Qualitative Research

1. Qualitative Research

2. Narrative research • How humans experience their lives • Storied lives • Researchers construct a narrative attributing experiences to some meaning

3. Narrative research • Influences in the last 15 years • Emphasis on teacher reflection • Emphasis on teacher knowledge • Empowering teachers in research process

4. Narrative research • Addresses difficult issues • Goal is to increase understanding • Sharing storied lives of teachers to provide insight • Some believe numbers cannot represent this understanding and insight

5. Narrative research process • Identify purpose and phenomenon to explore • Select an individual to learn from • Pose initial narrative questions • Describe researcher’s role

6. Narrative research process • Describe data collection methods • Describe strategies for analysis and interpretation of data • Collaborate with participant to write the narrative – validate accuracy

7. Narrative research • Highly sensitive, intimate approach • Trust • Equality of voice

8. Narrative research - types • Autobiographies/biographies • Personal accounts • Oral histories • Ethnohistories/ethnobiographies

9. Narrative research – key points“And then what happened?” • Focus on individual experiences • Concerned with chronology of these experiences • Concentrates on the life story based on collected data • Incorporates context and place • Collaborative effort – researcher and participant

10. Narrative research – techniques • Multiple data sources ensure objectivity • Interaction required • Restorying – researcher gathers stories and picks key elements to build a chronological sequence • Raw data translated to cohesive unit of information

11. Narrative research – techniques • Interview • Spoken words plus reactions, nuances, etc. • Transcribed data – key elements identified • Researcher organizes the story chronologically • Setting, characters, actions, problems, and resolutions are detailed

12. Narrative research – analysis • Narrative analysis • Descriptions of events collected • Synthesized into narratives • Attempts to answer how and why • Analysis of narrative • Stories collected • Constructs themes central to all stories captured in narrative

13. Narrative research – data sources • Oral history • Storytelling • Letter writing • Lesson plans • Parent newsletters • Philosophical statements

14. Ethnographic research • Cultural patterns • Perspectives of participants in natural settings • Goal is to describe, analyze, and interpret the culture of a group and their shared beliefs, behaviors, and language