Transcript Tue am Simone Narrative

Dr. Simone McCaughren
University College Cork
21st June 2011
Outline of presentation
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Background to the research
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Research design
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Narrative: a conceptual framework
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Methodology of narrative
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Challenges of method
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Conclusion/questions/discussion
Background to the research
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Researcher’s biography
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Practice & academia – straddling two
worlds – practitioner or researcher?
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Rationale for undertaking the research
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Designing the research in light of the
above
Research design
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Narrative methodology
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Interviews carried out over a period of 1.5 years
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More than 30 adoptive parents – joint interviews
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Sampling strategy included criterion & snowball
sampling
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7 adoption agencies nationwide
What is meant by narrative?
“Narratives (stories) in the human
sciences should be defined provisionally
as discourses with a clear sequential
order that connect events in a
meaningful way for a definite audience
and thus offer insights about the world
and/or people’s experiences of it”
Hinchman & Hinchman (1997)
Narrative: A conceptual
framework
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Narratives & adoption discourse
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Grand narratives – Church & State
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Narrative of romanticism
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Power of narrative/people telling stories
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Contemporary adoption discourse
Methodology of narrative – why?
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Represents a move away from the more
traditional qualitative research methods
Adoption’s history is all about unheard voices
Stories are an integral part of adoption
discourse
People tell stories all the time
Stories provide coherence and continuity to
one’s experience and have a central role in
our communication with others
Personal narratives, are people’s identity
Fit with post-modern paradigm
The narrative interview
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Different approaches to narrative
interviews
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The narrative interview (Schutze 1977;
Riemann and Schutze, 1987)* summarised by Flick, 1998
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Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method
(BNIM) Chamberlayne et al, 2000; Wengraf
2001
The narrative interview contd.
1. Initiation - GNQ
 2. Main narration
 3. Questioning phase
 4. Concluding talk
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Table from Bauer & Gaskell (2000)
‘Basic phases of the narrative
interview’
Challenges
Systematic violation of the role
expectations of both participants
 Narrative research is usually carried out
with small sample size but the quantity
of data gathered is large
 No two interviews are alike - extremely
rich data
 Skills & integrity of the researcher
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Conclusion
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A challenging approach that needs to be
developed and refined
A new skill
Training for BNIM
Pilot the research method
Very rich material - analysis
Participants offered their insights into the lived
experience of O.A.
Would I have approach research in a different
way? .....where do I start??!!
Any questions?
Thank you!
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Email: [email protected]