Front Cover -- Composing Lives in Transition: A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Early School Leavers -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Contributors -- Acknowledgement -- Foreword -- Chapter 1. Introduction -- Situating Our Work -- Composing Diverse Identities -- Narrative Beginnings -- Jean's Narrative Beginnings -- I. Early landscapes -- II. High school graduation -- III. Becoming a teacher -- IV. Becoming a narrative inquirer -- Pam's Narrative Beginnings -- Vera's Narrative Beginnings -- Revisiting Our Research Puzzle -- Chapter 2. Literature Review -- Methodology for the Literature Review -- Coming to Terms: Shifts over Time -- Statistical Overview -- Canada -- Provincial dropout rate -- Framing Early School Leavers -- Individual Deficit Model (Risk Factors) -- Trends with dropouts -- Risk factors - clusters -- Critique of risk factors -- Process theories of disengagement -- School Context -- Rhythms in and out of school - continuous moving -- Voices in and outside of school -- Unquestioned assumptions -- Mismatch between education and schooling -- Positions of power -- Relational being -- Being different in schools/continuous rubbing up -- Social-Cultural Contexts -- Policies -- Consumer culture -- Social issues -- Community -- Identity formation -- Youth in Flux -- Issues and Directions for Future Research -- Primary Focus on Individual (Risk/Deficit Perspective) -- School Leaving as a Point in Time Rather than a Process -- No Coherent Framework for Early School Leaving Exists -- Missing Perspectives -- No Consideration of Early School Leavers in Context and over Time -- Methodological Considerations -- Chapter 3. Methodology -- The Three-Dimensional Narrative Inquiry Space -- Finding Our Participants -- Challenges in Recruiting Participants -- The Research Team -- Narrative Inquiry with Participants -- Ethics.

From Field Texts to Interim Research Texts -- One Version of a Final Research Text -- Three Years Later: Another Research Text -- Chapter 4. A Narrative Account of Robert -- Reconnecting in Conversation -- Memories of Elementary Years -- Memories of Junior High Years -- Memories of Senior High Years -- Chapter 5. A Narrative Account of Scott -- Chapter 6. A Narrative Account of Jasmine -- I Had Big Dreams: Jasmine's Stories -- Life in a Central African Country: I Could Read Perfectly in Grade 4! -- Life in a Northern African Country: I Was Among the Top 10 in My Class! -- Life in Canada: My English is Not Good Enough! -- Chapter 7. A Narrative Account of Andrew -- Relationships -- Being a Responsible Member of His Family -- Belonging to a Church -- Playing Sports -- Making Sense through Music -- Going to School -- Interrupting his Stories to Live By -- Stories of Becoming, of Being on the Way Back into School -- Playing Fair: Living by an Ethical Code as Part of a Team -- Chapter 8. A Narrative Account of Billie Bob -- Growing up in the Community -- A Sense of Community at School -- ''Sports Made Me Want to Go to School'' -- ''I Helped Out at School'' -- ''Teachers Have Known Me All My Life'' -- Billie Bob's Stories to Live by Interrupted -- A Family Story of Education -- Reconnecting with Her Community … and Making a Difference -- Looking Ahead -- Chapter 9. A Narrative Account of Kevlar -- Fortune Cookie -- Afterward -- Chapter 10. A Narrative Account of Ben -- … Where I Am From … -- I Have Never Seen it in My Eye - Burma, the Place Wherever I Go -- I Have Been Drawing Since I Was a Child, Even Back Home, Whatever, Even in India -- Chapter 11. A Narrative Account of Truong -- Moving Around: Returning Home -- The Time of His Life -- Playing Sports as a Way to Make a Life -- The Spaces between Home and School.

From the Thai Refugee Camp to the Inner City -- A Family Home Place -- Losing the Coach, Losing the Team, Losing Interest -- Taking Care of Others: His Mother, His Siblings, Kids Who Are Weaker -- A Spiritual Life -- Looking Back, Looking Ahead -- Chapter 12. A Narrative Account of Lynn -- Caring for Others -- Aware My Tense is Everpresent -- Chapter 13. A Narrative Account of Christian -- Chapter 14. A Narrative Account of Skye -- Prologue -- Bus Station Stories (First Meeting) -- Sliding Backward in Time... -- An Invitation to Stand in a Different Relation -- The Arrival... -- Taking Me Home - Helping Me to Remember -- What it Means to Dance … Moving Away and Then Coming Back Home -- Three Sisters -- Teachings from Our Parents -- ''I Am the Luckiest Kid in the World'' -- Chapter 15. Exploring Transitions within Lives -- Thread 1: Composing Transitions with Attention to What is ''Normal'' -- Thread 2: Composing Transitions while Situated in Webs of Relationships -- Thread 3: Conflicting Responsibilities in Composing Transitions -- Thread 4: Composing Forward-Looking Stories Amidst Transitions -- Thread 5: Intertwining Transitions and Identities -- Narrative Understandings of Transitions -- Summary -- Chapter 16. Stories to Live By: Composing Identities -- Lives Shaped by Landscapes Threaded by Multiple Narratives -- Experiencing Landscapes as Filled with Competing and Conflicting Plotlines -- Resisting the Shaping of Storied Landscapes -- Representing Their Stories to Live By -- Shifting Their Stories to Live By -- Conclusion -- Chapter 17. A Reflective Turn: Looking Backward, Looking Forward -- Shifting Personal Justifications -- Shifting Practical Justifications -- Pow-Wow School -- Thinking about Layers … -- Going Back to Place -- Shifting Social Justifications -- Evolving Wonders -- Contemplating Old Wonders -- References -- About the authors.

About the Editors -- Index.