Narrative research involves collecting and telling stories about people's experiences. It focuses on understanding individuals' experiences through their stories. There are seven key characteristics of narrative research: it focuses on individual experiences; uses chronology; collects stories through interviews and documents; restories the data by organizing it chronologically; codes the stories for themes; describes the context or setting; and collaborates with participants. The types of narrative research include autobiographies, biographies, interviews, and life histories. Conducting narrative research involves identifying a topic, selecting participants, collecting their stories, restorying the data, collaborating with participants, writing the story, and validating the accuracy of the report. Studies are evaluated based on their focus on individuals,
2. Narrative research Definition
The term narrative comes from the word "to narrative" which means to tell or
tell (to tell). So the narrative approach is telling, telling, and or interpreting texts
related to individual experiences in the form of history, literature, and other
stories. While Chase in Cresswell, (2007: 50) explains that narrative might be
the term assessed to any text or discourse, or, it might be text used within the
context of a mode of inquiry in qualitative research, with specific focus on the
stories told. by individuals
3. Charateristics narrative research
• Narrative researchers seek to understand the
experiences of an individual. The literature review
plays a minor role with the inquirer learning about
the participant through field texts that document
the individual’s story in his or her own words. After
data is collected and analyzed, the researcher
collaborates with the participant to check the story
and may also mix his or her personal story into the
final report.
4. Charateristics narrative research
There are seven major charateristics are essential in narrative research:
1. Individual Experiences
Understanding an individual’s history or past experiences will help explain the impact on their present and future experiences.
2. Chronology of the Experiences
A time sequence or chronology of events helps readers understand and follow the research.
3. Collecting Individual Stories
Stories can be acquired throughout various means including interviews, informal observations, conversations, journals, letters, or memory boxes.
All are examples of field texts.
4. Restorying
Also known as retelling or remapping. Process of gathering stories, reviewing them for key elements (ex: time, place, plot, and scene), and
rewriting the story in a chronological sequence. Other key elements also include the setting, characters, actions, problem, and resolution; they
provide the reader background information.
5. Coding for Themes
Data can be coded into themes or categories. About five to seven themes are identified and can be incorporated into passages of the story or in a
separate section.
6. Context or Setting
Described in detail, the place where the story physically occurs.
5. Kinds of Narrative Research
Casey (1995/1996) in Cresswell (2012) argues that the types of narrative research, including:
• Autobiography
• Biography
• Biography
• Personal experience story
• Personal Story
• Interview
• Private document
• Life history
• Ethnography
• Autoethnography
• Ethnopsychology
6. Also there are two approaches that can be used in narrative research, namely the approach by distinguishing
between narrative analysis (analisis narasi) and narrative analysis (analisis naratif), which can also be understood
with narrative as data and data as narrative.
The following is an explanation of the type of narrative (narrative) seen through what approach is used:
1. Narrative Analysis (analisis narasi)
Narrative analysis is a paradigm with a way of thinking to make a description of the themes written in the story or
taxonomy.
2. Narrative Analysis (analisis naratif)
Narrative analysis is a paradigm by collecting descriptions of events or events and then compiling them into
stories using storylines. This approach emphasizes the various forms found in the practice of narrative research.
For example, an autobiography, biography, personal document, curriculum vitae, personal accounts,
ethnobiography, autoethnography.
7. Steps in Conducting Narrative Research
There are seven commonly used steps during a narrative
study.
Step 1: Identify a problem or phenomenon to explore
Identifying an issue or concern provides the purpose for a
study and enables the researcher to understand personal
or social
experiences of an individual(s)
Step 2: Select one or more participants to study
Many narrative studies examine only one individual but
several individuals may be studied as well. Select an
individual(s) who can provide an understanding of the
issue. Carefully select this person(s) based on their
experiences.
Step 3: Collect the story from that participant
Besides the participant verbally sharing their story through
conversations or interviews, field texts also provide
information about the participant. Examples include:
journal or diary entries, letters sent by the individual,
photographs, memory boxes, and stories acquired through
friends or family members.
Step 4: Restory or retell the individual’s story
This step involves examining the raw data, identifying key
elements, organizing and sequencing these elements, and
then retelling a story that describes the individual’s
experiences. Restorying helps the reader to understand
the story by sequencing it in a logical order. Stories
commonly include the following elements: setting,
characters, problems, actions, and resolution.
Step 5: Collaborate with the participant/storyteller
THROUGHOUT the narrative story collection process the
researcher works with the storyteller to ensure the
participant’s experiences are accurately portrayed.
Step 6: Write a story about the participant’s experiences
Usually the BIGGEST step in narrative research, the
participant’s life experiences are written into a story by the
researcher. Highlighting specific themes that emerged
throughout the story and involving a section about the
importance of narrative research can be helpful to
readers.
Step 7: Validate the report’s accuracy
An accurate report is essential to preserving the story.
Conferring with individuals and searching for disconfirming
evidence will protect the story’s credibility.
8. Evaluating Narrative Research
According to Creswell (2012), a narrative research study must be consistent with the
criteria for a qualitative study. In a narrative study, the following are guidelines a
researcher might consider when evaluating the quality of the study.
• The researcher keeps the focus on one or two individuals
• The study reports on the life experiences of the individual(s) as told through their
stories
• The experiences are "restoryed" in a chronology that includes a beginning, middle
and end
• The study includes significant amounts of detail on the context of the stories.
• Contains an analysis of the story's themes that emerge. (5-7 themes)
• The researcher collaborates with the participants to verify, contribute and approve of
the story as it evolves into a study.