Using Narrative Inquiry As A Research Method

This book provides a much needed up-to-date introduction to the topic of narrative inquiry – which has seen a growing interest in recent years. Narrative inquiry provides researchers with a framework through which they can investigate the ways humans experience the world depicted through their stories. The book looks at how this method can effectively be applied as a means of research in a range of contexts, including flexible, open and distance or workplace learning. It demonstrates the value and utility of employing narrative as a research tool in a range of teaching and learning settings and includes chapters on background, methodology and case studies to illustrate the application of narrative inquiry as a research method.

"The literature on narrative inquiry has been, until now, widely scattered and theoretically incomplete. Clandinin and Connelly have created a major tour de force. This book is lucid, fluid, beautifully argued, and rich in examples. Students will find a wealth of arguments to support their research, and teaching faculty will find everything they need to teach narrative inquiry theory and methods."--Yvonna S. Lincoln, professor, Department of Educational Administration, Texas A&M University Understanding experience as lived and told stories--also known as narrative inquiry--has gained popularity and credence in qualitative research. Unlike more traditional methods, narrative inquiry successfully captures personal and human dimensions that cannot be quantified into dry facts and numerical data. In this definitive guide, Jean Clandinin and Michael Connelly draw from more than twenty years of field experience to show how narrative inquiry can be used in educational and social science research. Tracing the origins of narrative inquiry in the social sciences, they offer new and practical ideas for conducting fieldwork, composing field notes, and conveying research results. Throughout the book, stories and examples reveal a wide range of narrative methods. Engaging and easy to read, Narrative Inquiry is a practical resource from experts who have long pioneered the use of narrative in qualitative research.

Understanding Narrative Inquiry: The Crafting and Analysis of Stories as Research is a comprehensive, thought-provoking introduction to narrative inquiry in the social and human sciences that guides readers through the entire narrative inquiry process—from locating narrative inquiry in the interdisciplinary context, through the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings, to narrative research design, data collection (excavating stories), data analysis and interpretation, and theorizing narrative meaning. Six extracts from exemplary studies, together with questions for discussion, are provided to show how to put theory into practice. Rich in stories from author Jeong-Hee Kim’s own research endeavors and incorporating chapter-opening vignettes that illustrate a graduate student's research dilemma, the book not only accompanies readers through the complex process of narrative inquiry with ample examples, but also helps raise their consciousness about what it means to be a qualitative researcher and a narrative inquirer in particular.

Narrative inquiry examines human lives through the lens of a narrative, honoring lived experience as a source of important knowledge and understanding. In this concise volume, D. Jean Clandinin, one of the pioneers in using narrative as research, updates her classic formulation on narrative inquiry (with F. Michael Connelly), clarifying, extending and refining the method based on an additional decade of work. A valuable feature is the inclusion of several exemplary cases with the author’s critique and analysis of the work. The rise of interest in narrative inquiry in recent years makes this is an essential guide for researchers and an excellent text for graduate courses in qualitative inquiry.

Using Narrative Inquiry as a Research Method is the ideal introduction to a growing field of study. A full and accessible guide that covers the theory and practical applications of this qualitative method, it provides researchers with a rich framework through which they can investigate the ways people experience the world depicted through their stories. Looking at how this method can effectively be applied in a range of contexts, it demonstrates the value and utility of employing narrative as a research tool in a range of teaching and learning settings. Connecting with the broader academic debate on the value of narrative as an alternative or addition to quantitative and other qualitative methods and updated to reflect changes in the field, this book explores how to use narrative inquiry and gives tested and applied examples; builds on theory to consider practical applications; explores the narrative cross-boundaries between research and practice; and presents a selection of case studies of research on quality in higher education, internationalisation and quality in cross-cultural contexts. Using Narrative Inquiry as a Research Method provides the ideal grounding for all students and researchers looking to learn more about narrative inquiry or use this method within their research.

