test Life dreams, appreciative inquiry and empowerment: A study of creative and narrative approaches among university students|Homo Virtualis

Life dreams, appreciative inquiry and empowerment: A study of creative and narrative approaches among university students

PDF (English)
Veröffentlicht: Nov 25, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/homvir.43488
Anna Kouroukouni
Department of Psychology, Panteion University
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5214-8722
Abstract

This study explores the relationship between university students and their life dreams through a qualitative, creative, and narrative research framework. Based on Appreciative Inquiry and a multimodal approach, the research combines semi-structured individual interviews with techniques such as drawing and photo-production. These methods allowed participants to express their dreams in multidimensional ways and reflect on their personal growth, identity, and aspirations. The findings highlight the interplay between self-awareness, self-esteem, and the challenges faced by young individuals in academic environments. Empowerment emerges through supportive networks and affirming experiences, while life dreams are framed as acts of resistance to societal and familial pressures. A recurring theme is the refusal to compromise, which participants embrace as a life philosophy. Through the combination of verbal and non-verbal data, this study aims to bring to light the richness of university-student experiences, emphasizing the role of creative expression in constructing meaningful life narratives. It invites dialogue about how psychology and the social sciences can support youth empowerment by cultivating spaces of appreciation, possibility, and authenticity.

Article Details
  • Rubrik
  • Articles
Creative-Commons-Lizenz
Dieses Werk steht unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

· Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Downloads
Keine Nutzungsdaten vorhanden.
Literaturhinweise
Barrett, F. J., & Fry, R. E. (2005). Appreciative inquiry: A positive approach to building cooperative capacity. Taos Institute Publications. https://www.taosinstitute.net/product/appreciative-inquiry-a-positive-approach-to-building-cooperative-capacity-by-frank-barrett-ronald-fry
Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an ecology of mind. University of Chicago Press.
Bloor, M., & Wood, F. (2006). Keywords in qualitative methods: A vocabulary of research concepts. Sage.
Brailas, A. (2014). Networked grounded theory. The Qualitative Report, 19(8), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1270
Brailas, A. (2020). Using drawings in qualitative interviews: An introduction to the practice. The Qualitative Report, 25(12), 4447–4460. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4585
Brailas, A., Papachristopoulos, K., & Tragou, E. (2023). Introduction to qualitative data analysis with Taguette software: Validity and reliability issues in qualitative research. Open Education, 19(1), 29–54. https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/openjournal/article/view/26960
Brailas, A. (2025). The appreciative qualitative interview: A research method for empowering people. Methodology: European Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 21(1), 74–90. https://doi.org/10.5964/meth.15421
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bruner, J. (1991). The narrative construction of reality. Critical Inquiry, 18(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1086/448619
Cattaneo, L. B., & Chapman, A. R. (2010). The process of empowerment: A model for use in research and practice. American Psychologist, 65(7), 646–659. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018854
Conklin, T. A., & Hartman, N. S. (2014). Appreciative inquiry and autonomy-supportive classes in business education: A semilongitudinal study of AI in the classroom. Journal of Experiential Education, 37(3), 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825913514732
Cooperrider, D. L., & Whitney, D. (2005). A positive revolution in change: Appreciative inquiry. ResearchGate.
Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/152483991558094
Del Busso, L. A., & Reavey, P. (2013). Moving beyond the surface: A poststructuralist phenomenology of young women's embodied experiences in everyday life. Psychology & Sexuality, 4(1), 46–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2011.589866
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Sage Publications.
Drew, S. A., & Wallis, J. L. (2014). The use of appreciative inquiry in the practices of large-scale organisational change: A review and critique. Journal of General Management, 39(4), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/030630701403900402
Duranti, A., & Goodwin, C. (1992). Rethinking context: Language as an interactive phenomenon. Cambridge University Press.
Fossey, E., Harvey, C., McDermott, F., & Davidson, L. (2002). Understanding and evaluating qualitative research. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 36(6), 717–732. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1614.2002.01100.x
Gergen, K. J. (1997). The place of the psyche in a constructed world. Theory & Psychology, 7(6), 723–746. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354397076001
Goleman, D. (1987, September 27). The mind over the body. The New York Times Magazine. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/27/magazine/the-mind-over-the-body.html
Gotsis, H. (2016). The experience of training with Peter Lang in the Systemic Appreciative Inquiry Approach as a source of values and resources (Part A). Metalogos: Systemic Therapy Journal, 30. https://metalogos-systemic-therapy-journal.eu/gr/issue/30
Harper, D. (2002). Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation. Visual Studies, 17(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725860220137345
Isari, F., & Pourkos, M. (2015). Qualitative research methodology [Undergraduate textbook]. Kallipos, Open Academic Editions. https://hdl.handle.net/11419/5824
Lang, P., & McAdam, E. (1997). Narrative-ating: Future dreams in present living. Human Systems, 9, 8–11.
Linley, P. A., Nielsen, K. M., Gillett, R., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Using signature strengths in pursuit of goals: Effects on goal progress, need satisfaction, and well-being, and implications for coaching psychologists. International Coaching Psychology Review, 5(1), 6–15.
Markou, S. (2016). Interview with Peter Lang (2007). Metalogos: Systemic Therapy Journal, 30. https://metalogos-systemic-therapy-journal.eu/gr/issue/30
Milena, Z. R., Dainora, G., & Alin, S. (2008). Qualitative research methods: A comparison between focus-group and in-depth interview. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 17(4), 1279–1283.
Paraskevopoulou-Kollia, E. A. (2008). Methodology of qualitative research in the social sciences and interviews. Open Education: The Journal for Open and Distance Education and Educational Technology, 4(1), 72–81.
Rossetto, K. R. (2014). Qualitative research interviews: Assessing the therapeutic value and challenges. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31(4), 482–489. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514522892
Schooley, S. E. (2012). Using appreciative inquiry to engage the citizenry: Four potential challenges for public administrators. International Journal of Public Administration, 35(5), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2012.655465
Serafini, F., & Reid, S. F. (2023). Multimodal content analysis: Expanding analytical approaches to content analysis. Visual Communication, 22(4), 623–649. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357219864133
Symeou, L. (2007). Validity and reliability in qualitative educational research: Presentation, justification, and practice. In Proceedings of the 5th Panhellenic Conference of the Pedagogical Society of Greece (pp. 333–339).
Theodorou, E. (2008). Just how involved is ‘involved’? Re-thinking parental involvement through exploring teachers’ perceptions of immigrant families’ school involvement in Cyprus. Ethnography and Education, 3(3), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457820802305493
Tsiolis, G. (2014). Methods and techniques of analysis in qualitative social research. Kritiki Publications.
Van Der Vaart, G., Van Hoven, B., & Huigen, P. P. P. (2018). Creative and arts-based research methods in academic research: Lessons from a participatory research project in the Netherlands. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-19.2.2961
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. New York: Norton.
Willig, C. (2015). Qualitative methods in psychology: An introduction (E. Tseliou, Ed. & Trans.). Gutenberg.