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Chapter 15 Narrative research
Suggested Activities
1. In November 2009, the Educational Researcher published an issue Discourse on Narrative. This
is a current resource for your students that discusses narrative researcher more deeply than the
Handout 15.1
Coulter and Smith introduce this themed issue of Educational Researcher with a piece titled The
Construction Zone: Literary Elements in Narrative Research.
1. What is the primary purpose of this article as suggested by the authors?
2. Compare the description found in the article to that presented in text for narrative analysis
and analysis of narrative.
3. What is meant by literal truth and storied truth?
4. The authors present several literary elements. Select two and dissect at least one example of
each from those shared from the texts they selected to illustrate in their article.
Handout 15.1 Reference points from the article as foundation and instructor questions for
discussion
1. What is the primary purpose of this article as suggested by the authors?
2. Compare the description found in the article to that presented in text for narrative analysis and
analysis of narrative.
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3. What is meant by literal truth and storied truth?
4. The authors present several literary elements. Select two and dissect at least one example of each
from those shared from the texts they selected to illustrate in their article.
2. The best way for the students to really understand narrative is to have them read narrative
research reports. An easily accessible brief ERIC document that can assist in the introduction to
3. Ask the students to listen to a This American Life (TAL) segment on NPR. I have never used this
assignment, but I believe it would be a great way to introduce narrative. Several TAL segments
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4. One means to assist students in a beginning understanding of narrative is to simply have them
interview each other regarding a personal challenge. In essence, this is one means of starting to
conduct an oral history. As students share a personal challenge they generally embellish a lot. The
interviewer should take notes to practice these skills and pose questions to himself or herself
regarding parts of the ‘story’ that would be of further interest to research You might ask students
to request a timeline from their participants and use this strategy to assist the oral history. Some
example challenges to get students started might include
• Going back to school
• Teaching a new topic/content/curriculum
5. The narrative research homepage housed at Anglia Polytechnic University presents resources for
6. The AERA Narrative Research Special Interest Group (SIG) houses a website maintained by the
Research and Development Center for the Advancement of Student Learning at Colorado State
University and Poudre School District. Although parts of the website are under development,
7. As a related resource the AERA Narrative Research SIG has listed a number of excellent
resources and references available. Each one is pictured and includes a list of contributors. If
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Chapter 15 Test Items
1. Which of the following is a discipline that has a history of narrative research?
a. Sociology
b. Geography
c. Geology
d. Biology
2. As identified in your text, which of the following is a trend that has influenced the
development of narrative research?
a. Increased emphasis on teacher accountability
b. Increased emphasis on student learning.
c. Increased emphasis on teacher reflection.
d. Increased emphasis on student self-regulation.
• 3. Which of the following research topics is most conducive to narrative research?
a. The gain scores of SAT after preparation classes
b. The experiences of an average-achieving student prepping for the SAT
c. The differences in SAT gain scores between preparation class participants and
nonparticipants
d. The effects of two types of preparation classes on student SAT scores
• 4. Which of the following research topics is most conducive to narrative research?
a. A study of the number of students statewide who use school vouchers.
b. A study that tracks the finance shifts in a state that recently implemented school
vouchers.
c. A study that shares the experiences of one large urban district as vouchers were
introduced.
d. A study that surveys community members regarding perceived strengths and
weaknesses of school vouchers.
5. Which of the following is NOT considered a type of narrative research?
a. Personal accounts
b. Observer stories
c. Participant observations
d. Life stories
6. All of the following inform how a narrative research approach is categorized EXCEPT
a. the scope of the narrative.
b. who authored the narrative account.
c. the underlying relationship between the researcher and the participant.
d. The theoretical framework that influenced the study.
7. Which of the following is an element that characterizes narrative research?
a. Narrative research focuses on group experiences.
b. Narrative research relies heavily on triangulation.
c. Narrative research is constructed by the researcher.
d. Narrative research incorporates context and place.
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• 8. Nancy studies moving and social relationships in adolescents. Which of the following is
likely a topic for her narrative research study?
a. The relationship between number of moves and high school GPA
b. The average number of moves in lower SES children
c. The effects of moving on number of intimate friends in high school seniors
d. The experiences of a student with multiple moves
• 9. As a narrative researcher interested in acts of extreme school violence, you have
identified the purpose of your study and the phenomenon to explore. What is your next
step?
a. Pose initial narrative research questions
b. Describe data collection methods
c. Describe the researcher’s role
d. Select individuals to learn about the problem
• 10. As a narrative researcher you have established a relationship with Saud to better
understand the experiences of a father from Saudi Arabia with girl children growing up in
the US. What is your next step?
a. Pose initial questions
b. Describe the researcher’s role
c. Describe data collection methods
d. Complete the writing of the narrative account
• 11. Barb is a narrative researcher interested in the experiences of first generation
college students in rural Appalachia. Of the following, who might be the best person to
serve as an individual to learn about the problem?
a. Maxine, a university guidance counselor working with first generation students
b. Joseph, a high school teacher who teaches advanced students in rural Appalachia
c. Sam, a first generation university student from rural Appalachia with Junior standing
d. Rogers, the father of a first generation university student from rural Appalachia
• 12. Donny is a narrative researcher studying the experiences of wildlife rescue personnel.