Narrative Inquiry provides both a new theoretical orientation and a set of practical techniques that students and experienced researchers can use to conduct narrative research. Explaining the principles of what she terms "dynamic narrating," author Colette Daiute provides an approach to narrative inquiry that builds on practices of daily life where we use storytelling to connect with other people, deal with social structures, make sense of surrounding events, and craft our own way of fitting in with various contexts. Throughout the book, Daiute illustrates and applies narrative inquiry with a wide variety of examples, practical activities, charts, suggestions for interpreting analyses, and tips on writing up results. Narrative Inquiry integrates cultural-historical activity, discourse theories (including critical discourse theory and conversation analysis), and interdisciplinary research on narrative as applied to a range of research projects in different cultural settings.

"Cathy Riessman is the leading figure in narrative research and her new book is a delight. Covering basic issues of transcription and research credibility as well as visual data and engagingly written, it is a goldmine for students and researchers alike. If we want to make narrative research serious and revealing, it is to this book that we should turn." --David Silverman, Professor Emeritus, Goldsmiths' College, University of London "Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences provides an accessible framework for researchers -- to analyse narrative texts with confidence, empathy, and humility. --NARRATIVE INQUIRY "This is a terrific book. Cathy Riessman has an encyclopedic knowledge of this field and of the participants in it. This breadth and depth of knowledge is abundantly clear throughout the book." --Susan Bell, Bowdoin College "This book has been a great source of inspiration to me and my students, not only for its methodological clarity, but also for the spirit of social activism it engenders." --Ian Baptiste, The Pennsylvania State University "Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences is an essential starting point for both students and experienced researchers interested in using narrative analysis in applied or other contexts. Written with admirable clarity, an engaging style, and supported by detailed examples of analysis, the book outlines the main methodological issues and approaches within the exciting and fast-developing field of narrative research. Even researchers already familiar with narrative methods should find the presentation of thematic, structural, dialogic/performance, and visual forms of analysis a fruitful stimulus to new research endeavours." --Brian Roberts, University of Central Lancashire, U.K. "I just had to thank you for paving the path for us new and 'hopeful' narrative researchers. I have been a student of both your books on narrative analysis, and want to thank you for your guidance from your work, and also your latest book Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. This work and the references you have chosen for us have helped me immensely during this time in my doctoral program, especially as I enter into the analysis phase." --Maria T. Yelle, nursing doctoral candidate, University of Wisconsin-Madison Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences provides a lively overview of research based on constructing and interpreting narrative. Designed to improve research practice, it gives a detailed discussion of four analytic methods that students can adapt. Author Catherine Kohler Riessman explains how to conduct the four kinds of narrative analysis using model studies from sociology, anthropology, psychology, education and nursing. Throughout the book, she compares different approaches including thematic analysis, structural analysis, dialogic/performance analysis, and visual narrative analysis. The book helps students confront specific issues in their research practice, including how to construct a transcript in an interview study; complexities of working with materials translated from another language; defining narrative segments; relating text and context; locating oneself as the researcher in a responsible way in an inquiry; and arguing for the credibility of the case-based approach. Broad in scope, Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences also offers concrete guidance in individual chapters for students and established scholars wanting to join the "narrative turn" in social research. Key Features Focuses on four particular methods of narrative analysis: This text provides specific diverse exemplars of good narrative research, as practiced in several social science and human service

Recipient of the 1994 Critics′ Choice Award from the American Educational Studies Association People tell stories to help organize and make sense of their lives. In the past, their narratives have often been torn apart by social scientists looking for themes, variables, and specific answers to specific questions. But in recent years, the development of narrative analysis has given life to the study of the narrative as a form of information for social research. Why are they constructed as they are? How does one dissect a narrative to understand the lived experience of the narrator? What steps can the researcher take to translate these tales and life stories into usable research? Catherine Kohler Riessman provides a detailed primer on the use of narrative analysis, its theoretical underpinnings and worldview, and the methods it uses. Replete with examples and transcriptions from previous narrative studies, Narrative Analysis is a useful introduction to this growing body of literature.