Qual Data Analysis & Narrative Research

Qualitative data analysis varies by methodology, so there is no one approach that fits across different types of studies. Narrative research is focused on the elicitation and interpretation of people's narrative accounts of their experience. A method based on the use of diaries which have been created for the purposes of research. Diaries can include narratives in semi-structured reports on key events or experiences or unstructured written accounts. Articles in this multidisciplinary, open access collection illustrate options for data analysis in narrative or  diary research.

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Bentley, A., Salifu, Y., & Walshe, C. (2021). Applying an Analytical Process to Longitudinal Narrative Interviews With Couples Living and Dying With Lewy Body Dementia. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211060653

Abstract. Narrative research methods invite people to share their experiences via storytelling. There is increasing interest as to how qualitative narrative inquiry can provide greater understanding into the lived experience around health and illness, particularly within the field of dementia. Narrative research is concerned with how humans make sense of and engage with the changes and disruptions of everyday life. However, narrative research is an emerging and evolving field with no single clearly defined approach to data analysis. In this article, we provide a methodological exemplar by applying Murray’s four levels of narrative analysis to longitudinal narrative interviews completed with couples living with Lewy body dementia. We describe how to analyse connections between the four levels and how to articulate this across different interview time points. This analysis process contributes to methodological knowledge by providing a strategy to connect the personal, interpersonal, positional and societal levels of analysis. The time taken for in-depth analysis of a co-created, dyadic longitudinal narrative approach requires careful consideration, but ultimately, it can provide a richer understanding of the lived experience, allowing for deeper social, clinical and academic insight.

Bischoping, K. (2018). Revisiting a Boy Named Jim: Using Narrative Analysis to Prompt Reflexivity. International Journal of QualitativeMethods, 17(1), 1609406918809167. doi:10.1177/1609406918809167

Abstract. Using examples from qualitative healthresearch and from my childhood experience of reading a poem about a boydevoured by a lion (Belloc, 1907), I expand on a framework for reflexivitydeveloped in Bischoping and Gazso (2016). This framework is unique in firstsynthesizing works from multidisciplinary narrative analysis research in orderto arrive at common criteria for a “good” story: reportability, liveability,coherence, and fidelity. Next, each of these criteria is used to generatequestions that can prompt reflexivity among qualitative researchers, regardlessof whether they use narrative data or other narrative analysis strategies.These questions pertain to a broad span of issues, including appropriation,censorship, and the power to represent, using discomfort to guide insight,addressing vicarious traumatization, accommodating diverse participant populations,decolonizing ontology, and incorporating power and the social into analysesoverly focused on individual meaning-making. Finally, I reflect on theaffinities between narrative – in its imaginatively constructed, expressive,and open-ended qualities – and the reflexive impulse.

Bruce, A., Beuthin, R., Sheilds,L., Molzahn, A., & Schick-Makaroff, K. (2016). Narrative Research Evolving: Evolving Through Narrative Research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 15(1), 1609406916659292.doi:10.1177/1609406916659292

Abstract. Narrative research methodology is evolving, and we contend that the notion of emergent design is vital if narrative inquiry(NI) is to continue flourishing in generating new knowledge. We situate the discussion within the narrative turn in qualitative research while drawing on experiences of conducting a longitudinal narrative study. The philosophical tensions encountered are described, as our understanding and application of narrative approaches evolved. We outline challenges in data collection and analysis in response to what we were learning and identify institutional barriers within ethics review processes that potentially impede emergent approaches. We conclude that researchers using NI can, and must, pursue unanticipated methodological changes when in the midst of conducting the inquiry. Understanding the benefits and institutional barriers to emergent aspects of design is discussed in this ever-maturing approach to qualitative research.

