This book brings together contributions from various researchers, providing an overview of narrative research approaches and demonstrating how these work in practice. A broad range of approaches are covered, from well-established and well-known thematic analysis (particularly of 'big stories'), to the more recent sociolinguistic discourse analysis of 'small stories', and the innovative analysis and presentation of visual and performance data such as drawings and drama. This overview includes not just an illustration of narrative research, but the methodological processes which underpin it, relating these to relevant narrative theory. The book, therefore, is both a how-to-do narrative research text and a presentation of narrative studies, providing case study examples and ideas for further research.

"The brief, practical texts in the Essentials of Qualitative Methods series introduce social science and psychology researchers to key approaches to capturing phenomena not easily measured quantitatively, offering exciting, nimble opportunities to gather in-depth qualitative data. In this book, Ruthellen Josselson and Phillip L. Hammack introduce readers to Narrative Analysis, a qualitative method that investigates how people make meaning of their lives and experiences in both social and cultural contexts. This method offers researchers a window into how individuals' stories are shaped by the categories they inhabit, such as gender, race, class, and sexual identity, and it preserves the voice of the individual through a close textual analysis of their storytelling. About the Essentials of Qualitative Methods book series: Even for experienced researchers, selecting and correctly applying the right method can be challenging. In this groundbreaking series, leading experts in qualitative methods provide clear, crisp, and comprehensive descriptions of their approach, including its methodological integrity, and its benefits and limitations. Each book includes numerous examples to enable readers to quickly and thoroughly grasp how to leverage these valuable methods"--

A concise volume aimed at researchers and academics in sociology, anthropology, psychology and interpersonal communication.

This book examines narrative research from a range of different perspectives. It discusses international and comparative experiences of doing narrative research on learning, paying particular attention to the cultural contexts within which the research is conducted. The ways in which narrative research can address some of the methodological and epistemological issues faced in conducting insightful and systematic research across cultures are also included. The book’s approach is essentially an integrated one, exploring narrative as methodology in both theoretical and practical terms. It also emphasises the ethical issues that need to be considered by researchers engaged in this form of enquiry, particularly where cultural and religious contexts have a significant impact on research. The first section of the book considers different perspectives on narrative as methodology, including its value in particular cultural contexts. The second section provides readers with international and comparative perspectives on the practical application of narrative methodology in a wide range of arenas worldwide. This combination of methodological issues with practical examples provides opportunities to examine how narrative as a methodology is applied in a range of ‘real world’ situations. This original and imaginative volume bridges the professional and intellectual cultures and traditions of comparative and international education with those of counselling to show the rich benefits of such cross-fertilisation. It will be of interest to researchers in education and across the social sciences as well as those involved in teaching research methodology and those concerned with the complex ethical issues inherent in cross-cultural research.

Narrative Inquiry in Language Teaching and Learning Research is the only entry-level introduction to research methods using stories, either as data or as a means of presenting findings, and a practical guide for those interested in carrying out narrative studies. This successful text is grounded in published empirical research within the field of language teaching and learning and clearly defines basic concepts in narrative inquiry, explaining how and why narrative methods have been used in language teaching and learning research and outlining different choices and approaches. It also examines the different ways of eliciting, analyzing, and presenting narrative inquiry data, which offers exciting prospects for language teaching and learning research. This second edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the latest research and includes new sections on multimodal digital narrative research and the reporting of findings in dissertations and theses. This original and well-respected textbook is an ideal course book for specialist courses on narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning. It is an excellent entry-level text for undergraduate students preparing honours projects, postgraduate masters’ and doctoral students embarking on narrative projects, and more advanced researchers seeking to understand the role of narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. It is also the go-to choice as a reference on narrative in more general applied linguistics research methodology courses.

"In this volume, chapter authors successfully challenge readers to think about narrative research in its own context while also maintaining original, personal voices that underscore the value this field places on an individual's communication of his or her experience. By revealing their struggles with qualitative research's emerging and evolving processes and their experiences working with students at various educational levels, these authors subtly, but effectively, arm teachers with tools that anticipate common pitfalls and frustrations. At the same time, the authors relate professional triumphs that illustrate effective teaching - and doing - of narrative research."--BOOK JACKET.

There has been a major ‘turn’ towards narrative, biographical and life history approaches in the academy over the last 30 years. What are some of the new directions in narrative research? How do narrative research approaches help us to understand the world differently? What do we learn by listening to stories and narratives? How do narratives extend our understanding that other research approaches do not? This collection of work grows from a symposium organised to explore new directions in narrative research. What emerges is a fascinating, innovative and generative series of essays, generally exploring narrative enquiry and more specifically themes of culture and context, identity, teacher education and methodology. This book will be useful for students and researchers using narrative and biographical methods in a range of disciplines, including education, sociology, cultural and development studies.