Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama

Mary A. Giles; Austin S. Ferrell; ZeVida A. Jones; Cayce Batts; Esther Sellars

doi:10.66815/ajqr/19752

Mary A. Giles ¹ ^* , Austin S. Ferrell ², ZeVida A. Jones ², Cayce Batts ³, Esther Sellars ²

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AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 355-371

https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

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Abstract

This reflective essay examines the intersection of narratives, experiential learning, and transdisciplinary collaboration within a professor-led travel study to Panama. To investigate this intersection, five professors representing nursing, secondary education, elementary education, counseling, and social work participated in a shared international learning experience designed to engage professors through storytelling, lived experiences, and cultural exchanges. Drawing on authored reflections grounded in narrative pedagogy and experiential learning; the authors explore how collective reflections across disciplines reshape teaching practices and support professional growth in intercultural understanding and critical inquiry. Furthermore, by stepping outside traditional academic departments, the faculty encountered complex, real-world situations that demanded flexible thinking, vulnerability, and shared expertise, ultimately modeling the interdisciplinary competencies that universities strive to instill in modern graduates. The manuscript presents a contextual description of the travel study, detailing the setting and structure of the international experience. Next, it highlights discipline-specific reflections from the five academic disciplines that illustrate how transdisciplinary dialogue fosters relational learning and professional insight. Through these diverse lenses, the faculty analyze how shared dialogues transformed their approaches to student-centered learning, cultural responsiveness, health advocacy, and relational care. Finally, the manuscript concludes by offering implications for institutions seeking to design international travel study experiences that dismantle academic silos, cultivate institutional resilience, and transform faculty members’ personal and professional practices.

Keywords: transdisciplinary learning, narrative pedagogy, travel study, experiential learning, professor collaboration, cultural competence, global education

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Citation

Giles, M. A., Ferrell, A. S., Jones, Z. A., Batts, C., & Sellars, E. (2026). Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), 355-371. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

Giles, M. A., Ferrell, A. S., Jones, Z. A., Batts, C., and Sellars, E. (2026). Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), pp. 355-371. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

Giles MA, Ferrell AS, Jones ZA, Batts C, Sellars E. Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4), 355-371. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

Giles, Mary A., Austin S. Ferrell, ZeVida A. Jones, Cayce Batts, and Esther Sellars. "Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2026 10 no. 4 (2026): 355-371. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

Giles, Mary A. et al. "Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 10, no. 4, 2026, pp. 355-371. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752

Giles MA, Ferrell AS, Jones ZA, Batts C, Sellars E. Transdisciplinary Learning Through Narrative: A Collective Reflection on Teaching, Storytelling, and Discovery in Panama. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4):355-71. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19752