This book examines narrative research from a range of different perspectives. It discusses international and comparative experiences of doing narrative research on learning, paying particular attention to the cultural contexts within which the research is conducted. The ways in which narrative research can address some of the methodological and epistemological issues faced in conducting insightful and systematic research across cultures are also included. The book’s approach is essentially an integrated one, exploring narrative as methodology in both theoretical and practical terms. It also emphasises the ethical issues that need to be considered by researchers engaged in this form of enquiry, particularly where cultural and religious contexts have a significant impact on research. The first section of the book considers different perspectives on narrative as methodology, including its value in particular cultural contexts. The second section provides readers with international and comparative perspectives on the practical application of narrative methodology in a wide range of arenas worldwide. This combination of methodological issues with practical examples provides opportunities to examine how narrative as a methodology is applied in a range of ‘real world’ situations. This original and imaginative volume bridges the professional and intellectual cultures and traditions of comparative and international education with those of counselling to show the rich benefits of such cross-fertilisation. It will be of interest to researchers in education and across the social sciences as well as those involved in teaching research methodology and those concerned with the complex ethical issues inherent in cross-cultural research.

This book provides a much needed up-to-date introduction to the topic of narrative inquiry – which has seen a growing interest in recent years. Narrative inquiry provides researchers with a framework through which they can investigate the ways humans experience the world depicted through their stories. The book looks at how this method can effectively be applied as a means of research in a range of contexts, including flexible, open and distance or workplace learning. It demonstrates the value and utility of employing narrative as a research tool in a range of teaching and learning settings and includes chapters on background, methodology and case studies to illustrate the application of narrative inquiry as a research method.

Narrative Inquiry in Language Teaching and Learning Research provides an entry-level introduction to research methods using stories, as data or as a means of presenting findings, that is grounded in published empirical research within the field of language teaching and learning. It discusses basic definitions and concepts in narrative inquiry, explains how and why narrative methods have been used in language teaching and learning research, and outlines the different approaches and topics covered by this research. It also examines the different ways of eliciting, analyzing, and presenting narrative inquiry data.Narrative inquiry offers exciting prospects for language teaching and learning research and this book is the first focused and practical guide for readers who are interested in understanding or carrying out narrative studies.

What stories can we tell of ourselves and others and why should they be of interest to others? Exploring Learning, Identity and Power through Life History and Narrative Research responds to these questions with examples from diverse educational and social contexts. The book brings together a collection of writing by different authors who use a narrative/life history approach to explore the experiences of a wide range of people, including teachers, nurses, young people and adults, reflecting on learning and education at significant moments in their lives. In addition, each chapter provides an account by the author of the process of constructing research narratives, and the second chapter of the book focuses specifically on ethical issues in life history and narrative research. This book: provides vivid examples of a narrative/life history approach to research uses narrative/life history to explore identity, power and social justice offers an effective model for practice. With contributions from a number of international experts, this book addresses key issues of social justice and power played out within different contexts, and also discusses the ethics of narrative research directly. The book makes a timely contribution to the growing interest in the use of narrative and life history research. With the increasing importance of continuing professional development for many working in education, health and social service contexts, the book will be of interest to both students and researchers, as it provides clear examples of how researching professionals can use narrative research to investigate a particular area of interest.

Narrative inquiry is being used more widely in the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Northern European countries to conduct research across a range of disciplines. It is gaining popularity in Hong Kong, Macao and Mainland China, but research in these contexts continues to be dominated by quantitative and more traditional qualitative approaches. Narrative inquirers in these areas can, therefore, find it problematic to have the value of their work acknowledged. This book demonstrates creatively, accessibly and rigorously the ways in which narrative inquiry as a methodological approach, already more firmly established in Australia and New Zealand, is gaining a foothold in other parts of the Asia Pacific region. Contributors to the book write about their use of narrative inquiry in, for example, the Confucian heritage cultures (CHC) of Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, Macao and the Anglo-Celtic cultures of Australia and New Zealand. Chapters in the book include: Creative Non-Fiction Across Cultures in Asia Pacific Contexts Riding the Wave of Education Reform: Using a Reflecting Team to Explore the Professional Identities of School Counsellors in Hong Kong Is the Silent Mode On? Re-searching Teachers' Voices in Macao through Narrative Research Narrative Inquiry and the Exploration of Culture for Improving Teacher Education This book will appeal to researchers across all sectors of education, in particular those who are exploring, the use of qualitative research methods in their context. Those interested in comparative education and cross-cultural studies will also find this book valuable.

Narrative research in contemporary times can free social scientists from the rhetorical forms (Emihovich, 1995) that alienate children and families from their own traditions. Through the use of narrative we are able to recognise the power of subjectivity in allowing open dialogue and co-construction of meaning. Becoming comfortable with narrative research also means accepting ideas that the world has no fixed rules for assigning behaviour (Emihovich, 1995). This means that open dialogue is required to build consensus around shared meaning and to ensure the inclusion of multiple voices. The book begins with a theoretical overview of narrative genre before focusing on narrative constellations. Three constellations are then shared with the reader. The final chapter provides ideas about the future of narrative constellation in research and the impact constellations can have for future policy and practice. It is hoped that the reader develops a better understanding of narrative ways and begins to see the potential of narrative constellations in the research genre. Dr Susanne Garvis is a professor of child and youth studies at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has previously worked in Australian universities and is an adjunct academic with Griffith University, Australia. Professor Garvis has experience with narrative approaches in early childhood education and care. She has researched the lives of teachers, families and children. She is particularly interested in representations of lived experience and the power of stories in research.

This comprehensive, thought-provoking introduction to narrative inquiry in the social and human sciences guides readers through the entire narrative inquiry process—from locating narrative inquiry in the interdisciplinary context, through the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings, to narrative research design, data collection (excavating stories), data analysis and interpretation, and theorizing narrative meaning. Six extracts from exemplary studies, together with questions for discussion, are provided to show how to put theory into practice. Rich in stories from the author′s own research endeavors and incorporating chapter-opening vignettes that illustrate a graduate student′s research dilemma, the book not only accompanies readers through the complex process of narrative inquiry with ample examples, but also helps raise their consciousness about what it means to be a qualitative researcher and a narrative inquirer in particular. This book has received the 2017 Outstanding Publication Award from the Narrative Research Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). The award honors research-based texts dedicated to advancing the educational process through research or scholarly inquiry.