Narra$ve

 Research  Designs  

Dr.  Narina  A.  Samah  

Department  of  Educa0onal  Founda0ons  
MPU  1023/1024  Research  Methods  in  Educa0on  
Semester  1,  Session  2011/2012  
 
 Narra$ve  Research  Designs  

•  Narra0ve:  “To  narrate”  or  “to  tell  (as  a  story)  

in  detail”.  

•  Narra0ve  researchers:  
 >  Describe  the  lives  of  individuals,  collect  and  
tell  stories  about  people’s  lives.  
 >  Write  narra0ves  of  individual  experiences  
 When  to  use  narra$ve  research?  

•  When  we  have  individuals  who  are  willing  to  

tell  their  stories  and  we  want  to  report  their  
stories.  
•  When  we  want  to  conduct  prac00oner  
research:  Narra0ve  research  offers  prac0cal,  
specific  insights.  

 
 When  to  use  narra$ve  research?  

 >  Researchers  establish  a  close  bond  with  the  

par0cipants  –  may  help  reduce  a  commonly  
held  percep0on  by  prac00oners  in  the  field  
that  research  is  disc0nct  from  prac0ce  and  has  
liSle  direct  applica0on.  
•  When  the  stories  told  to  us  follow  a  
chronology  of  events  –  focuses  on  the  
microanaly0c  picture.    
 
 When  to  use  narra$ve  research?  
•  Example  of  a  project:  To  explore  the  
experiences  of  teacher-­‐patriots  (Ibrahim,  
2012)  –  The  personal  and  professional  lives  of  
teachers  trained  in  Kirkby  in  the  1950s  
   e.g.  Kirkby  Reunion  2012:  
hSp://www.kirkbyites.net/KR2012/
kr12leSer.htm  
 hSp://www.kirkbyites.net/  
 hSp://www.kirkbyites.net/
Kirkbyites1954-­‐1956.htm  
 Types  of  narra$ve  research  
•  Autobiographies  
•  Biographies  
•  Life  wri0ng  
•  Personal  accounts  
•  Personal  narra0ves  
•  Narra0ve  interviews  
•  Persona;  documents  
•  Documents  of  life  
•  Life  stories  and  life  histories  
•  Ethnohistories  
•  Ethnobiographies  
•  Etc.  
 Narra$ve  Research  Designs  

The  key  characteris0cs  of  narra0ve  designs  

(Creswell,  2012,  p.  507):  
•  Individual  experienced  
•  Chronology  of  the  experience  
•  Collec0ng  individual  stories  
•  Restorying  
•  Coding  for  themes  
•  Context  or  sebng  
•  Collabora0ng  with  par0cipants  
Main  references  
  
 
 
Thank  You