Narrative Research Designs Chapter 16 Narrative Research Designs Power Point slides by Ronald J. Shope in collaboration with John W. Creswell

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key Ideas Narrative research and when to use it Types of narrative designs Key characteristics of narrative designs Potential issues in gathering data Steps in conducting a narrative study Evaluating narrative research Collect information about the lives of individuals, collect & tell stories about those lives, and write narratives of those experiences Usually focuses on an individual whose life, in some way, brings meaning and understanding to some educational issue (Marvin) Educational Research 2e: Creswell

What is narrative research? In narrative research, researchers describe the lives of individuals, collect and tell stories about people’s lives, and write narratives of individual experiences. As a distinct form of qualitative research, a narrative typically focuses on studying a single person, gathering data through the collection of stories, reporting individual experiences, and discussing the meaning of those experiences for the individual. Educational Research 2e: Creswell

How do you use narrative designs? When individuals are willing to tell their stories Want to report personal experiences in a particular setting Want a close bond with participants When participants want to process their stories When you have a chronology of events When you want to write in a literary way and develop the micro picture Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Types of narrative designs: Questions to ask Who writes or records the story?( e.g., Biography; Autobiography) How much of a life is recorded or presented? (e.g., Life History; Personal Experience Story) Who provides the story? Is a theoretical lens being used? (Ideology that provides structure) When can narrative forms be combined? (e.g., Biography and Personal Account) Biography – resesarcher writes anotehr person’s story Often done from archives and records Can be autobiographical although less common Can focus on entire life or on a single or multiple episodes – often is on some turning point or important event in life Could focus on teachers’ stories or stories of students (Matt) There can be a frame of reference (Marvin – changes in special education over time & rise of empowerment) (Matt – spiritual view of teaching and life) Different types could be combined (e.g., Matt – could combine personal accounts by teachers, autobiography, & frame of reference) Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics of narrative designs Individual experiences Chronology of the experiences Collecting individual stories Restorying Coding for themes Context or setting Collaboration with participants See Table 16.1 on page 478 Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Individual experiences Single individual Interested in exploring the experiences of that individual Often focuses on single individual Includes both personal and social aspects of the experiences (own reality and interactions with others) Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Chronology of experiences Researcher analyzes and writes about an individual life using a time sequence or chronology of events Researcher orders these events in a way that makes sense to a reader Chronology helps to provide context and to make sense to the reader Matt – could discuss personal conversion up to present day & possible future aspirations Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics Collecting individual stories A story in narrative research is a first‑person oral telling or retelling of an individual Stories have a beginning, middle, and end Involve a predicament, conflict, or struggle; a protagonist or character; and a sequence with implied causality (a plot) during which the predicament is resolved in some fashion Like a novel, stories have time, place, plot, and scene Varied sources of data comprise the data base Field texts are used which can include a variety of informational sources such as interview, discussin, conversations, archives, Journals can be very useful in this type of research Use of photos or memorabilia can aid in eliciting stories Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Restorying Restories the individual stories researcher gathers stories and analyzes them for elements of the story researcher rewrites the story to place it in a chronological sequence restorying provides a causal link among ideas information would include interaction, continuity, and situation See Table 16.2 on page 481 Provides context and understandability to the reader as our own stories may be disjointed chronologically & thematically Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Coding for themes Themes provide the complexity of the story Themes add depth to the insight about understanding an individual’s experiences Themes can be incorporated into the passage retelling the individual’s experience or as a separate section of the study Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Context or setting Describes the context or setting for the individual stories: includes the people involved in the story includes the physical setting setting may be described before events or actions, or can be woven throughout the study Can be a physical place (school) or a social situation (5th grade team of teachers) Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Key characteristics: Collaboration with participants Collaboration: inquirer actively involves the participant in the inquiry as it unfolds Strategies Negotiating relationships Involving participants in the process of research Negotiating transitions in the research process Takes time to develop – trust is important Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Potential issues in narrative research Story authentic? (“Faking the data” possible) Is the story “real?” (Participants may not be able to tell the “real story”) Who “owns” the story? (Does the researcher have permission to share it?) Is participant’s voice lost? Does the researcher gain at the expense of the participant? Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Steps in narrative research Build in past, Present, future Build in place or setting Describe their story Analyze story for themes Have them Tell story Collect other Field texts Restory or retell The individual’s story Collaborate with participant storyteller in all phases of research Collect stories from the individual that Reflect personal experience 5 3 4 Purposefully select an individual to learn about the phenomenon Write a story about the participant’s personal and social experiences 2 6 Identify a phenomenon that addresses an educational problem Validate the accuracy of the report 1 7 Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Evaluating narrative research Does the researcher focus on individual experiences? Is there a focus on a single individual or a few individuals? Did the researcher collect the story of an individual’s experience? Was there a restorying by the researcher of the participant’s story? Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Evaluating narrative research In the restorying, was the participant’s voice as well as the researcher’s voice heard? Did the researcher identify themes that emerged from the story? Did the story include information about place or setting of the individual? Educational Research 2e: Creswell

Evaluating narrative research Did the story have a temporal, chronological sequence including the past, present and future? Is there evidence that the researcher collaborated with the participant? Does the story adequately address the purpose and questions of the researcher? Educational Research 2e: Creswell