Introduction
In psychology-related studies, qualitative research plays an important role because it allows for focusing on subjective perceptions and concerns of study participants, and they are important for examining in psychological studies. Narrative inquiry is one of the research designs typical of the qualitative methodology that contributes significantly to psychological research while providing researchers with information regarding participants’ life experiences (Ho et al., 2020; James, 2018; Pietersen et al., 2018). The purpose of this paper is to present the overview of narrative inquiry as a specific qualitative research design, describe its features, identify approaches to gathering relevant information, discuss its benefits, and focus on limitations.
Description of Narrative Research
Narrative inquiry, which is also known as narrative analysis, is a specific type of qualitative research that is focused on studying a person’s life experience in the context of the whole life story, or a narrative. Data for this research are collected in a narrative form, through presenting by participants of their narratives about their experiences, perceptions, concerns, attitudes, and lifestyle among other personal details (James, 2018; Pietersen et al., 2018). According to James (2018), narrative inquiry is “a way of researching which focuses on the whole and the specific, not the fragmented and the general,” and this method “foregrounds the telling of stories as a way of giving and exploring meanings of an individual’s experience” (p. 42). This holistic approach to collecting and analyzing or interpreting narrative data allows for concentrating on in-depth individuals’ stories to address a range of psychology-related research questions.
Those researchers who apply narrative inquiry usually start by formulating specific research questions that require answers regarding individuals’ life experiences. The next step is the selection of the data collection approach and the preparation of an appropriate instrument. For instance, Pietersen et al. (2018) used a developed questionnaire to organize the collection of narrative data. Chen (2019) used a set of questions that were developed for a case study. Androutsopoulou and Stefanoua (2018) applied probing questions to stimulate participants’ story-telling. When stories about respondents’ experiences and perceptions are collected, it is necessary to apply narrative analysis to identify themes in individuals’ narratives that provide the answers to the set research questions (Ho et al., 2020). The focus on these subjective and detailed data allows for adding significant information about certain phenomena or situations not only to research but also to practice in the field of psychology.
Data Collection Methods
It is important to note that narrative research is based on collecting qualitative data. The three main ways of gathering data that are appropriate to be used by psychologists for analysis of individuals are interviews, autobiographies and other person-related documents, and observations. In this context, an interview is an effective approach to provide important data about individuals and certain psychological issues because researchers are involved in interviews, and they can use probing questions to stimulate respondents to tell information that is important for research (Ho et al., 2020; James, 2018; Pietersen et al., 2018). For example, Pietersen et al. (2018) used detailed interviews to study specific life experiences of online gamers. An autobiography or a self-narrative is another useful tool for collecting data. In their study, Androutsopoulou and Stefanoua (2018) applied both interviews and self-reported autobiographies to determine turning points in the life of selected participants. Autobiographies allow for focusing on the respondents’ views regarding their life.
The third way of gathering data is the observation that is based on some contacts with subjects and writing down their narratives without asking the participants of the study directly. For instance, in their study, Pietersen et al. (2018) not only conducted interviews but also observed the participants focus more on their narratives and story-telling. Even though open-ended interviews are most frequently applied in narrative inquiry studies, observations are also efficient tools because of the possibility to decrease the resources required to conduct such a qualitative study. Therefore, it is possible to state that all three mentioned approaches are useful to collect relevant data about an individual to conduct effective psychological research and analysis.
Benefits of Using Narrative Inquiry
It is important to claim that narrative research has many benefits in comparison to other types of qualitative methodology. Thus, researchers who have selected and applied narrative inquiry in their studies note that this approach allows for collecting data from participants as storytellers without eliminating them in opportunities to provide complete information regarding a certain topic (Androutsopoulou & Stefanoua, 2018; Chen, 2019; James, 2018). In the context of psychological research, this aspect is important because researchers may gain critical details from the context of participants’ whole stories, not only their answers to interview questions.
As a result, it is possible to gather in-depth and relevant data that cover not only the topic of a conversation but also include details regarding a person’s experiences that are important to be noted in psychological research. According to Josselson, the narrative inquiry “strives to preserve the complexity of what it means to be human and to locate its observations of people and phenomena in society” (as cited in Pietersen et al., 2018, p. 125). For example, in the study by Pietersen et al. (2018), the researchers were interested in studying the world of online gamers through the interpretation of narratives about their individual experiences daily. These narratives were examined to reveal the meanings individuals added to online gaming. Therefore, the related advantage of using narrative inquiry is that it is possible to collect and focus on comprehensive meanings that can be revealed by interviewees in their narratives usually presented as stories.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite providing thick descriptions of individuals’ experiences and views, it is important to note that narrative inquiry as other qualitative approaches has certain limitations and challenges or obstacles to application. The first limitation to consider is the inappropriateness of this approach for studies involving many subjects because of the necessity of collecting extensive information regarding each participant (Pietersen et al., 2018). The other limitation is that narrative inquiry is a time-consuming approach, and much time is required to prepare a study, test a questionnaire or another data collection tool, interview all the participants, and complete a detailed and interpretative analysis of narratives (Androutsopoulou & Stefanoua, 2018). One should state that much attention should also be paid to ethical issues because anonymity and confidentiality of respondents should be granted and protected.
Another limitation is that narratives represent a self-reported type of data, and self-reporting is not regarded as trustworthy. According to James (2018), this aspect negatively affects the validity of the findings and conclusions of studies, in which narrative inquiry was applied. In addition, the problem is also often in the fact that the aspect of reliability is usually not related to qualitative studies that are based on narrative research because the same results cannot be received in the future. Furthermore, depending on the involved population and sample, the findings of the narrative inquiry are often different, and the representativeness of a sample is an important factor to pay attention to when planning to conduct a qualitative study based on narrative research (Androutsopoulou & Stefanoua, 2018; Pietersen et al., 2018). Still, although the results of narrative inquiry studies are subjective and cannot be generalized to a wider population, they significantly add to developing psychological practice and models.
Conclusion
The review and analysis of information presented in the studies that have applied narrative inquiry in the field of psychological research indicate that this research design is effective when it is necessary to collect in-depth data regarding individuals’ experiences. Additionally, this research type is important to be used when researchers must gain an understanding of specific meanings that people can attribute to different phenomena or processes and situations. This research design has many advantages that are important for researchers who choose narrative inquiry despite certain limitations of this approach. The reason is that narrative research can significantly contribute to psychological theory and practice because of provides detailed information regarding individuals, their concerns, experiences, problems, and views among other factors.
References
Androutsopoulou, A., & Stefanoua, M. M. (2018). Seeking “home”: Personal narratives and turning points in the lives of adult homeless. The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 7(1), 126-147.
Chen, J. C. (2019). Restorying a “newbie” teacher’s 3d virtual teaching trajectory, resilience, and professional development through action research: A narrative case study. TESOL Quarterly, 1-20.
Ho, I. K., Newton, T. L., & McCabe, A. (2020). The narrative structure of stressful interpersonal events. Narrative Inquiry, 30(1), 1-17.
James, G. (2018). A narrative inquiry perspective into coping mechanisms of international postgraduate students’ transition experiences. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 2(1), 41-56.
Pietersen, A. J., Coetzee, J. K., Byczkowska-Owczarek, D., Elliker, F., & Ackermann, L. (2018). Online gamers, lived experiences, and sense of belonging: Students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. Qualitative Sociology Review, 14(4), 122-137.