Narrative Research

Law Kai Xin & Lu You Zhen

 Narrative Research
Researchers describe the lives of
individuals, collect and tell stories
about people’s lives, and write
narratives of individual experiences.
 Origins
• Introduced by Dr Jean Clandinin &
Michael Connely
• “Narrative Inquiry” – process of
narrative field notes and how to
use it in teaching
When we use narrative research?
1. When individual want to tell their
stories
2. Participants may feel the importance
of their stories
3. When stories follow chronology of
events
 Key Characteristics
Chronology Collecting
Individual
of the individual
experiences
experiences stories

Restorying Incorporate
Coding for
from the field the Context
themes
texts or setting

Collaboration
with
participants
Steps in conducting Narrative
Research
Identify a phenomenon that addresses an educational
problem

Purposefully select an individual to learn about

phenomenon

Collect the story from that individual

Restory or retell individual’s story

Collaborate with participants - Storyteller

Write a story about the participants’ experiences

Validate the accuracy of the report

 Field notes

Documents
(Pictures. Journal records
recordings)

Data
collection
methods
Autobiographical Interview
writing transcript

Letter writing Observation

 Narrative Research
Strength Weaknesses
• Collaboration • Story authenticity
• Opportunity to voice out • Ownership of the story
• Help others to
understand the topics
• Captures everyday
familiar data