Description
Book SynopsisNarrative inquiry allows for a detailed examination of the structure and content of a story and its significance in relation to psychological, sociological, or historical frames of reference. Narrative methods are ideal for the study of intra- and inter-personal process. They are traditionally used to understand first-person accounts obtained in interviews, but unlike other forms of analysis, the storied nature of data is retained, allowing for qualitative analysis of personal experience in relation to time, social condition, and place.This pocket guide presents a reader-friendly introduction to narrative inquiry. It focuses on one particular research design, the case study design, providing a broad framework in which narrative and other relevant data may be collected and the specific ways in which audio recordings of interviews may be transcribed. With dozens of transcript examples taken from research conducted around the English-speaking world, this guide reviews prevailing analytic
Trade Review"The author provides students, scholars, and practitioners with a wealth of information on narrative inquiry which they can use for clinical practice, research, or scholarly review. I highly recommend this book as the go-to reference for anyone interested in this fascinating method of information-gathering." --Doody's "Wells' task in Narrative Inquiry is quite simple: to suggest that narrative analysis is an important research method that is particularly appropriate for social workresearchers. Wells' talent here is that she makes a strong case for the rigor of narrative methods, not by entering larger epistemological debates, but by clearly elucidating distinct types of narrative analysis and how one might perform them. In this way, Wells shows us, rather than tells us, why narrative analysis should be a more prominent method utilized in the field...Wells' succinct overview of narrative methods explicitly considers what kind of research and questions might benefit from this approach." -- Emily Adlin Bosk, University of Michigan, Qualitative Social Work
Table of Contents1. An Introduction to Narrative Inquiry ; 2. One Design for Narrative Study ; 3. Framework for Collection of Narrative Data ; 4. Analysis of Narrative Content ; 5. Analysis of Narrative Structure ; 6. Application of Discursive Concepts to Analysis of Narratives ; 7. Analysis of Narrative in Context ; 8. Validation of Narrative Research ; Appendix 1. Overview of Narrative Analytic Methods ; Appendix 2. Guidelines for Narrative Research Proposals ; Notes ; References ; Index
