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Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Faculty Sponsor

Julie Hanks

Abstract

Stuttering is a phenomenon that affects millions of people worldwide, and up until now the disorder has most often been portrayed in a negative light. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experiences of young adults who stutter, framing the research with more holistic perspective. Two participants will be interviewed in depth using a qualitative research approach to explore what it is like to live with stuttering and how it has affected their daily lives. Literature to date tends to group people who stutter into quantitative studies that problematize the disorder (Blood, G., Blood, I.M., Maloney, K., Meyer, C. & Qualls, C.D., 2007). Conversely, this research is presented in the form of a narrative inquiry, because the focus of the study is to highlight two individuals’ lives as a holistic picture, rather than just focus on the negative outcomes of stuttering. It is expected that the results will show that living with a stutter is challenging, but the research is also likely to better inform readers about the impact of stuttering and possible positive and/or negative outcomes. Exploring the experience of stuttering from this perspective will benefit the speech pathology and audiology community to gain client perspective, as well as help others to understand this speech disorder from a more personal perspective.

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