1. Dr Paul Rhodes
Senior Lecturer
Clinical Psychology Unit, University of Sydney
Lisa Dawson
PhD Candidate

2. Outline
 Introduction to Narrative Inquiry
 What is it and how does it compare with other methods
 How do you actually do it?
 Examples of Usyd research projects*
 Tips for beginners?
 Critique
 Exercises

3. Our own stories as researchers ?*

4. What is Narrative Inquiry
(Howie, 2010, Connelly and Clandinin, 1990)
 Each research method generates data in different forms:
effects, mechanisms of change, themes and models, turn-
taking processes, etc*
 Narrative inquiry generates data in the form of stories and
typologies of stories
 Preserves the complexity and temporal context of lived
experience
 Temporal unity is maintained through the use of plot
 narrative inquiry is not what happened so much as what
meaning did people make of what happened.

5.  Plot provides structure allowing for the representation of
how people make sense of their lives both in the past and
now the present
 It is also captured in the form of internalized soliloquies
(Athens, 1994, Ezzy, 1998).These are the conversations one
has with oneself or imagined others.
 Narrative analysis also focuses on who is mentioned in the
telling of events (and who is absent) and the role they
have in the telling of events
 Gergen and Gergen (1984) refer to these people as the
supporting cast of a person's narrative.

6.  Predicated on the view that the self is not a ‘thing’ but is
storied and multi-storied*
 Narrative inquiry can be seen as ‘folk research’ in that it
mirrors modes of knowledge that are common place
 Used in history, anthropology, medicine, psychology,
nursing, ect.
 Canagarajah (1996) argues that narratives function in
opposition to elitist scholarly discourses providing a way
for marginalised groups to participate on knowledge
construction
 2 examples

7. Hunter 2010
Evolving Narratives About Childhood Sexual Abuse:
Challenging the Dominance of the Victim and Survivor Paradigm
This research project explored the ongoing process of constructing a narrative,
following childhood sexual abuse.
Twenty-two men and women aged 25–70 were interviewed about their childhood
sexual experiences with adults using narrative inquiry methodology. These
experiences occurred in different social and historical contexts, when the
theoretical understandings and treatment of the issue of child sexual abuse were
significantly different from the present.
Many factors made disclosure even more difficult then than it is now including
respect for authority; rigid gender roles; the taboo surrounding sexual issues;
lack
of supportive adults;and lack of language to describe what was happening.

8. Participants told four differing narratives about their experiences: narratives of silence;
narratives of ongoing suffering; narratives of transformation; and narratives of
transcendence.
These narratives were examined in relation to the changing social and historical context
and
the current dominance of the victim and survivor paradigm in the child sexual abuse
literature.

9. Huynh & Rhodes (2011)
Why do people choose to become psychologists? A narrative
inquiry
Research suggests that mental health professionals have more
problematic family backgrounds than other professions, but little is
known about the role that early experience has on career choice. This
is of particular importance for the education of psychologists, given
the current emphasis on skills and research training and the call for a
greater focus on personal development.
This study aimed to explore connections between distressing events
and career choice, using a qualitative narrative inquiry research
design. Fifteen students participated, each undertaking junior
psychology courses.

10. For many distressing experiences in childhood, adolescence or early
adulthood were directly related to career choice, supporting the
development of empathy for others and inspiring them through both
good and bad encounters with helping professionals. While a majority
of participants followed this route to psychology training others were
inspired by positive experiences, particularly in the satisfaction and
the recognition of personal suitability gained from a variety of helping
roles.
More research is required, to assess the personal development of
needs of students, to map their occupational prognoses and to trial
personal development initiatives in university settings

11. Method
Sampling
Purposive (or non-probability sampling) rather than representative
sampling
1.Homogeneous sampling
2.Extreme or Deviant Case Sampling: Sometimes extreme cases are of
interest because they represent the purest or most clear cut instance
of a phenomenon we are interested in
3.Criterion Sampling: This involves searching for cases or individuals
who meet a certain criterion, e.g., that they have a certain disease or
have had a particular life experience or scored high on a particular
test.

