Writing 5 : Summary of Journal 2

Journal that i have read is about Narrative Inquiry, an approach that focuses on the use of stories as data. The idea of narrative inquiry is the stories are collected as a means of understanding experience as lived and told. Narrative inquiry is seen in a variety of ways and tends to transcend a number of different approaches and tradition like biography, autobiography, life story, and life course research. According to Polkinghorne (1995) argued that narrative within narrative inquiry was a discourse form in which events and happenings are configured into a temporal unity by means of a plot. Classification of narrative inquiry distint in two group : 1). Narrative analysis, 2). Paradigmatic-type analysis. When using narrative inquiry, important for the researcher is not only able to ask questions but also the researcher is able to position her/himself so that the stories can be analysed effectively.

Some importants points to consider when the researcher is undertaking narrative inquiry such as:

1.      Listen to participants’ stories.

2.      Acknowledge the mutual construction of the research relationship.

3.      Acknowledge that people are both living their stories in an ongoing experiential text and telling their stories in words as they reflect on life and explain themselves to others.

Theorizing is often a sense that stories are just something that is told to explain or make point. Data sources in narrative inquiry include field note of shared experience, journal records of participants, interview (unstructured), storytelling, letter writing, autobiographical and biographical writing. In narrative inquiry, the focus of analysis that would argue is the people who tell us stories about their lives, the stories being the means of understanding our participants better.

There are also some challenges in using narrative inquiry, one of the difficulties is in managing the story, in term of how participants in the story is represented and spoken for in the presentation of data. Also the further challenge is the way in which the researchers present themselves in data, whether they are present, absent or backstage. Some of these issues are explored into pros of narrative inquiry, cons of narrative inquiry, and dilemmas.

In the end, Narrative inquiry is important yet challenging and useful method that can be used in variety of contexts. When using narrative inquiry, the participants that are involved enjoy the process and often see themselves as co-inquiries and co-collaborators in the studies that they are involved. Also when collecting data also involves interviews. Using this method provide interesting stories.

Reference:                                   

Baden, M. S. And Niekerk, L. V. (2007). Narrative Inquiry: Theory and Practice. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 3(31). 459-472.