Narrative Inquiry Methodology in Qualitative Research

Chapter 10 Narrative research Lewis P and Adney R. (2014). In: Mills J and Birks M (eds) Qualitative methodologies: A practical guide. London: Sage Publications

Learning objectives Discuss the philosophical underpinnings of narrative inquiry Outline the key philosophies involved in the development of narrative inquiry Describe the different types of narrative inquiry Reflect on the ethical responsibility of the positioning of the researcher undertaking narrative inquiry Summarize strategies for data generation and analysis in narrative inquiry Critique mechanisms for ensuring rigour and quality in narrative inquiry

History of the methodology 1920s Chicago School of anthropology 1960s/70s feminist work 1970s/80s sociolinguistic work 1980s/present - Grown dramatically in qualitative research

History of the methodology Story is our primary mode of making meaning and understanding of lived experience Narrative work involves different methods: autobiography, auto-ethnography, narrative performance & narrative inquiry Story is the common thread

History of the methodology Narrative inquiry as a methodology Can be used in multiple disciplines Well suited to social science questions and human inquiries Inquiry into stories creates an educative experience as individuals interpret their own and others experiences

History of the methodology Narrative inquiry should not be confused with narrative analysis Narrative analysis predates narrative inquiry Emerged in the 1960s post-positivist movement

History of the methodology Narrative analysis positions the researcher as the sole interpreter of narratives Narrative analysis discounts the meanings that readers/listeners bring to text Narrative analysis discounts the fact that language [stories] creates rather that mirrors reality (Denzin, 1997: 224)

History of the methodology Narrative inquirers structure a self-narrative through living, telling, re-telling and reliving (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006) Narratives are not fixed temporally Inherent reflexivity demands the researcher s attention as story emerges and changes through multiple iterations

Philosophical underpinnings Influenced by ethnography, phenomenology, phenomenological hermeneutics, narrative psychology & literary studies Espouses the belief that humans and non- humans are best studied in their natural settings Individuals stories often disrupt or run counter to larger, accepted dominant narratives

Philosophical underpinnings Distinct features of narrative inquiry include: Oral and written narrative are treated as distinct forms of discourse Communicates the narrator s point of view Explain why the narrative is worth telling Pay attention to emotions, thoughts and interpretations (Chase, 2005)

Positioning of the researcher Fundamental to ask: How am I positioned in this narrative? Researcher and co-researcher(s) are intimately engaged in the story of relationship Researcher participant relationships may be intense, personal and conflicting

Positioning of the researcher Narratives promote social justice Enable historically marginalized and silenced peoples to tell their stories Need to consider how the hierarchy of power can be negotiated, balanced, flattened, disrupted or exacerbated

Aligning philosophy and methodology with purpose Need firstly to determine what is your research question? Research methodology should not be predetermined Need to ask if narrative research fits your research question

Aligning philosophy and methodology with purpose Narrative inquirers are interested in inclusion in research Enable stories and observations to be revealed by participants telling their own stories Study the unremarkable, routine and ordinary and raise awareness and questions around practice

Data generation and collection Data collection may include one or more of the following: participant stories conversation field notes poetry imagined dialogue artwork

Data generation and collection Managing data may include concurrent data collection and analysis Enables new insights, questions and connections to emerge Recruiting participants may require preliminary relationship building No required sample size - may range from one to many

Data generation and collection Means of collecting data: personal journal, digital audio-visual, digital camera, observation notebook, artwork, artifacts Think broadly and creatively about what defines data: photographs, poetry, artwork, playlets, digital media, imagined dialogue

Data generation and collection Questions around quantity of data Better to see small and understand a piece of the puzzle and then fit that into a larger picture Consider how your own data collection (writing notes, taking photos etc.) may interrupt relationships with participants

Analysis of data How do you write about other ? Develop your own voice even as you construct others voices and realities (Chase, 2005) Temporality, sociality and place underpin narrative studies (Clandinin and Connelly, 2000) Use as checkpoints, especially for novice researchers (refer box 10.1 in textbook)

Analysis of data Attend to the small seemingly routine or ordinary occurrences while watching the larger picture Read and re-read fieldnotes Look for commonalities, patterns & connections Be prepared for surprises

Quality and rigour that s a good story, but is it really research (Ceglowski, 1997: 195) Researchers often challenged on the authenticity of their narrative inquiries Human science approaches are concerned with finding meaning not measurements Need for evidence, interpretive plausibility, logical construction and disciplined thought (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006)

Quality and rigour Narrative inquiry does not claim some bold TRUTH but provides some truths about human beings and being human Believability, authenticity, quality, power and authority are at the nexus of validity in narrative research Believability means: to hold dear, love; to like, desire Authenticity means: original, principal and genuine

Quality and rigour When we tell a story we are making a bid for power (Toolan, 1988) Shifting researchers sense of trust from method to relationship We invest our trust in our methods not in out relationships (Hendry, 2007: 493) Story is relationships not methods

Quality and rigour Narrative is the methodology Storytelling is the method Stories and storytelling are the authentic form of research

Ethical concerns and relational responsibility Centrality of relationship in the research process Respect for participants offering of stories Research is less about interpretation and more about faith trust the stories and the storyteller (Hendry, 2007)

Ethical concerns and relational responsibility Relational responsibility begins before the inquiry, grows and develops during the inquiry and continues after the inquiry Represent stories so that they do no harm Listen the storyteller s narrative into being

Presentation and dissemination of findings Think about your audience Think about the format you will use to present your findings i.e. poetry, theatre, film, video, imagined dialogue, creating a website Determine a writing genre that is fair and genuine

Presentation and dissemination of findings Narrative research does not result in one definitive finding or conclusion Findings cannot be predicted Narrative inquiry looks for understanding and meaning

Summary Developed in the early 20thcentury In and through narrative meaning making we gain insight and understanding of lived experience We are stories and stories are us (Lewis and Adeney, 2014)

References Ceglowski D. (1997) That s a good story, but is it really research? Qualitative Inquiry 3: 188-201. Chase S. (2005) Narrative Inquiry: Multiple lenses, approaches, voices In: Denzin N and Linclon Y (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research Thousand Oaks: Sage, 651-679. Clandinin D and Connelly M. (2000) Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Connelly F and Clandinin D. (2006) Narrative Inquiry In: Green J, Camilli G and Elmore P (eds) Handbook of complementary methods in education research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 375-385. Denzin N. (1997) Interpretive ethnography: Ethnographic practices for the 21st century, Thousand Oaks: Sage. Hendry M. (2007) The future of narrative. Qualitative Inquiry 13: 487-498. Toolan M. (1988) Narrative: a critical linguistic introduction, New York: Routledge.