12. Data collection and analysis
1.Develop an interview schedule: eg, a set of questions or guidelines
(Journals and diaries can be used too augmented by graphical
representations)
The Art of Listening: Maple and Edwards, Qualitative Journeys (2009)
One of the distinguishing features of qualitative journeys is that researchers must listen
carefully, attentively, and analytically to the experiences that are described. It takes considerable
training and practice to learn to withhold your own biases, preconceptions,
and expectations in order to hear clearly what is being said, rather than “hearing” what
you anticipate will be expressed. Qualitative interviewing involves opening yourself up to
explore, and being surprised with what you learn. It means taking on a position of
respectful curiosity, prompting open sharing in such a way that you don’t overstructure
and guide the conversation, but instead allow participants to tell their own stories in
their own unique ways. This is remarkably difficult to do since often you must surrender
control and a position of authority.

13. 2.Transcribe interview with line numbers and interviewer/side issues
removed
3.Read it through with research question in mind making notes on
another column with ref to line numbers
4.Create stories: third person, past tense, chronological order, plot,
scenes, character, begin and end: Insert direct refs to transcript as
required
5.Member check with participants

14. Personal Challenges Elicited by the Process : Maple and Edwards, Qualitative
Journeys (2009)
This qualitative journey describes vividly the ways that this kind of research can be so
informative and fulfilling, yet also disturbing and evocative. It takes a lot of emotional
energy and resilience on the part of the researcher to remain with the participant—and
the data—when it reveals such agonizing stories. Whereas objectivity and rigor are
defined as a form of detachment in quantitative research, the qualitative scholar has to
find attachment in order to gain understanding, yet do so in a way that she doesn’t lose
herself in the process. Bracketing means recognizing your own assumptions and
biases, owning them, but keeping them in perspective so they don’t pollute and prejudice
what you’ve heard and observed.

15. 6. Create a new document for each story with line numbers
7. Analyse each sentence/paragraph by asking “what is this
sentence/paragraph about”/write in a running column
8. Repeat until the meaning of the story runs along side
9. Repeat for all stories
10.Change these notes to categories or codes
11. Cross code with supervisor or other researcher
12.Develop the combination of categories inherent in each individual
story into a typology
13.Develop across subject analysis of the relationship between codes and
typologies with classifications/attributes

16. Overwhelmed With Data : Maple and Edwards, Qualitative Journeys (2009)
It is perfectly normal and to be expected that you will sense that you are drowning in your
own data, and that you will be uncertain how to organize or make sense of everything you
have heard and witnessed. And how could you not feel this way, considering the
Innumerable hours you’ve spent with your participants and the thousands of pages of text
that you now must review and analyze? What are you going to focus on and how do you
know that is what is most significant? It takes patience and perseverance to give yourself
permission to remain bewildered during this transitional period between data review and
synthesis. Most researchers eventually discover meaning in their data, as illustrated in this
section.
1 example

17. de Jager, Rhodes & Blaszczynski
Archiving Insider Knowledge in Hearing Voices Networks
 Auditory verbal hallucinations or ‘voices’ are defined as percept-like
experiences which occur in the absence of an appropriate stimulus,
which nonetheless possesses a compelling sense of reality, and which
the person experiencing it cannot control (Slade & Bentall, 1988).
Hearing voices is highly stigmatised and is associated with poor
mental health, distress, and isolation (Ruddle, Mason & Wykes, 2010;
Thornicroft, 2006)
 In contrast to the medical model, where recovery entails an absence of
symptoms (Andresen, Oades & Caputi, 2003; Whitwell, 1999), broader
notions of recovery hold that it can occur without their resolution
(Anthony, 1993).