Farmer, J. R., Mackinnon, S. P.,& Cowie, M. (2017). Perfectionism and Life Narratives: A Qualitative Study. SAGE Open, 7(3), 2158244017721733.doi:10.1177/2158244017721733

Abstract. We examined how perfectionistic people conceptualize perfectionism and narrate life events using thematic analysis. Participants included 20 university students who qualified as highly perfectionistic based on cutoffs on the Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (n = 6 adaptive, n = 14 maladaptive). Participants completed a qualitative interview. Using thematic analysis, we identified five themes regarding participants’ conceptualization of perfectionism. The most common themes supported prior theory (high personal standards, performance is never good enough), along with a few comparatively understudied themes (being neat and orderly, feels superior to others, gets caught up in the details). We also identified five themes in a life narrative interview (relationship success, relationship problems, agentic redemption, agentic contamination, and academic success), which provided insight into how young, perfectionistic university students create meaning and identity through autobiographical narratives. “Relationship success” themes were most central to adaptive perfectionists, whereas “agentic redemption” themes were most central to maladaptive perfectionists.

Jackson, S., Backett-Milburn, K., & Newall, E. (2013). Researching Distressing Topics: Emotional Reflexivity and Emotional Labor in the Secondary Analysis of Children and Young People’s Narratives of Abuse. SAGE Open, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013490705

Qualitative researchers who explore sensitive topics may expose themselves to emotional distress. Consequently, researchers are often faced with the challenge of maintaining emotional equilibrium during the research process. However, discussion on the management of difficult emotions has occupied a peripheral place within accounts of research practice. With rare exceptions, the focus of published accounts is concentrated on the analysis of the emotional phenomena that emerge during the collection of primary research data. Hence, there is a comparative absence of a dialogue around the emotional dimensions of working with secondary data sources. This article highlights some of the complex ways in which emotions enter the research process during secondary analysis, and the ways in which we engaged with and managed emotional states such as anger, sadness, and horror. The concepts of emotional labor and emotional reflexivity are used to consider the ways in which we “worked with” and “worked on” emotion. In doing so, we draw on our collective experiences of working on two collaborative projects with ChildLine Scotland in which a secondary analysis was conducted on children’s narratives of distress, worry, abuse, and neglect.

Kaun, A. (2010). Open-Ended Online Diaries: Capturing Life as it is Narrated. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 9(2), 133-148.doi:10.1177/160940691000900202

Abstract. Weblogs and life journals are popular forms of reflecting and reporting online about one's everyday life. In this article the author examines whether solicited online diaries can be used in qualitative research. She discusses advantages and disadvantages of the online research, diaries as a source of data, and narration as a method. The discussion is exemplified by the presentation of an online diary study conducted in two partsin the spring and autumn of 2009 with students from Tartu, Narva, and Tallinn,Estonia. This article shows the illuminating potential and richness of solicited online diaries applied in an open-ended, qualitative understanding as a way to investigate everyday life. At the same time, the main challenges arepresented and discussed.

Meraz, R. L., Osteen, K., & McGee, J. (2019). Applying Multiple Methods of Systematic Evaluation in Narrative Analysis for Greater Validity and Deeper Meaning. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919892472

Abstract. Personal narrative is at the heart of how human beings share information, represent identity, and convey ideas. Narrative research is a form of qualitative analysis that assists researchers in gaining insight into the lived experiences of the persons they are studying within their unique life circumstances and contexts. Although many narrative investigations report themes from study data, there is no single, well-defined approach to data analysis in narrative research. In this article, we provide a method for analyzing the data beyond the spoken words by applying Riessman’s thematic, structural, and performance analysis. We describe how applying multiple methods of systematic evaluation to narrative data leads to a deeper and more valid insight into the told stories. The data analysis process outlined in this article contributes to the academic discourse and knowledge supporting the use of multiple methods of systematic evaluation to uncover deeper meaning and thus leading to greater validity of the findings from narrative data.

Moen, T. (2006). Reflections on the Narrative Research Approach. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(4), 56-69. doi:10.1177/160940690600500405

Abstract. In her reflections on the narrative research approach, the author starts by placing narrative research within the frame work of sociocultural theory, where the challenge for the researcher is to examine and understand how human actions are related to the social context in which they occur and how and where they occur through growth. The author argues that the narrative as a unit of analysis provides the means for doing this. She then presents some of the basic premises of narrative research before she reflects on the process of narrative inquiry and addresses the issue of the “true” narrative. Throughout the article, the author refers to educational research and in the concluding section argues that the results of narrative research can be used as thought-provoking tools within the field of teacher education.

