A Review of Narrative Methodology

Abstract

This annotated bibliography focuses on the various approaches to studying narrative. It covers the approaches to narrative Ln an interdisciplinary manner, including the fields of psychology, sociology, linguistics, philosophy, anthropology, organisation studies, and history. Narrative is an interpretive approach in the social sciences involving storytelling methodology. The story becomes an object of study, focusing on how individuals or groups make sense of events and actions in their lives. The theoretical underpirmings to narrative approaches are outlined as are the applied benefits of storytelling such as how narrative conveys tacit knowledge, how it can enable sense making, and how it constructs identity. The study aims to explore the potential of narrative as a research tool for enhancing Army's understanding of knowledge acquisition in the context of Battle Command Training. This bibliography outlines how the narrative approach can be used as an alternative for the study of human action. Narrative is an interpretive approach in the social sciences and involves using storytelling methodology. The story becomes an object of study, focusing on how individuals or groups make sense of events and actions in their lives. Researchers capture the informant's story through ethnographic techniques such as observation and interviews. This method is said to be well suited to study subjectivity and the influence of culture and identity on the human condition. RELEASE LIMITATIONThe literature search has covered topics ranging across narrative, narrative theory, the use of storytelling and sense making. The search highlighted a growing trend in the use of the narrative approach across disciplines such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, organisation studies and history. Key search terms used were: 'narrative', 'storytelling', 'sense making', 'narrative and organisation', 'narrative and organisation studies', 'stories', 'discourse analysis', 'organisation learning', and 'organisation decision making'. Articles on historical narratives and narrative therapy in psychology were excluded, as they were not relevant to the study. Articles on organisation studies focusing on change, culture, identity and tacit knowledge transfer through story were found useful in the research. The study aims to explore the potential of narrative as a research tool for enhancing Army's understanding of knowledge acquisition in the context of Battle Command Training.This bibliography therefore provides a substantial reference point to review the literature regarding this methodology. References in the bibliography allow researchers to identify with ease the theoretical grounding to the approach, and review alternative positions to the study of narrative. The case studies included provide examples of how research is conducted within this field, and thus the bibliography can act to support researchers in developing this research tool for understanding the context of formal and informal learning within training arenas. Furthe...

Parent-practitioner partnerships in early childhood provision in England, Hungary and Kazakhstan: similarities and differences in discourses

“…The study was interpretive and adopted narrative research (Mitchell & Egudo, 2003;Walsham, 1993). The research design secured rigour by examining findings across the three countries and by adopting analyst triangulation, since all six researchers analysed the data (Patton, 2002).…”

“It just made me feel so desolate”: Patients’ narratives of weight gain following laparoscopic insertion of a gastric band

“…In view of the lack of existing research in this area, an exploratory descriptive approach was chosen to explore the nature and meaning of the patients’ experiences (Holloway, ). A qualitative approach (Holloway & Wheeler, ) informed by narrative as an interpretive framework (Mitchell & Egudo, ) was taken. It has been noted that qualitative research can be conducted in dozens of ways, with many of these approaches having established traditions and conventions (Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, ).…”

Narrative Mode: A comparative Study on Selected Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy and Edgar Allan Poe

“…M. Mitchell and M Edugo (2003) came to a conclusion, narrative skill or technique is the skill which includes issue like relationship between among personal stories, culture, and political forces in which life stories do not simply reflect actual events but actively shape who an individual is.…”