Which of the following will Donny primarily rely on for data collection?
a. Certification tests required of wildlife personnel
b. Career interest surveys of those in rescue work
c. Attitude measures given to personnel regarding the status of wildlife in our country
d. Interviews with wildlife rescue personnel
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• 13. Mollie is a narrative researcher at the university. She is conducting her research on the
volunteer experiences of those involved in programs such as Teach for America. Her
dissertation chair, Ruth, asked her about the status of her human subjects review. Mollie
was surprised because she had not intended to submit a protocol for human subjects
review. Given this scenario, what can be said about the ethical standards in Mollie’s
study?
a. Mollie does not need informed consent. She is only interviewing participants.
b. Mollie needs to submit a protocol for review but her study will be an exempt study
because everyone involved is an adult.
c. Mollie will need to submit a protocol for review and her study will likely involve a
Category I review.
d. Mollie will need to submit a protocol for review and her study will likely involve a
Category II review.
14. According to your text, which of the following is a trend that has influenced the
development of narrative research in education?
a. Increased interest in school cultures
b. Increased interest in international education
c. Increased number of students with first language other than English
d. Increased emphasis placed on teacher knowledge
• 15. Ken is a narrative researcher. Of the following, which is the most likely goal for his
study of multiethnic classrooms?
a. To help the school create policies to assist incoming students
b. To increase the understanding of the dynamics of multiethnic classrooms
c. To correlate student performance with teacher experiences teaching in multi-ethnic
schools
d. To examine differences in student achievement by teacher ethnicity in multiethnic
schools
• 16. Which of the following research topics is most conducive to narrative research?
a. Differences in mathematics interest among middle school students who were taught
with either manipulatives or via a traditional curriculum in the primary grades
b. The effects of ability grouping in primary grades on standardized test scores
c. The experiences of women from co-educational high schools now enrolled in
women’s colleges
d. The relationship between number of hours of television viewing and electronic
gaming with obesity in children
17. Regarding data collection, narrative researchers generally
a. rely primarily on empirical data.
b. rely on multiple data sources.
c. rely on more than one participant.
d. use only methods accepted by quantitative researchers.
18. To address issues of trustworthiness, narrative researchers
a. use only valid instruments.
b. rely on inter-observer reliability.
c. triangulate their data.
d. rely on a single participant to assure validity.
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• 19. Which of the following is considered an example of a ‘field text’ technique?
a. Norming a new assessment tool.
b. Using fieldnotes for explanation purposes
c. Calculating the inter-rater reliability while scoring student responses.
d. Comparing observation protocols with other researchers conducting similar studies.
• 20. Marty is a narrative researcher interested in teachers who are children of teachers. He
identifies participants and collects the stories of the role that their parents as teachers
provided to them and the ways in which their parent’s occupation shaped their own career
path. In so doing, which of the following types of narrative research is Marty best
displaying?
a. Narrative analysis
b. Narrative critique
c. Analysis of narrative
d. Interpretive narrative
• 21. Kadeem collected interview data and conducted observations regarding the experiences
of very rural children enrolled in ‘country schools’ with students from all grades in
attendance. He reports his data in the form of a story. Which of the following types of
narrative research is Kadeem is best displaying?
a. Narrative analysis
b. Narrative critique
c. Analysis of narrative
d. Interpretive narrative
• 22. Seth collected data regarding the experiences of students struggling while
learning to read. He interviews students and observes their experiences in their
classroom, special support room, and in their homes. He frames his findings in the form
of a unified story of their experiences. Which of the following is Seth best displaying?
a. Narrative analysis
b. Narrative critique
c. Analysis of narrative
d. Interpretative narrative
• 23. Vivian, curious about the experiences of new immigrant high school students
transitioning into a local rural district, collects their stories. She sits with each and hears
about their experiences. Through these stories themes emerge that she integrates and
shares as her research report. Vivian is best displaying
a. Narrative analysis
b. Narrative critique
c. Analysis of narrative
d. Interpretative narrative
24. When a researcher constructs a story based upon data she has collected through
interviews and observations she is said to be illustrating
a. narrative analysis.
b. narrative critique.
c. analysis of narrative.
d. interpretive narrative.
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25. Narrative researchers who collect their participants’ stories of their experience and
analyze those stories to create a description of themes across the stories are said to be
illustrating which type of narrative research?
a. narrative analysis.
b. narrative critique.
c. analysis of narrative.
d. interpretive narrative.