18.  The Social Psychiatry approach (e.g. Romme, Escher, Dillon, Corstens
& Morris, 2009) aligns with patient definitions of recovery and with
patients’ needs for a more holistic treatment model, which normalises
voices and takes into account contextual factors (Beavan & Read, 2010;
Fischer, 2003).
 Treatment involves making sense of voices, examining their
relationship to life history, reinstating the individual’s participation in
the community, and developing a positive self-identity (Romme et al.,
2009; Fischer, 2003).
 However, there is a lack of systematic investigation into the process of
recovery. It is therefore unclear whether actual experiences of
recovery align with the recovery process outlined in the Social
Psychiatry approach.

19.  Participants will be 20 voice-hearers who are 1) categorised as being in
the stabilization phase of recovery as operationalised in Andresen’s et
al.’s (2006) stages of recovery instrument (STORI), 2) have past or
current experience of hearing voices. They will be recruited through
the Hearing Voices Network.

20.  Procedure: Study 1
 1. Recruitment/advertising: Douglas Holmes (Director, Hearing
Voices Network) will advertise the study to Hearing Voices Network
members, and email the advertisement and participant information
sheet to associated organisations, potentially including Matthew
Talbot, Mission Australia, Wayside Chapel. People interested in
participating will contact the researchers.

21.  2. Questionnaires posted to potential participants with pre-paid
return envelope: The Stages of Recovery Instrument (STORI;
Andresen, Oades & Caputi, 2006), the Manchester Short Assessment
Quality of Life (Priebe et al., 1999) and K10 measure of global
psychological distress (Kessler et al., 2002), as well as brief
demographic and treatment information (e.g. current treatment and
medication) will be posted to participants for them to complete.
Participants who do not respond within a week will be contacted by
phone and questionnaires may be completed via telephone
(anticipated duration: 15 to 20 minutes). Potential participants whose
scores on the STORI indicate that they are in the rebuilding or growth
phases of recovery will be invited to participate.

22.  3. Semi-structured interview
 4. Transcribe
 5. Write coherent narrative summary
 6. Participant review of narrative summary
 7. Rewrite / re-code
 8. Developing over-arching themes or ‘meta-narratives’

24.  Study 2: Procedure:
 1. A minimum of 8 participants from study 1 will be invited to
participate in study 2 based on analysis.
 2. Participant briefing: A face-to-face or telephone meeting will be
conducted to explain the study in more detail and provide an
opportunity for participants to ask questions. A diary will be
provided. Participants will be asked to take 30 minutes of their day to
record details of voice-hearing experienced that day. This will include
the time, situation they were in, any thoughts or emotions they
experienced and anything they did in response to hearing the voice.

25.  3. Interpersonal process recall: A face-to-face meeting will be held
with participants individually. Interpersonal process recall (Larson,
Flesaker, & Stege, 2008) will be employed to elicit information about
how participants make sense of their voices.
 4. to 8. As described in relation to Study 1 above, steps 4-8. Data
analysis will be conducted using situational analysis (Clarke, 2003). A
selection of transcripts will be cross-coded with another researcher to
ensure replicability. De-identified data in the form of over-arching
themes will be presented to a group of HVN members

26. Critique of Narrative Inquiry
 Lack of cohesive methods for analysis? Poor operationalisation of
method can effect trustworthiness of results
 Time commitment for analysis makes it unsuitable for large numbers
of participants ?
 Requires greater participant involvement given the assumption that
both are illuminated through the research process ?
 Stories are inherently ambiguous and open to interpretation so the
subjectivity of the researcher has a particular impact in this
approach ? (Peshkin, 1988)

27.  Exercise 1: Come up with three questions suited to
narrative inquiry. Make an argument for this method
compared with others.

28.  Exercise 2
 Demonstration
 Interview your partner for 15minutes about the story of
how they came to chose to enrol in this course. Focus on
plot and meaning,
 Write a one page summary as a cohesive narrative
 Read it to your partner for feedback on changes