Example Of Narrative Inquiry

Chapter Two: Research Methodology I begin chapter two with a discussion of the experiences that led me to narrative inquiry as the research methodology for my thesis. I continue by emphasize other research theories that inform my study - reflective practice, self-study and autoethnography. I conclude by stating detailed description of narrative inquiry as methodology and an explanation of how I decided to use this methodology in my study.

How I came to narrative inquiry as methodology Deciding on a research methodology has in itself been an interesting journey. Although I had taken research methods course in the earlier year of my studies I never came across with such method – narrative inquiry and it doesnt like anything I’ve done and used

Story, in the current idioms, is a portal through which a person enters the world and by which their experience of the world is interpreted and made personally meaningful. Narrative inquiry, the study of experience as story, then, is first and foremost a way of thinking about experience. Narrative inquiry as a methodology entails a view of phenomenon. To use narrative inquiry methodology is to adopt a particular view of experience as phenomenon under study.” Such inquiry led people to reflect and rethink the questions that have been made, like the questions I’ll further explore in this thesis: Why the people think this way? Why the society must works like this? Why no one could understand me? Why people choose to ignore rather than care and concern? How can I change all these? How can I make myself forget about all these? My attraction to narrative inquiry and its power to uncover understandings and create meaning from

Self-study research can be defined as ―the study of one‘s self, one‘s actions, one‘s ideas … It is autobiographical, historical, cultural, and political . . . it draws on one‘s life, but it is more than that. Self-study also involves a thoughtful look at texts read, experiences had, people known and ideas considered‖ (Hamilton & Pinnegar, 1998, p. 236). Connected to this definition is Dinkelman (2003) who describes self-study research as the intentional and systematic inquiry into one‘s own practice to reveal knowledge about practice. These descriptions along with elements of self-study –that it is self-initiated and self- focused, and that it is interactive (LaBoskey, 2004), have provided a knowledge base for my research. Through the discussion with my FYP advisor, from this critical viewpoint he questioned: “From where you started to get into the state of Exulansis?”, “How do you define your state in Exulansis?” and “Are you the same person in all of these stories?” The fact that these and other questions have pushed my thinking, helped me make connections between my experiences, served to uncover new understandings and facilitated the interrogation into the underlying assumptions and values that have shaped my