A Narrative Inquiry Study of Academic Failure Stories and "I Can't" Stories of Adult Basic Education and GED Stories

This qualitative narrative inquiry study examined the academic failure stories and "I can't" stories of fifteen Adult Basic Education and GED students in a small rural community college in the northwest region of the United States. Participants ranged in age from 22 to 60 years old. Student participants were asked to complete two exercises, the timelines and poem exercise, complete a learning autobiography and to participate in two interviews and a focus group. Three sub-questions were asked stemming from a central research question. These questions were derived from researcher experiences and a review of the literature. The review of the literature focused on the psychology of narrative, storytelling, constructivist theory, multicultural pedagogy and language. Qualitative data was gathered for a two month period. The analysis looked for six elements: academic experience, patterns, epiphany, language use, knowledge base and barriers. The study found that prolonged academic failure and multiple "I can't" stories have a profound effect on students' current learning attempts. The findings of the study answer both the central research question 'How are "I can't" stories embedded in academic failure stories and all three sub-questions. "I can't" stories highlighted the tension and tone of the narratives, barriers and impact of academic failure. The analysis highlighted the individual impact of academic failure and "I can't" stories" in their current learning attempts. The findings support how repeated academic failure impacts a learner's identity.