26. Which of the following is NOT a specific method discussed in your text as a narrative
data source?
a. Oral History
b. Biographical Writing
c. Letter writing
d. Census findings
27. The final step in the narrative research process is
b. interpreting data.
c. writing the narrative.
d. describing data collection.
e. describing the researchers role.
• 28. Saeed, a narrative researcher who studies speech and language challenges in adults, has
asked Darina to construct a timeline and divide the timeline into segments that represent
significant events in her life related to her speech and language development. Saeed is
best illustrating which of the following data collection approaches?
a. Oral history
b. Narrative analysis
c. Letter writing
d. Biographical sharing
• 29. Shelly is a narrative researcher interested in the challenges of being a first year teacher in
a small rural school. Given the suggestions in your text, who might be the best individual
for Shelly to consider as a primary participant?
a. Maria, a second year teacher
b. Alfred, a new teacher’s spouse
c. Sarah, a veteran teacher in the district
d. Jim, the superintendent of the school
30. Which of the following is a key characteristic of narrative
research?
a. Narrative research is best conducted independently.
b. Narrative research is concerned with experiences.
c. Narrative research is concerned with generalizability.
d. Narrative research is concerned with external validity.
31. Compared to quantitative research methods, narrative research is
more
a. objective.
b. valid.
c. inductive.
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d. generalizable.
• 32.-33. Damisi is conducting a narrative research study on the experiences of students who take a
semester leave to work and live in developing countries upon their return to their previous
lives.
• 32. Damisi has identified the purpose of her study and her phenomenon to explore. She
proceeds to select individuals to study to learn about the experience with, and poses
initial research questions, next she will
a. describe her role as the researcher.
b. describe her data collection methods.
c. describe how she will analyze her data.
d. construct the story with the participants.
• 33. In Damisi’s study the collection of the participants’ stories to be used as data is
considered
a. narrative analysis.
b. narrative critique.
c. analysis of narrative.
d. interpretive narrative.
• 34. Marge is a narrative researcher. Which of the following is most likely the goal
for her
study of young boys’ sports injuries?
a. To catalog the number and type of injuries in a single calendar year
b. To increase awareness of sports injuries in youth sport
c. To help to develop awareness of the long term consequences of youth sport injuries
d. To explore the experiences of injured youth athletes and their families
• 35. As a speech and language therapist, Carol has been reading a lot of research on
several therapies for stroke victims. It occurs to her that she would like to study the
experiences of stroke victims during their therapy sessions. It has been her experience
that there are many challenges for these clients and she wants to better understand those
challenges. What type of study does Carol’s purpose suggest would be most appropriate?
a. Narrative
b. Survey
c. Correlational
d. Single-subject
• 36.-37. Mo is conducting a narrative research study on the experiences of certified
teachers who must be re-certified or alternatively certified in order to continue to teach in
their current positions. The purpose of her study is to describe these teachers’
experiences. She has decided to focus on Jenn, a certified elementary teacher and
licensed school psychologist who must complete work to be certified to teach in one of
the districts new pre-kindergarten classes.
• 36. What is the next step Mo will take in her study?
a. Collaborate with Jenn to construct data collection methods
b. Deeply consider her relationship with Jenn
c. Develop narrative research questions
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d. Conduct a literature review to see what is written on the topic.
• 37. Given Mo’s study, her interactions with Jenn and the stories she collects to be
used as data are referred to as which of the following?
a. Interpretive narrative
b. Narrative analysis
c. Analysis of narrative
d. Narrative critique
38. Which of the following best characterizes activities during the first phase of restorying?
a. The researcher shares his version of the narrative and solicits feedback.
b. The researcher conducts interviews and transcribes the audiotapes.
c. The researcher constructs an initial narrative of the data.
d. The researcher presents her personal narrative to be ethical.
• 39. Don is conducting narrative research on the nature of and development of
national educational policy. Which of the following includes a primary source in his
work?
a. Interviews with a select few informants
b. An analysis of the last four administration’s policies
c. A survey of all current employees of the Department of Education
d. White papers and press releases from the Department of Education
40. Which of the following is an example of the speech recognition tools that the text
suggests may facilitate the narrative research process?
a. MSWrite 3.0
b. Speechwrite 1.0
c. Dragon Dictate 2.0
d. TypeTALK 1.0
• 41. Graham is a new researchers and has questions regarding the role of technology
in the narrative research processes. Given knowledge from your text, of the following,
which recommendation would you make to Graham?
a. Narrative researchers rely only on traditional, face-to-face, methods of communication
b Email and other forms of electronic communication can inform narrative research.
c. It is recommended to rely on both traditional and electronic communication.
d. As a researcher today, it is recommended that you rely only on electronic
communication.
42. Which of the following is NOT generally a narrative research approach?
a. Restorying
b. Oral history
c. Testing
d. Storytelling
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Chapter 15 Answers