work in another country the q... more When people from one culture visit the transformational development work in another country the question of 'understanding' is raised. This paper draws on the philosophical writings of Heidegger and Gadamer to show how interpretations are made in an experience of 'being there'. We argue that understanding is always on-the-way, influenced by past experience, interest, and mood. 'Being-there' affords an opportunity to move beyond taken-for-granted assumptions, to become more attuned to the hermeneutic 'as' that reveals the complex nature of 'meaning'. At the same time, we recognise that understanding always comes with the possibility of misunderstanding. Dialogue, where partners seeks to understand the experience of 'other, opens the way forward.
British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 2009
ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the kno... more ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the knowledge that informs the 'know-how'of practice, offers guidance. Phronesis, the dynamic wisdom that trusts the 'play'of relationship in the supervision encounter, ...
Midwifery, 2016
To ponder afresh what makes a good birth experience in a listening manner. Design A hermeneutic a... more To ponder afresh what makes a good birth experience in a listening manner. Design A hermeneutic approach that first explores the nature of how to listen to a story that is already familiar to us and then draws on Heidegger's notion of the fourfold to seek to capture how the components of a 'good birth' come together within experience. Setting Primary birthing centre, New Zealand Participants The focus of this paper is the story of one participant. It was her second birth; her first birth involved a lot of medical intervention. She had planned to travel one hour to the tertiary birthing unit but in labour chose to stay at the Birth Centre. Her story seems to portray a 'very good birth'. Findings In talking of birth, the nature of a research approach is commonly to focus on one aspect: the place, the care givers, or the mode of care. In contrast, we took on the challenge of first listening to all that was involved in one woman's story. We came to see that what made her experience 'good' was 'everything' gathered together in a coherent and supportive oneness. Heidegger's notion of the fourfold helped reveal that one cannot talk about one thing without at the same time talking about all the other things as well. Confidence was the thread that held the story together. Key conclusions There is value in putting aside the fragmented approach of explicating birth to recognise the coming together of place, care, situation, and the mystery beyond explanation. Women grow a confidence in place when peers and community encourage the choice based on their own experience. Confidence of caregiver comes in relationship. Feeling confident within 'self' is part of the mystery. When confidence in the different dimensions holds together, birth is 'good'. Implications or Practice One cannot simply build a new birthing unit and assume it will offer a good experience of birth. Experience is about so much more. Being mindful of the dimensions of confidence that need to be built up and sheltered is a quest for wise leaders. Protecting the pockets where we know 'good birth' already flourishes is essential.
British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Feb 1, 2009
ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the kno... more ABSTRACT The lived experience of professional supervision is complex and dynamic. Techne, the knowledge that informs the 'know-how'of practice, offers guidance. Phronesis, the dynamic wisdom that trusts the 'play'of relationship in the supervision encounter, ...
Feminism & Psychology, 2012
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
International Journal of Childbirth, 2015
Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice, Jan 25, 2015
Health professional educators have long grappled with how to teach the more elusive art of practi... more Health professional educators have long grappled with how to teach the more elusive art of practice alongside the science (a term that encompasses the sort of professional knowledge that can be directly passed on). A competent practitioner is one who knows when, how and for whom to apply knowledge and skills, thereby making the links between theory and practice. They combine art and science in such a way that integrates knowledge with insight. This participatory hermeneutic study explored the experience of teachers and students of implementing a narrative-centred curriculum in undergraduate midwifery education. It revealed that when real life narratives were central to the learning environment, students' learning about the art of midwifery practice was enhanced as they learned about midwifery decisions, reflected on their own values and beliefs and felt an emotional connection with the narrator. Further, art and science became melded together in the context specific wisdom of pr...
Australasian journal on ageing, 2014
To offer a perspective when research narratives about how ageing is lived in everyday life are th... more To offer a perspective when research narratives about how ageing is lived in everyday life are the primary data. A literature search explored the garnering of narratives about everyday life in advanced age in qualitative research. Narrative examples from the authors' research, and supervised student research, are drawn on to illustrate the experiences of ageing when going about an ordinary day. Stories show the lived experience of ageing is both ordinary and complex. Notions revealed are: age as constructed, as assumed by others, as being engaged every day, and as living the day my way. Understanding what it means to be older is in part shaped by which stories are told, who tells the stories and what sense is made of them. In gerontology research, 'story telling' can be a potent means of knowing what it means to be 'older' and of being worthy to self and others.