A Student's Guide to Conducting Narrative Research

Have you ever wondered about what lies within every human experience? If you’re a student researcher and extremely curious about this matter, then narrative research is the best route for you.

This type of research, which was introduced as narrative inquiry in the 1980s, offers a unique lens through which you can explore and understand the stories that shape humanity. But, as a curious mind is enough to fuel your research, you still need to know how to go about this research model.

So, if this is your first time conducting narrative research—or you’re trying to master doing one—you’re in the right place! This guide will provide you with the right techniques so you can do it like a pro. But first, it's important to understand what narrative research is and why you should conduct one.

What is narrative research?

Technically, narrative research still belongs to qualitative data analysis, but it’s published in literary form. Its nature revolves around the art of storytelling as it explores the stories of individuals, reflecting their unique perspectives, emotions, and interpretations of the world around them. These personal narratives serve as windows into the lived experiences of the participants and offer invaluable insights that quantitative data alone can't capture.

Many conduct narrative research mainly because they want to shed light on the complexities of human experience. By looking into personal stories, researchers gain a deeper understanding of cultural nuances, examine the impact of specific events, or grasp the intricacies of social phenomena.

To have a more in-depth idea of how this research design works and what the best practices are, you can learn all about narrative research in this guide. In the meantime, here’s a list of crucial steps to follow:

1. Identifying your research focus

Before starting your narrative research, it's important to clearly define your research focus. What aspect of human experience do you wish to explore? What stories are you seeking to unravel? Crafting a well-defined, open-ended research question is the foundation upon which your study will be built.

For instance, you might be interested in understanding the lived experiences of immigrants navigating a new cultural landscape. Or perhaps you're curious about the stories of individuals overcoming adversity or exploring the nuances of family dynamics. Whatever your research interest, make sure that your research question is broad enough to bring out rich, detailed stories from your participants.

2. Selecting your participants

The next step is to carefully select the individuals whose stories will shed light on your area of inquiry. This process, known as participant selection, is a critical component of narrative research.

Now, determining your sample size is subjective. But, according to a review, the most common sample size in qualitative research is between 20 and 30 participants. So, how can you select your participants? Here are approaches you can apply:

• Purposive sampling: In this type of sampling, you intentionally select participants who can provide information-rich narratives relevant to your research question.
• Snowball sampling: This sampling technique allows existing participants to recommend potential candidates. This works well with purposive sampling as your initial participants may help expand the number of people for the research.
• Criterion sampling: Here, there’s a set of criteria one must pass to become a participant.

The goal is to identify individuals whose personal stories and experiences align with your research focus, ensuring that their narratives offer valuable insights and contribute to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under study.

3. Collecting narrative data

In narrative research, the primary method of data collection is through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. As a student researcher, your role is to create a safe and comfortable environment where your participants feel empowered to share their personal stories openly and authentically.

You can do this by preparing open-ended questions that invite participants to fully tell their experiences. Encourage them to recount specific events, describe their emotions, and share the meanings they attribute to their stories.

Use follow-up prompts judiciously, as this will allow their stories to unfold organically while maintaining a respectful and empathetic presence. Also, consider recording the interviews (with the participant's consent) to ensure you capture every nuance and can revisit the narratives during your analysis.

4. Transcribing and analyzing narratives

Once you've collected your narrative data, the next step is to transcribe the interviews verbatim. This process involves carefully capturing not only the words spoken but also the non-verbal cues, pauses, and contextual details that may hold significant meaning.

There are various approaches to consider, each offering a unique lens through which to examine the narratives:

• Structural analysis: This approach focuses on the structure and organization of the narratives themselves, examining how the stories are constructed and the underlying patterns or frameworks that shape them.
• Thematic analysis: By identifying and exploring recurrent themes and patterns across the narratives, thematic analysis allows you to uncover the common threads that weave through the participants' stories, revealing deeper insights and meanings.
• Dialogic/performance analysis: This perspective considers the co-construction of narratives between the researcher and the participant, acknowledging the dynamic interplay and the performative nature of storytelling.

Whichever approach you choose, the goal is to immerse yourself, carefully examining the nuances, seeking connections, and uncovering the layers of meaning embedded within the stories.

5. Interpreting narrative findings

During the analysis phase, you'll start building an overall interpretation that captures the core meaning of the experiences or events you studied. This interpretation must be supported by direct quotes and excerpts from the participants' stories. However, this isn't just a summary of the result. It means connecting your analysis to the bigger picture of your research question and other existing research on the topic.

Refer to a set of paradigms or theories to interpret your data according to the criteria, the form of theory you’re aiming to discuss, and the type of narration in which you've collected your data.

Once you've categorized your dataset, you can now ask these fundamental questions:

• How do your findings align with or challenge existing theories or perspectives?
• What new insights or understandings emerge from the data you've gathered?

Answering these questions will then guide you on what part of your research your interpretation should emphasize.

6. Ensuring trustworthiness

As a narrative researcher, you'll need to demonstrate the credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability of your findings.

One effective strategy is triangulation, which involves using multiple data sources or methods to corroborate and strengthen your findings. For instance, you might combine in-depth interviews with observational data or document analysis to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the narratives.

Another crucial step is member checking, where you share your interpretations and findings with the participants themselves, seeking their feedback and validation. This process not only enhances the accuracy of your interpretations but also empowers participants by giving them a voice in the research process.

Finally, providing thick descriptions—detailed accounts of the context, participants, and research process—enhances the transferability of your findings, allowing readers to assess how they can apply your insights to their own contexts.

7. Writing up your narrative research

The final stage of your research is tying together the stories, insights, and interpretations into a compelling written narrative. This allows you to share the profound experiences and perspectives you uncovered with a wider audience.

Write in a smooth-flowing way that guides readers through the detailed landscapes of your research. Use direct quotes and excerpts from participants' narratives to vividly illustrate your interpretations and findings, letting their voices shine through.

8. Ethical considerations

Your narrative research journey should be conducted with care and sensitivity. Obtaining informed consent from participants, ensuring their confidentiality and privacy, and addressing potential power dynamics or sensitive issues are essential considerations.

Engage in ongoing reflexivity, examining your own biases, assumptions, and positionality as a researcher. Collaborate with your participants, fostering a respectful and empowering relationship built on trust and transparency.

Concluding thoughts

Narrative research is a powerful way to explore and understand people's life experiences. As a student researcher, you can give a voice to personal stories that help us make sense of the world. Approach this journey with curiosity, empathy, and respect for the stories you'll hear. The true value of narrative research comes not just from the insights but from the connections you'll build with participants by sharing human experiences.