Nasheeda, A., Abdullah, H. B., Krauss, S. E., & Ahmed, N. B. (2019). Transforming Transcripts Into Stories: A Multimethod Approach to Narrative Analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919856797

Abstract. Stories are essential realities from our past and present. As the primary sources of data in narrative research, interview transcripts play an essential role in giving meaning to the personal stories of research participants. The pragmatic narratives found in transcripts represent human experience as it unfolds. Analyzing the narratives found in interview transcripts thus moves beyond providing descriptions and thematic developments as found in most qualitative studies. Crafting stories from interview transcripts involves a complex set of analytic processes. Building on the first author's personal experience in working on a doctoral thesis employing narrative inquiry, this article presents a multimethod restorying framework to narrative analysis. A step-by-step progression within the framework includes choosing interview participants, transcribing interviews, familiarizing oneself with the transcripts (elements of holistic-content reading), chronologically plotting (elements of the story), use of follow-up interviews as a way to collaborate (an important procedure in narrative inquiry), and developing the story through structural analysis. It is hoped that this article will encourage other researchers embarking on narrative analysis to become creative in presenting participants’ lived experiences through meaningful, collaborative strategies. This article demonstrates the fluidity of narrative analysis and emphasizes that there is no single procedure to be followed in attempting to create stories from interview transcripts.

Saint Arnault D, Sinko L. Comparative Ethnographic Narrative Analysis Method: Comparing Culture in Narratives. Global Qualitative Nursing Research. 2021;8. doi:10.1177/23333936211020722

Abstract. Narrative data analysis aims to understand the stories’ content, structure, or function. However narrative data can also be used to examine how context influences self-concepts, relationship dynamics, and meaning-making. This methodological paper explores the potential of narrative analysis to discover and compare the processes by which culture shapes selfhood and meaning making. We describe the development of the Comparative Ethnographic Narrative Analysis Method as an analytic procedure to systematically compare narrators’ experiences, meaning making, decisions, and actions across cultures. This analytic strategy seeks to discover shared themes, examine culturally distinct themes, and illuminate meta-level cultural beliefs and values that link shared themes. We emphasize the need for a shared research question, comparable samples, shared non-biased instruments, and high-fidelity training if one uses this qualitative method for cross-cultural research. Finally, specific issues, trouble-shooting practices, and implications are discussed.

Tohar, V., Asaf, M., Kainan, A.,& Shahar, R. (2007). An Alternative Approach for Personal Narrative Interpretation: The Semiotics of Roland Barthes. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 6(3), 57-70.doi:10.1177/160940690700600306

Abstract. In this paper the authors propose RolandBarthes's analytical method, which appears in his classic work S/Z(1974), as a new way of analyzing personal stories. The fivecodes that are described in the book are linked to the domains of poetics,language, and culture, and expose facets that are embedded in the deepstructure of narratives. These codes are helpful in revealing findings withregard to the development of the professional careers of teacher educators.

Vindrola-Padros, C., & Johnson, G. A. (2014). The Narrated, Nonnarrated, and the Disnarrated: Conceptual Tools for Analyzing Narratives in Health Services Research. Qualitative Health Research, 24(11),1603-1611. doi:10.1177/1049732314549019

Abstract. While analyzing the narratives of children receiving pediatric oncology treatment and their parents, we encountered three ways to look at their narratives: what was narrated, nonnarrated, and disnarrated. The narrated refers to the actors (characters) and events (scenes) individuals decided to include in the narration of their experiences, the nonnarrated are everything not included in narration, and the disnarrated are elements that are narrated in the story but did not actually take place. We use our reflection to illustrate how an integrative analysis of these different forms of narration can allow us to produce a holistic interpretation of people’s experiences of illness. This approach is still in the early stages of development, but we hope this article can promote a debate in the field and lead to the refinement of an important tool for narrative analysis.

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Methodspace posts about narratives and stories in research