THE MEANING OF OCCUPATION: A META-SYNTHESIS OF ELEVEN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ARTICLES FROM THE JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SCIENCE Submitted by Morgan Rumble Department of Occupational Therapy

.........................................................................................................ii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION...........................................................................1 Meaning and occupation......................................................................................1 Qualitative study of meaning.................................................................................2 Qualitative meta-synthesis....................................................................................3 The subjective experience.....................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2: METHOD.....................................................................................7 Preliminary work..............................................................................................7 Current study..................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS....................................................................................15 Social meanings..............................................................................................15 Belonging......................................................................................................17 Helping.........................................................................................................19 Selfhood.......................................................................................................19 Identity.........................................................................................................20 Continuity.....................................................................................................21 Goals/purposes................................................................................................22 Self-efficacy/competence....................................................................................23 Autonomy/independence/sense of control.................................................................24 Self-esteem.....................................................................................................26 Other meanings...............................................................................................27