Presumed universal narrative structure can undermine children's identity development

What is it about?

The many stories, or narratives, of life, make up identity. Current practice assessing and treating narrative language in children presumes a universal narrative structure biased toward speakers with Western cultural backgrounds. Presuming one universal narrative structure can result in the overidentification of children in special education and can threaten identity development. Overwriting a child's cultural style can negatively impact identity formation and has the potential for cultural erasure. The author reviews current practices in speech-language pathology through a critical pedagogy lens and challenges the assumption that a universal narrative structure applies to all speakers. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the author reviews the literature to demonstrate the cultural variations of narrative style and the implications of presuming a universal narrative structure in research and the assessment and treatment of children.

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Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash

Photo by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash

Why is it important?

A unique contribution of this manuscript is that it goes beyond the concern with overidentifying minoritized children in special education and discusses the potential for cultural erasure by imposing a dominant narrative structure.

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