Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of two pairs of elementary school twins through the narrative inquiry, in order to better understand the psychological nature of twins.
The study participants included 12-year-old female-male fraternal twins and 11-year-old female identic...

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of two pairs of elementary school twins through the narrative inquiry, in order to better understand the psychological nature of twins.
The study participants included 12-year-old female-male fraternal twins and 11-year-old female identical twins. The data for this study was collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation and intense documentation over a five month period.
Fraternal twins have weaker bonds than identical twins, as they differ in appearance, character and personal preference. During the elementary school stage, girls generally grow and develop faster than boys. This resulted in the sister feeling a sense of superiority over her twin brother, who conversely felt inferior to his sister. The boy would eventually be able to overcome his sense of inferiority by developing his ability to think independently and finding his own manner of completing tasks. Fraternal twins tend to be competitive against each other. However, these twins still share a significant emotional bond, formed during their time together in the womb.
In the case of identical twins, people often search for similarities between them. Instead the twins prefer to emphasize their differences. Female identical twins typically share a very strong bond and consider themselves be both sisters and friends.
The results from this study indicated three critical points. Firstly, at elementary school level, both of the twin pairs were satisfied with being a twin. Secondly, as twins grow through the stage of adolescence they start to quarrel more and experience increasing conflict as they get older. At this stage of adolescence, there is a growing desire for the twins to part ways and to become independent of each other. Finally twins are often saddened by feeling the need to share the love they receive from their family.
This study focused on the elementary school twin, therefore follow-up studies are needed in order to fully understand the development of twins’ lives. As the percentage of twins being born is on the increase, having a deeper understanding of elementary school twins may be valuable in contributing to the positive development of twins.

keywords : narrative inquiry, twin children, twin study

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